Buzz
It’s astonishing to think that for almost three years, we haven’t created a list of truly bizarre products! While we’ve touched on absurd items in the past, those were mostly quirky takes on everyday items. This list, however, is dedicated entirely to products that are inherently strange. Feel free to share your own discoveries in the comments!
10. Darkie Toothpaste A controversial product with a racist history
Darkie, now rebranded as Darlie, is a toothpaste brand originally from the Taiwan-based company Hawley & Hazel, which was purchased by Colgate-Palmolive in 1985. The term 'Darkie' or 'darkie' was historically used in the US and UK as a derogatory term for Black individuals. The packaging once featured a caricature inspired by Al Jolson’s performances, depicting a smiling Black man with dark skin, a top hat, monocle, and bow tie. This imagery played on the stereotype that Black individuals had exceptionally white teeth due to the contrast with their skin tone. As societal attitudes toward race evolved, such overtly racist branding practices, common in earlier decades, began to fade in the 1950s.
9. Boneless Fish What’s the point?
The Boneless Fish, a frozen seafood product created by Japan’s Dairei Corporation in 1998, is a unique innovation. It involves a fish that’s scaled, gutted, and deboned by skilled workers, then reassembled to resemble a dressed fish (head and fins removed). After being flash-frozen and packaged, it remains uncooked. The process is labor-intensive, with HACCP-certified factories in Thailand, China, and Vietnam. Workers meticulously remove bones using tweezers, and the final product is inspected for bone fragments before being reassembled with a food-grade enzyme from Ajinomoto.
8. Hitler Bacon Is it even Kosher?
Hitlerszalonna, also known as Hitler-szalonna (Hungarian for 'Hitler bacon'), is a thick fruit jam consumed by Hungarian soldiers and civilians during World War II. There is ongoing discussion about its actual fruit content and edibility. Made from a blend of fruits like plum, it was sold in brick-shaped blocks wrapped in paper instead of jars. These blocks were sliced similarly to szalonna (bacon). Soldiers carried it in cases and used it in cooking with other ingredients. The term is colloquial, often interpreted as 'tough fruit.'
7. Urinal Cake Candle
The product’s website sums it up: 'Bring the industrial, chemical freshness of a public restroom into your home. Many ask if THE URINAL CAKE CANDLE smells like urine. It doesn’t. Instead, it offers a cinnamon-floral scent inspired by a urinal cake our founder encountered at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. This candle neutralizes both number 1 and number 2 odors and has become a staple in the HOTWICKS headquarters bathroom. It’s the ideal gift for taco, asparagus, and spicy chicken wing enthusiasts.' [Source]
6. Gay Fuel
Gay Fuel, an energy drink created by Florida-based Specialty Spirits, LLC, targeted the LGBTQ+ community with its slogan 'GET FIRED UP.' Often dubbed a 'graphite smoothie,' it resembled Red Bull but featured a vibrant pink color and elderberry flavor. The producers asserted that Gay Fuel included a mix of herbs to enhance libido and strengthen the immune system. Its silver can was adorned with rainbow stripes. By 2008, the official website was no longer accessible.
5. Hufu For those with a taste for the unconventional
Hufu was marketed as 'the healthy alternative to human flesh' for 'cannibals looking to reform,' as well as a tool for anthropology students exploring cannibalistic practices. Its website described it as 'a convenient meal option for cannibals, eliminating the need for late-night hunts. Stay in and savor the wholesome flavor of hufu.' Mark Nuckols, founder and CEO of Hufu, LLC and a Tuck School of Business student, conceived the idea while eating a tofurkey sandwich and reading Marvin Harris’s 'Good To Eat: Riddles of Food and Culture,' a book on cannibalism. Hufu, a fictional product, was said to be a soy-based food mimicking the taste and texture of human flesh. The Hufu website operated from May 2005 to June 2006.
4. Mary Jane Buns
It’s unclear whether this is a subtle nod to marijuana advocacy or simply a brand name chosen by someone unaware of the alternative meaning of 'maryjane.' These buns are enriched, likely to attract parents purchasing them for their kids. Marketed as 'old-fashioned enriched,' I suspect that in the past, food was naturally wholesome and not loaded with artificial additives to entice buyers.
3. Giant Remote
If you’re constantly misplacing your remote in the couch cushions, the solution is simple: get a remote so large it’s impossible to lose—bigger than your kids, even. This oversized, no-frills remote doubles as a mini coffee table or a weapon against intruders. And at just $19.95, it’s a bargain for what might be the most unattractive piece of tech ever created, the iPad excluded. [Source]
2. Jingle Jugs
Tired of the same old deer heads adorning your walls? Good news—there’s a new option! Jingle Jugs can be mounted on any wall, offering endless amusement for men without partners or, more broadly, those lacking respect for women.
1. Nigger Hair
Nigger Hair tobacco, a product from the 1950s, was marketed with the following description: 'Our ancestors were familiar with this tobacco and named it NIGGER HAIR due to its long, curly strands, which made it an excellent pipe tobacco—slow-burning, smooth, and aromatic. Its unique cut led old-time smokers to refer to it as 'NIGGER HAIR,' and the name stuck.'
