Flying is, without a doubt, an exciting experience especially for those who rarely travel by plane. For the rest of us, though, flying instantly evokes images of crowded gates, nervous passengers, and throbbing headaches that threaten to make your head explode in any second. Also, the sight of hot-tempered travelers is quite an unpleasant sight to see at the airport. Perhaps this is why the following airline companies decided to deck out their planes with these super eccentric paint jobs. Are they really trying to compensate us for all the hassles and headaches at the airport?

Well, we don't know that; however, what we do know for sure is that these airlines might have gone a little overboard with their unusual paint job schemes. Oddly enough, there seems to be a whole lot of airlines that have decorated a plane or two with a super bizarre custom livery that should tell some story. But whether the passengers get the idea is, well, another thing.

From unique cartoon characters and heavy metal mascots to major brand logos, painted on the plane tail, check out our great list of 20 of the goofiest and most bizarre airplane paint jobs you've ever seen.

20 ATL-98 Carvair AKA Phoebus Apollo

Apparently, this airline thought that it'd be really cool to have the ATL-98 Carvair painted like this. But why does it feel like it's almost smirking, right? As strange as it is, this airplane was named Phoebus Apollo, and it's probably one of the most exclusive airplane paint jobs we've seen so far. Now couple that with the "Exclusive" lettering, emblazoned on the side, and you'll surely get the most eccentric airplane paint job. But even though this unique airplane design looks a bit over-the-top, most passengers will surely have a good laugh while boarding the plane. After all, Apollo just wants to make its passengers happy and relaxed while flying the skies.

19 ANA Airline Is Apparently A BIG Fan Of The Star Wars Films

Those who want to visit Japan this autumn need to be well-prepared for their first meet-up with this five-star airline that clearly supports the Star Wars films. The All Nippon Airways decided to stand out from its competitors by getting one of its jets painted like this. Well, it does stand out, but was it what they were looking for? This bizarre-looking airplane offers domestic flights within the country, but it can also take you on an international journey without any problem. But when it comes to its unusual wrap that looks like an ode to the Star Wars moviethere's just too much going on there. Perhaps Al Nippon Airways needed a fresh dose of inspiration for advertising purposes, hoping for viral effects as well; however, the whole thing is like a joke that nobody understands.

18 Buzz LightYear & Its Cartoon Vibes

While the kids will surely go crazy about it, we can't really say the same thing about their parents and fellow travelers. At first, you'll probably see nothing but Superman, being so boldly emblazoned all over the front part of the plane. But once you come around and see it for what it really is, you'll realize that it's not Superman, but Buzz Lightyear, and it can't be any crazier. Apparently, Buzz Lightyear might have finally quit the world of Disney World to become a hotshot flier. But no matter how cool it may look at first, the livery isn't exactly the most appropriate design for an airplane whatsoever.

17 Do You Even Fly, Beluga?

This lovely picture of the Airbus Beluga is just too much to handle, and that's exactly where the problem lies. Airplanes aren't supposed to be cute and lovely, but reliable, even fierce and mighty. Once passengers get on board the plane, they need to feel absolutely safe and calm while flying the skies. Indeed, there's nothing really more important than the passenger's safety and pleasant flying experience. And although the Beluga XL is the largest carrier airplane that we know of, the exterior is a major turn-off; it really looks like a slow and unwieldy beluga whale that's just stuck in its place.

16 The "Tiger" Owned By Kingfisher Airlines

A lion emblazoned on the exterior might have sounded like a pretty good idea to the Kingfisher airliner, but it's easy to see that it was poorly realized. Apparently, the owners of this unique plane feel differently about this. Maybe they wanted to have a little fun with it and attract more potential clients, and this is why they decided to experiment with such an aggressive airplane makeover. But in reality, it's just a big waste of money, especially with such a colorful design that's just over-the-top. So hopefully, the owner of the Kingfisher Airlines, Vijay Mallya, will soon realize how inappropriate this idea is.

15 Alaska Air's Eskimo Wrap Says "We're Pulling Together"

What's with that Eskimo, boldly placed on the tail? According to the Alaska Air and its CEO, B. Tilden, this airline company has got a soul and a spirit, so the Eskimo's mission is to help us all find out who we really are. Also, Brad Tilden didn't forget to mention that the company stands for teamwork and community; it believes in the beauty in every detail so the company can potentially offer all of these things to the passengers. But when it comes to that Eskimo livery, it's certainly kind of weird to think of the plane as a living thing. And then there's that weird tagline that says "we are pulling together."

14 Pacific Southwest Airlines & Its "Flying Smile"

This airplane almost looks like it's happy and excited to get you onboard. Besides, the name also suggests that the flying experience with this airplane, owned by the Pacific Southwest Airlines, has to be a memorable one. So what better way to achieve that than with a cute paint job and wrap that can resonate with the kids? Well, maybe this was exactly what this airline thought before the project even began.

Interestingly, the Pacific Southwest Airlines is actually subsidiary of the American Airlines. But from the look of things, the American owners didn't exactly turn the idea down. So there it is, all charming and ready to take you around the world. Maybe it's a cool idea for the kids but is it like this for the others?

13 The Japanese Jet With Pokemon Motifs

This bright and cartoonish airplane happens to be another member of the All Nippon Airways "family" that was clearly inspired by the hugely popular Pokemon game that went so viral across the world. It's no secret that Japan is well known for its love of anime and video games, so it's probably a matter of time before we see another similar airplane at Tokyo's Narita International Airport. Interestingly, these Pokemon-inspired jets have been in operation since the late 90s - meaning that the success of the Pokemon Go Game only contributed to the intense popularity of this aircraft. Gladly, though, the livery of a few of the planes was eventually removed.

12 Continental To The Max Or Just Trying Too Hard?

This airplane must be the definition of rainbows. Just take a look at its design and you'll probably see a lovely palette of warm and cool colors. Seriously, the exterior design of this airplane is really close to what we call a coloring book for little kids.

The so-called Continental-to-the-Max seems like it's just trying too hard to get noticed by the most frequent travelers. The idea behind this odd paint job came from the German-American pop artist, Peter Max, who created this special livery for the wide-body jet. Of course, we've seen worse, but we can't deny the fact that Continental should've done better handing the plane to professional designers who could've given it a more polished look instead.

11 The "Fashionable" Airplane

Unlike the other airplanes, this exterior design of this one is rather stylish and too fashionable. Of course, the airplane powers down the runway like a model, but the Chinese fashion designer, Masha Ma, might have forgotten about the plane's primary functions and practicality. Did this modern makeover improve the plane in a certain way?

Probably not, and neither does it make the flying experience more pleasant and safe. The design of the Boeing 777-200, which depicts a bamboo tree and a rose, took over 2,500 hours to complete. Indeed, planes aren't designed to look pretty; they're merely supposed to take us to the desired location.

10 Thomas Cook's Airplane Designs Are Overly Creative

The holiday company has once again surprised the world with its unusual airplane paint jobs. The makeover engaged a group of holiday-makers, and it certainly didn't go unnoticed. As weird as it is, the lettering on the plane might have attempted to say "I Love Cook's Club." But instead, the tagline also looks like something else when the doors are open. As a result, the hilarious blunder soon began taking rounds on all social media channels. Eventually, even Thomas Cook's team confirmed that they didn't see it coming, but at least they had a good laugh as well.

9 When A Concorde Wears A Brand's Livery

Such world-known brands often go the extra mile by promoting their new products in a different way. According to Jalopnik.com, Pepsi struck a deal with Air France, and dozens of airplanes wore the eccentric Pepsi livery, promoting the brand's latest products. So, Air France's airplanes were eventually turned into Pepsi's marketing tools. Also, the new design of the plane had to be electric blue which is in stark contrast to Coca-Cola’s famous red cans. Frankly, it doesn't really matter whether the Concorde will be flying the colors of Air France or British Airways. What's actually much more important here is the fact that the construction of Concorde requires high-reflectivity white paint schemes with minimal logos. But as you can see, Concorde got an electric blue makeover no matter the requirements.

8 The Plane With A Polar Bear Livery

While the other airlines decided to sport tigers, sharks or even cartoon characters on their planes, Frontier Airlines chose a polar bear livery. But unlike the other airplanes, this one looks kind of different since it features polar bear cubs on the wings of the plane. Also, it's quite easy to notice the exterior design of the other ones which also share similar motifs. Well, the whole thing may look a bit weird and ridiculous for an airplane, but at least it will most likely resonate with the youngest passengers on the plane while making their parents crack a smile.

7 The Camo Plane That "Didn't See It Coming"

Here is another atypical airplane design that belongs to the family of Kulula Airline. There's no doubt that the airplane looks super weird and ridiculous, but what's more interesting is what the flight attendant said after the plane experienced a rough landing. According to Total Blue Sky, here's how the flight attendant dealt with the awkward situation.

"That was quite a bump, and I know what y’all are thinking. I’m here to tell you it wasn’t the airline’s fault; it wasn’t the pilot’s fault, it wasn’t the flight attendant’s fault; it was the asphalt!"

Finally, the tagline on the plane is starting to make sense.

6 Meet "The Smurf" In Brussels

It turns out that most airline companies actually enjoy such colorful exterior designs and even the Brussels Airlines aren't an exception on today's list. In fact, Aerosmurf happens to be the airline company's 5th official Icon, with the creative tagline "we'll fly you to the home of the Smurfs", emblazoned along the body of the plane.

According to the airline, the Airbus A320 will even take The Smurfs to an entirely new level since the cartoon has been inspiring the nation for decades. Also, the illustrator of these small blue characters happens to be from Belgium as well.

At least it's no longer a secret why the Airbus A320 rocked them for quite a while.

5 A-10 Nose Art Is The First And Last Of Its Kind

Evidently, The US Air Force has got a unique sense of humor when it said a BIG yes to this menacing design of the A-10 warplane. But realistically, A-10 doesn't really need an additional element, let alone a full paint job, to look evil and threatening. In fact, that 30-millimeter cannon at the front does the job well enough. Also, such animal motifs, like vipers, lions or tiger-sharks, are plainly unnecessary. Maybe the US Air Force has already realized how useless this whole thing is because the A-10 Nose Art will be the last of its kind.

4 The Unusual Ideas Of The Duncan Aviation

Sometimes even the best exterior designers come up with less-than-fantastic creations, and the one you're looking at right now is the perfect example of that. This colorful and modern airplane paint job is so bright that you almost feel like it's invading your field of vision. This previously modest M2 charter doesn't look like itself anymore, especially with the extravagant design and patches of color. It turns out that its original colors - grey and white - were rather dull, so the guys from the Duncan Aviation revamped the exterior into vibrant colors that are more appropriate for the modern art museums, but not for an airplane.

3  Kulula Air & The Big Cheese (Aka The Cockpit)

This inexpensive South African airline company isn't afraid to show the world that it doesn't really take itself seriously. Kulula Air's mission is to make its passengers feel as comfortable as possible in their seats, especially when they've got to deal with a long-haul flight. But still, Kulula Air didn't have to place such a big signage all over the plane, letting everyone know their exact location on the plane when they already know that. Once the boarding is done, the passengers won't be able to see that signage anyway. According to this South African airline company, they want to let us all in on their airline secrets, so we can see what it's like flying with Kulula Air. And from the look of things, they are quite serious about it.

2 The Embraer E190-E2 With An Ill-Tempered Character

This exotic metal bird clearly wants to show us that it's not just a simple airplane but a flying monster that cannot wait to lift off the ground. According to Embraer, the E-Jets E2, in particular, claims to be the world's most efficient, powerful and cleanest aircraft in its segment. Additionally, E-Jets E2 pretends to be an airplane coming from an entirely new and different generation that burns up to 10 % less fuel while keeping an extended range of over 5,000 km. These facts clearly give many other airlines in this segment a run for their money; however was it really necessary to have the jet painted like this?

1 Nok-Air, Thailand, Offers Cheap & Memorable Flights

Actually, this is not the first time that Nok-Air makes headlines around the world with its colorful and quite childish airplane paint jobs. And it's clear to see that the designer's creativity might have jumped a little overboard with the overall look of the plane. At the end of the day, it's just a bird that looks like a bird, right? So, no matter how strange it is, this low-cost airline company in Thailand really enjoys dressing its planes as different kinds of birds. It also seems that Nok-Air loves giving names to its airplanes, so it was only natural that this Nok-Air plane became known as the duck plane with the whacky smile.

References: motherboard.vice.com, pretty52.com, hotcars.com, curiousread.com, jalopnik.com