Forgotten Fads and Fabulous Flops: An Amazing Collection of Goofy Stuff That Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time [Paperback]

Paul Kirchner (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Rhino records, repository of cultural detritus, turns away from '60s garage rock and sleazy lounge recordings for this collection of Things That Were Meant to Succeed ... but Didn't. Entertaining tidbits profile such mega-flops as nasty-tasting, difficult-to-light smokeless cigarettes from RJ Reynolds; Colgate's chewable toothpaste (no kidding); and Kraft's precooked toaster bacon. Obscure failures, such as The Belly Bongo (a toy/musical instrument that was supposed to be the next hula-hoop) and comic book superhero Paranex the Fighting Fetus, receive their fair share of ridicule as well. Not to be missed is the section on product names that didn't translate well, such as Asian beverages Pipi and Mucos, and the American sports car Pinto, which faced difficulty when sold in Brazil where "pinto" is slang for "tiny penis."

Product Details

• Paperback: 239 pages
• Publisher: General Pub Group (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188164944X
• ISBN-13: 978-1881649441
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #789,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Kirchner was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1952. He attended the Cooper Union in New York City. He has worked in the comic book field, writing and illustrating stories for High Times, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and other publishers. His illustrations have appeared regularly in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He has done design and packaging work for several toy companies, including Mego, Coleco, Ideal, and Tyco. He illustrated all but one of Col. Jeff Cooper's books. In recent years he has illustrated mainly for the advertising industry and written books for Paladin Press.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, August 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Forgotten Fads and Fabulous Flops: An Amazing Collection of Goofy Stuff That Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (Paperback)

This amazing book describes some of the greatest fiascoes and acts of silliness in the Twentieth Century. These include:

The Amphicar -- which is both a bad car and a bad boat

The Flying Car -- which is both a bad car and a bad airplane

The Flying Sub -- the US Navy actually spent money to develop this turkey

Smokeless Cigarettes -- not that tobacco is bad for you, as RJR assures us

New Coke -- a marketing phoenix or roasted chicken?

Fallout Shelters -- take the fun out of survival

The Edsel -- synonymous with failure

Kudzu -- if this was the answer, what was the problem? and did we need to solve it?

and Live Goldfish Swallowing -- no comment

The only thing missing from this list of marketing mayhem is my favorite gimmick from the decade of the Silly Seventies: the pet rock!

Oh, what an inexcusable omission! Somehow I will learn to live with myself and my disappointment.