# Unfortunate Company Names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 11, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720 "2009-09-11T19:36:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/1 "2009-09-11T19:36:01Z")
This afternoon, I realized that with minimal shuffling of letters, **Deloitte & Touche --\> Toilette & Douche** Anybody else noticed any names recently that could easily be anagrammized into something mockable or were just plain poorly thought out to begin with? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/2 "2009-09-11T19:42:11Z")
I always thought the employment-statistics firm Challenger Gray & Christmas just sounded goofy. Then there was the hoity-toity investment firm on SNL with a very impressive-sounding name that was too late getting a website, and the only name left was [clownpenisfart.com](http://clownpenisfart.com). ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/3 "2009-09-11T19:42:28Z")
I have an ex who summered at Payne and Fears. It’s a law firm in California. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/4 "2009-09-11T19:45:23Z")
Well, remember when women’s magazines used to advertise “Lose Weight With Ayds”? (Ayds were these little chocolate candies that you were supposed to be appetite suppressants.) ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/5 "2009-09-11T19:45:29Z")
There used to be a Colflesh Funeral Home in suburban Philly, but I think they changed the name. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/6 "2009-09-11T19:53:23Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > I have an ex who summered at Payne and Fears. It’s a law firm in California. And near here is Payne Furniture. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/7 "2009-09-11T19:58:00Z")
I shop at BJ’s. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/8 "2009-09-11T20:01:12Z")
I used to work at the Richardson Vicks plant in Germany. But they called it “Wicks” in Germany, since W is pronounced as a V, but more importantly Vick would be pronounced _[fick](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ficken)_. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/9 "2009-09-11T20:06:28Z")
On a street I occasionally drive is a business whose sign merely reads “Onan”. I don’t know what they do; it looks like a trailer sales or storage lot or something. And I’m not googling it to narrow it down. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/10 "2009-09-11T20:18:49Z")
Karson Kartage and Konstruction No, really, that’s what they called it. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/11 "2009-09-11T20:21:42Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > On a street I occasionally drive is a business whose sign merely reads “Onan”. I don’t know what they do; it looks like a trailer sales or storage lot or something. Maybe they sell grass seed. ---
**Author:** ![Jettboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@Jettboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jettboy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/12 "2009-09-11T20:31:02Z")
There was a construction company in Austin, Texas called “Mammoth Erections”. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/13 "2009-09-11T20:34:41Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > There was a construction company in Austin, Texas called “Mammoth Erections”. It’s ironic that one would think that would be a huge Google hit from porn websites and V1ag4@ spammers, but most of the hits for “Mammoth Erections” are about the actual construction company name. ---
**Author:** ![moldmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@moldmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moldmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/14 "2009-09-11T20:35:34Z")
I always thought [FLUKE](http://www.fluke.com/) was a hell of a name for high end multimeter’s, etc. I think they are named after the founder. [80/20](http://www.8020.net/) makes aluminum extrusions and accessories that are like an industrial erector set. They are named after the idea that you get 80% of the result with the first 20% of effort. I always hear it as our products are only 80% as good as they could be. ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/15 "2009-09-11T20:36:17Z")
There’s a kebab shop in London near Paddington called Lolita’s Kebab. They used to be called Lolita Express, which I guess is even more unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/16 "2009-09-11T20:44:36Z")
I always thought it was funny that investors would look for credit ratings and such from a company called Standard and Poor’s. Two words that convey mediocrity and low quality. ---
**Author:** ![moldmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@moldmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moldmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/17 "2009-09-11T21:06:36Z")
I served 2-1/2 of the longest years of my life in the 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed “The Big Red One” due to its unit patch. That was always good for some black humor. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/18 "2009-09-11T21:55:39Z")
Not strictly a company name, but good for a few laughs - years ago, **GE N** uclear set up a website for the Italian market. The domain? **genitalia.it**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/19 "2009-09-11T22:14:40Z")
> **[David & Sarah Caldwell welcome you to Mole Station Native Nursery](http://www.molerivernursery.com/)** > > Situated 42 kms from Tenterfield, NSW, Australia, Mole Station Nursery specialises in Australian native plants. Mole Station River Nursery A plant nursery, who’s url used to be www . molestationnursery . com (broken cause now it’s a spammer and I hate those bastards). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720/20 "2009-09-11T22:15:34Z")
Snap-on Tools has taken a lot of ribbing over the decades for its name. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unfortunate-company-names/509720.md?page=2)