Shelf Life

by Rosie Walford, Paul West

Would you wash your clothes with Colon detergent? Offer an assortment of Tit Bits and Bum Bums in your candy bowl? Or, on a quiet evening, serve your guests some Bonka coffee? In this age of globalization, brand names are increasingly checked for international propriety, and these products may well be endangered species. We can only be glad that for now, some companies still proudly assert their independence from English-language mores by naming canned fish Atum Bom or butter Noisy. Here, in glorious full color, are examples of such accidentally amusing packaging collected from shelves all over the world.

Genres: Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[Rob de W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this as an 11 year old and bit by bit, year by year, I've tried to locate and buy every product listed in this book. The most recent one I've managed to tick off was a packet of CHOCO ¡BUM! in Peru.

Aass Bock and and Cock Soup remain the nicest.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew about some of these products already. It was a humorous book. Not guffawing and belly laughter, but humorous.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. This book isn't bad, it is what it is. The book is simply pictures of products from around the world that sound funny to English speakers. The pictures are well done so this book might appeal to a marketing individual, or a graphic designer. But it's true this book will only apply to a niche within a niche, and for everyone else will probably garner a low star rating.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look at this! People around the world speak differently languages, so sometimes they name their products things that English-speakers might think is funny! Amazing! Ugh. Waste of paper.