This one made me chuckle:
Snickers launched in the UK in 1967, but before consumers could get their hands on it, it went through a change of name — because Snickers was deemed too close to another, saucier, word.
“Knickers”, I assume. Not that I think that that name is “saucy”, or anything like it. “Knockers”, maybe?
On the bright side, imagine the fuss today if someone tried to launch a snack bar called “Sniggers”… and it was made of dark chocolate. I imagine that Sniggers having been rejected, one could try “Darkies”, then?
From the archives:
I should probably stop now; but that doesn’t mean that you should. Carry on, in Comments, by all means.
Semprini?
> “Knickers”, I assume. Not that I think that that name is “saucy”, or anything like it. “Knockers”, maybe?
Both of those were banned from the BBC, FWIW:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=oaNGbz1SHaY
I’m pretty sure the BBC banned the term “Wankel engine” at one time. At least, that’s what John Cleese said.
Not quite brand names, but websites for businesses (real, but no longer active):
Pen Island — penisland.com
Powergen’s Italian division– powergenitalia.com
A British ornithological society — nice-tits.org
One is not like the others. There’s no way “nice-tits.org” wasn’t deliberate.
Some years ago, certain internet neighborhoods I frequented sometimes went into spasms of everyone posting pictures of “great tits”, “boobies” (blue-footed or otherwise), and hooters (owls).
Some stuff I saw in 12 oz cans in sidewalk vending machines in Japan:
Air – given Tokyo smog, even 12 oz is a blessing.
Cowpis Soda – sometimes Japanese companies whose fondness for random English words should have an American advisor.
Pocari Sweat – I surmised a Pocari is an Indonesian marsupial that’s run on treadmills in order to have its sweat harvested for an electrolyte drink. This is brought to you by the same entrepreneurial Japanese who have a fondness for saying “Hold my sake, watch me eat these spider brains!”