Some of these are just strange with no explanation. Others, I think people are mistaking quotation marks for underlining, bold, or italics to emphasize words. Even an exclamation point would work better. There are even a blog and web sites on the topic, no joke, at http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/ and http://www.juvalamu.com/qmarks/, among others. Quotation marks are used ordinarily to show quotations, or attributions in fiction to a particular speaker. They can also be used to offset story titles and other titles in part of a sentence. An increasing use is to use them to show irony, or sarcasm. Like you disapprove of your sister’s new boyfriend, so you write:
Yeah, he is a real “winner.”
In that case, to indicate the opposite, that he is a loser. So why would someone post a sign:
Employees must “wash their hands.”
It is not a quote, title, or attribution, so it can only mean irony or sarcasm. Are they supposed to wash something besides their hands? Are they not supposed to wash? Anyway, you get the point. Here is a gallery of them. “Enjoy.” [sic.]
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 
Like the tattoo on the woman’s back and the “New” underwear. Wonder how “new” they really are. Scary.
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I see your point. Inappropriate punctuation is just another “sign” of the times. (smiles)
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I’m always suspicious when the quotation marks are used with food. It somehow screams at me, “Beware. This might or might not contain actual chicken/meat/what have you!”
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This was great! I tend to use ellipses too much. I’d be interested in your take on that punctuation mark…
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This is brilliant. I didn’t realise improperly quotation marks were such a comedic goldmine.
My wife was quite horrifed by the ‘Employees Must Wash Hands’ signs all over the US when we travelled there (ie. “shouldn’t it be obvious that everyone should wash their hands?”). If she saw that one with the quotes she might have totally freaked out.
Also, I’m not sure I want to know what those brown “eggs” really were …
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