# Brand names that changed in everyday usage **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 26, 2024, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123 "2024-02-26T22:02:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/83 "2024-02-28T21:31:12Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Later, they opened one in Indiana or Illinois or thereabouts and it had the awkward title “Six Flags Over Mid-America”. Six Flags Over Mid-America was/is in St. Louis (well, in the St. Louis area), and it had its own region-appropriate six flags. > **[Six Flags St. Louis | History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Flags_St._Louis#History)** > > Plans for a Six Flags park in the St. Louis area were announced on July 16, 1969, which would be called Six Flags Over Mid-America. The park opened on June 5, 1971, the third and last of the three "true" Six Flags parks as envisioned by Angus G. Wynne. The park was divided into six uniquely themed sections, the namesake "Six Flags" over Mid-America: > 1.Missouri (now 1904 World's Fair), the main entry of the park, themed after the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904. | > 2.U.S.A. (replaced by Time Warne... ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/84 "2024-02-28T21:55:28Z")
I think California could only claim four flags: Spain, Mexico, California Republic and USA. Of course there were many indigenous cultures that didn’t have flags. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2024, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/85 "2024-02-28T22:02:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I think California could only claim four flags: Spain, Mexico, California Republic and USA. If they want to stretch it, Russia, too. If only because of the Russian River… ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2024, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/86 "2024-02-28T22:13:13Z")
Wikipedia tells me that Fort Ross was a Russian outpost during the Spanish and Mexican era so I say it counts. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/87 "2024-02-28T22:20:35Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Exxon used to be Esso (and some other names): I believe Exxon was _just_ Esso…which phonetically is, S O, which are the initials for Standard Oil, which was the large former company that was broken up into 30+ companies (Enco being another one of those). So Esso is kind of claiming that they’re the “real” standard oil company of the many that were broken up (they kinda were). The other spinoffs didn’t like that, neither did the courts, and therefore they had to change it to Exxon as the brand name Esso was too close to Standard Oil. I guess that didn’t apply in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/88 "2024-02-29T01:36:14Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Six Flags Over Mid-America was/is in St. Louis (well, in the St. Louis area), and it had its own region-appropriate six flags. Cecil deconstructs the tortured rationalization behind [Six Flags over Mid-America.](https://www.straightdope.com/21342307/what-are-the-six-flags-that-have-flown-over-texas) The truth is that once the first Six Flags (over Texas) was a success, all the parks were going to be called Six Flags whether they had ever had one flag or ten flying over them. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/89 "2024-02-29T08:43:44Z")
Kentucky Fried Chicken officially rebranded as KFC, which is what everyone called it. Presumably it was an acknowledgement that there was no actual chicken in its dishes. Oddly, Wikipedia says that in Australia they have gone back to Kentucky Fried Chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/90 "2024-02-29T10:01:38Z")
Canada’s Labatt Blue beer was originally “Labatt Pilsener.” It had a label with blue letters and a blue border, and people just started calling it “Labatt Blue,” likely to differentiate it from Labatt 50 Ale (green and gold) and Labatt IPA (red and white). Labatt got with the program, and called its Pilsener what everybody else did: Blue. Which it remains to this day, on its labels and in advertising. Molson Export Ale faced the same challenge. It’s name was a mouthful, and most people just called it “Ex.” Molson didn’t change the name of the beer on the labels, but it did use “Ex” in its advertising. Then, there is “Old Style Pilsner,” to give it its full name. First brewed by Fritz Sick in Lethbridge, Alberta, the Pilsner brand is now owned by Molson. That’s fine, but the labels have always been “busy,” with trains, cars, aircraft, monks, the brewery, and for some crazy reason, bunnies. It became a game, counting how many bunnies are on the label. (Hint: there’s only one; if you see more than one, you’ve had too much.) Molson has yet to embrace this, except perhaps to make a bunny more prominent on labels and cases, but the Bunny = Pilsner connection continues. I can walk into any sports bar in Alberta and ask for a “Bunny Beer,” and get a pint of Old Style Pilsner. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/91 "2024-02-29T10:26:57Z")
> [@CoolHandCox](#): > > I believe Exxon was _just_ Esso… > > [Snip.] > > I guess that didn’t apply in Canada. Likely not. As far as I am aware, Esso stations existed coast-to-coast in Canada. There were no Encos or Standards or whatever else my Dad’s Esso credit card said that it would be honoured at. As far as I am aware, the Essos in Canada were licensed through Imperial Oil Inc., which I guess was the Canadian trademark owner of Esso in Canada, and it was likely easier to just have Essos rather than a bunch of unfamiliar American brands. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/92 "2024-02-29T12:19:04Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Kentucky Fried Chicken officially rebranded as KFC, which is what everyone called it. Presumably it was an acknowledgement that there was no actual chicken in its dishes. It’s because “fried” is a dirty word. > [@](#): > > In 1991, the KFC name was officially adopted, although it had already been widely known by that [initialism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initialism).[[35]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFC#cite_note-Seth_Stevenson-2004-35) Kyle Craig, president of KFC U.S., admitted the change was an attempt to distance the chain from the unhealthy connotations of “fried”.[[36]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFC#cite_note-36) ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/93 "2024-02-29T15:52:11Z")
Does NyQuil qualify? My freshman year of college we were given little kits with stuff like razors, toothbrushes, etc. One of the items was a dose of the new (at the time) Vicks night time cough reliever, or something like that, I can’t remember the exact name. We all just called it “Night quil.” A few years later it started being marketed as NyQuil. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/94 "2024-02-29T16:24:42Z")
I’m not sure when you were a freshman- but NyQuil has been around since the late 60s and I can’t imagine what “original name” would lead to “Nyquil” - you can see how Kentucky Fried Chicken turns into KFC or “Coca Cola” turns into “Coke” but what turns into NyQuil? Are you sure it wasn’t DayQuil (which came later) that started out with a different name? Because I can see how a daytime product from the same company that sells Nyquil would popularly be called “Dayquil” . ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/95 "2024-02-29T16:25:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Kentucky Fried Chicken officially rebranded as KFC, which is what everyone called it. That reminds me… The sports bar restaurant formerly known as BW3s now wishes to be called Buffalo Wild Wings. One less W is not an improvement. They have enshittified in many ways but I still like their sauces and they fry a fine wing. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/96 "2024-02-29T16:31:16Z")
You’re right, it was DayQuil. I mis-remembered. This was late 80s. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/97 "2024-02-29T16:56:09Z")
Sunny Delight was renamed SunnyD in 2003. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/98 "2024-02-29T17:17:22Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > The sports bar restaurant formerly known as BW3s now wishes to be called Buffalo Wild Wings. BW3 was for Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, the original name. They were known as BW3, BDubs, and Buffalo Wild Wings before settling on the latter. Apparently the Weck (for beef on a Weck roll) wasn’t as popular, hence the rename. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/99 "2024-02-29T17:22:50Z")
Naragansett Beer has been informally called 'Gansett for a long time, and has been part of their marketing campaign since WWII. Hi Neighbor! Have a 'Gansett! ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2024, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/100 "2024-02-29T18:22:32Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > BW3 was for Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, the original name. I know but they haven’t had weck since I’ve been going since the late 90s and probably well before that. It’s basically a trivia answer like the cocaine in Coke or the lithium in 7-Up. BW3 was a unique and trademark-etable name that they let go for three uninspired words that already appear in countless restaurant & product names. ---
**Author:** ![Hakushon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hakushon/32/5503_2.png) [@Hakushon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakushon)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2024, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/101 "2024-03-02T08:40:54Z")
Duck Tape was not officially registered as a brand name until decades after the fact of everyday usage. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123/102 "2024-03-02T15:29:52Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > The sports bar restaurant formerly known as BW3s now wishes to be called Buffalo Wild Wings. One less W is not an improvement. They have enshittified in many ways but I still like their sauces and they fry a fine wing. Were _any_ BW3’s, other than the original one (next to Larry’s), non-shitty? Anyway, as @Telemark explains, BW-3 was not the “official” name, people just called it that, so it is a good candidate for this thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-names-that-changed-in-everyday-usage/998123.md?page=6)