Feelthy brand names

Warning: English-centric post ahead. Mirth and mockery will be enjoyed at the expense of well-meaning auslanders who are unaware that their native brand names sound silly and/or scatological on our shores.

Retarded progress

Shit hit the fan for Coca-Cola in September 2013 when a woman in Alberta, Canada, opened a bottle of VitaminWater to see “YOU RETARD” printed on the cap. That cap was part of a promotional game in which English words were randomly paired with French ones, and in French retard simply (and innocuously) means late. The company apologized and pulled the promotion after the woman’s father complained, but the fierce reaction to this unfortunate juxtaposition invites a closer look at how retard and retarded developed the connotations they have today.