Held for Questioning: 11 Brands Hilarious in Foreign Language

The Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto may well have been an iconic car, but that didn’t stop Brazilians from turning the product away. You see, ‘pinto’ is slang for ‘tiny male genitals’ in Brazil, according to Barbara Mueller.
The Sex Pant Pot
Ikea has been running into some problems in Thailand, not the least of which has to due with their unfortunate product titles. One of them, Jättebra, an Ikea plant pot, closely resembles the Thai slang word for ‘sex’, Business Insider reports.
Getting-To-Third-Base Bed
In a further translation error in Thailand, Ikea discovered that their Redalen bed — named after a Norwegian town — is, in fact, the Thai word for getting to third base, Business Insider reports.
Ikea Fails Again
Ikea just cannot catch a break. The Gutvik children’s bed reportedly sounds very much like ‘good fuck’ in German, CNNMoney reports.
Barf Soap
Who knew that washing clothing in barf is totally appropriate in some parts of the world? The Iranian Paxam Company produces a soap called ‘Barf,’ which means ‘snow’ in Farsi, AdWeek reports.
‘Eat Your Fingers Off’
KFC’s signature phrase, “finger-lickin’ good,” doesn’t quite work in China, TIME reports. Apparently, some though the fast food chain was suggesting they wanted to “eat your fingers off.”
Coors: ‘Get Loose Bowls’
Coors’ slogan “turn it loose” may have been gold in America, but it was a laughing stock in Spanish-speaking countries, where it translated into “get loose bowels,” CNNMoney reports.
Pepsi Will Bring Your Ancestors Back From The Grave
Pepsi’s slogan “come alive with Pepsi” doesn’t quite work in China, where some took it to mean “bring your ancestors back from the grave,” according to CNN.
‘Whorehouse’ Tissues
In German, ‘puffs’ is the colloquial term for ‘whorehouse,’ says Barbara Miller. That’s quite the bummer for these guys.
Bite The Wax Tadpole
Coca-Cola may be a household phrase in the West, but Chinese know the soda company, transliterated into English, as ‘ke kou ke le’. Ko-ka-ko-la was already taken by people who ‘bite the wax tadpole’, according to the Coca-Cola Company.
Are You Lactating?
While the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign may have gotten more Americans to buy dairy products, it didn’t work out quite as well in Mexico, where the phrase sounds something more like “Are you Lactating?”, says Barbara Miller.
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