Parks and Recreation is one of those shows that you have to watch a few times if you want to catch every possible joke, visual gag, reference, and callback to earlier episodes. There are a ton of brilliant subtle jokes hidden throughout the series, with many of them tucked away in the background of quick shots.
If you watch carefully, there are some really great subtle gags in the background of a few shots, especially in later seasons. Something Parks excels at is funny props and signs in clear sight that one might not even notice right away. Here are some of the best things spotted in the background of Parks.
Andy Petting a Monkey
In Season 4, Episode 19, Leslie is stuck trying to help Councilman Pillner balance a budget in order to save funding for her own department. As a result, Pillner cuts the budget of the animal shelter. To prevent the animals from being put down, Leslie adopts several dozen of them, keeping them at April, Andy, and Ben's house in the meantime.
In a shot of April talking about how she prefers animals to people, Andy can be seen behind her on the couch petting a stuffed monkey as if it's one of the animals from the shelter.
Stop Eating My Food
During the episode Fancy Party, Andy and April secretly throw their wedding under the guise of a regular party at their house, which they share with Andy's band's guitarist, Burly. Andy is seen to be getting on Burly's nerves as a roommate in a few lines in various episodes.
During a scene that takes place in the kitchen, a sign can be seen on the fridge behind Leslie, likely from Burly, scolding Andy for eating all of his food. Throughout the shots, the full message can be seen to say "ANDY STOP EATING MY FOOD. IF IT HAS MY NAME ON IT, DON'T EAT IT."
Eagleton Vs. Pawnee
Late in the series, Leslie has to swallow her hatred for Eagleton to help them out of a financial bind. This plotline starts in Season 6, Episode 3, with Leslie giving a press conference next to Ingrid de Forest (Kristen Bell), a city councilor from Eagleton.
The two are discussing the Pawnee-Eagleton Tip-Off Classic, a traditional basketball game between the two rival towns. During the presser, a sign for the Tip-Off Classic is over the heads of the two women, but the way they're standing blocks some of the letters. For almost the entire scene, it just says "ASS" between their heads.
April's Painting
This is one of the background jokes that is a bit less subtle, but still funny nonetheless. In Citizen Knope, the show is demonstrating how incredible Leslie's Christmas gifts to her staff are.
April receives a large painting of her holding and standing on the decapitated heads of the Black Eyed Peas, while she says "I finally killed them." In the back of the painting is a shirtless barbaric Andy, wielding a large axe, ever April's biggest supporter, even in murder apparently.
Chris Greeting Garry
From the first appearance that he made on the show, Chris Traeger's personality was clearly defined: an optimistic, overly-positive, and friendly coworker. He greets both Leslie and Ron with a strange, awkwardly-intimate pronunciation of their full names while pointing directly at their faces.
This is really funny to watch as Ron leans in to shake his hand and he just ignores it. When Leslie is talking in another shot, you can see Chris doing the same thing to Garry in the background while Garry tries to shake his hand.
Ben's Birthday
In Filibuster, an episode in Season 6, Leslie throws Ben a birthday with a theme entirely based around the early 90s at a roller rink. While the two of them don't get a chance to make it to the party, the rest of the cast is there in outfits inspired by the time period (except April).
Around the roller rink, there are several signs with puns on Ben's name inserted into 90s references, including "Ben Thugs 'n Harmony" over the rink, "Wyatt Ben Can't Jump," and "A Few Good Ben" above Ron and Donna.
City of Pornee
One of the best recurring jokes in the series is that Brandi Maxxx, brilliantly played by Mara Marini, is like the pornographic-version of Leslie, much to Leslie's chagrin.
This joke is made literal in Bailout, with Brandi portraying the "porn version" of Leslie in "Too Big to Nail." When the film is accidentally broadcast at the end of the episode, the city's official seal can be seen behind Brandi's desk, but it instead says "City of Pornee" instead of "Pawnee."
Water Fountain Instructions
In a great episode during Leslie's arc running for the city council, Chris tasks Ron and the rest of the Parks department with finishing a single project. They decide to tackle a gross local quirk where the citizens of Pawnee put their mouths entirely around the spout of water fountains.
April eventually comes up with the winning idea for the project. Later, in the episode Prom, a sign can be seen behind Allison, Ron, and Leslie explaining how to properly use a water fountain — a call back to the earlier episode.
Not Cool
In the episode Smallest Park, Leslie finds out that Ben plans to spend less time working with her after they finish a project establishing the smallest park in Indiana. Leslie, who can't let go of Ben, stalls the project however she can, including convincing a bunch of locals to protest the park for some humorous reasons.
In a scene where Chris and Ben confront Leslie and the protestors, a few funny signs can be seen, like one stating "God Hates Small Parks." The best, though, is when Ben asks if everyone is "cool" with his solution, and a sign can be seen behind him that just says "NOT COOL."
Tammy's Books
Leslie's first run-in with the evil, man-devouring Tammy Swanson is in the Season 2 episode "Ron and Tammy". Leslie visits Tammy's office to discuss the issue at hand: the library taking over the lot by Ann's house.
In the background, Tammy has a shelf of "approved" and "rejected" books that speak perfectly to her personality. On the approved list are books like "Sperm Suicide," "Woman War III," "Man Putty," and "Take His Balls and Go Home."