We figured we’d share something light for the weekend – like this hilarious story from the Vancouver Sun.
A look at the most notorious branding flops of the last couple decades includes 1993′s Earring Magic Ken doll – a circa 1991 Christopher Street clone which also became known as “Gay Ken”.
(We think “Gay Ken” is an amazing idea, but that’s just us).
“Toymaker Mattel asked five-year-olds what they wanted Ken to look like, and the result was a bleached-blonde Ken doll with an earring and a purple vest over a mesh t-shirt.
“The new Ken was quickly given the moniker ‘Gay Ken,’ since his appearance was similar to the fashion worn by a stereotypical 1990s gay man.
“An article about the doll appeared in the gay-oriented newspaper The Stranger, saying the similarities to gay culture could not be coincidental. Mattel discontinued the dolls and recalled as many as it could.
Among the other flops: Crystal Pepsi, New Coke, CCRAP – an acronym for Canada’s Conservative Party – and Hong Kong Tourism, whose “Take Your Breath Away” slogan coincided with SARS.
