# Why did they/it never make it in America? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015 "2010-05-28T00:32:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/81 "2010-06-11T23:20:15Z")
Doraemon is a great example. Said comic is HUGE all over Japan, Korea, China & Taiwan, the Middle East, and even (I’ve heard) Africa. Why it has never shown up in America is beyond me…especially since I could see American kids really enjoying it. It’s a pretty fun and adorable comic/cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/82 "2010-06-11T23:36:03Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Are there numerous acts who achieved great success in the UK that they were never able to match in North America? Sure- but nearly half a century after the Beatles and Stones came to the US, I have a hard time believing that cultural differences between the two countries are the main reason. > > There’s absolutely no good reason that Robbie Williams SHOULDN’T have been extremely popular in the States. He just wasn’t. On a related note, has anybody noticed that the number of newer UK music acts that also achieved success in the US has seemed to dwindle down to a trickle over the last 12 years or so? Granted, there are acts like Coldplay, Amy Winehouse, and Duffy that have made it on both sides of the pond but it’s nothing like the steady stream of British groups and solo acts that regularly appeared on the American charts during the 30 years after the British Invasion. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/83 "2010-06-12T00:07:20Z")
Flymos (hover mowers). Apparently they are not common garden appliances in the US. From previous threads, possible reasons include the lower mains voltage in the US, which would require heavy-duty cable to handle the accordingly higher current. Although my hover mover only needs 1 kW, which is comparable to a hair dryer. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/84 "2010-06-12T02:19:17Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I’ve experienced them in a number of homes. Pressing the lighter flush always seems to leave stuff in the bowl, one invariably ends up pressing the stronger one. My friend who had one installed complained about it. YMMV. 🙂 IME with Australian & New Zealand models the lighter flush is for urine; the heavier flush is for solid waste. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/85 "2010-06-12T02:22:29Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > On a related note, has anybody noticed that the number of newer UK music acts that also achieved success in the US has seemed to dwindle down to a trickle over the last 12 years or so? Granted, there are acts like Coldplay, Amy Winehouse, and Duffy that have made it on both sides of the pond but it’s nothing like the steady stream of British groups and solo acts that regularly appeared on the American charts during the 30 years after the British Invasion. Yes, I’ve noticed that. I did a quick count on Wiki and it shows that during the 1980s 56 different singles by UK artists hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. During the last 12 years only two singles by UK artists have hit #1. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/86 "2010-06-12T02:31:51Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > [Coffee Crisp chocolate bars.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_Crisp) It’s a nice, light snack, for God’s sake – who doesn’t like one of those?? I took this photo literally minutes ago at the very busy coffeehouse where I’m at now. [http://i50.tinypic.com/im5wnp.jpg](http://i50.tinypic.com/im5wnp.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/87 "2010-06-12T03:28:27Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > There’s absolutely no good reason that Robbie Williams SHOULDN’T have been extremely popular in the States. He just wasn’t. I disagree. Britain has a really poor track record with solo male artists in America. You have to go back to Elton John and Rod Stewart to find one that’s been successful. Why? I remember reading an article about Robbie, and I agreed with the writer. In essence, Robbie’s persona was very tongue-in-cheek, taking the piss out of himself, which is very British. He came across as a little foppish to the average American. Even when a British male artist makes it in America, he’s bound to become a punchline. See Astley, Rick. I think the one most recent success - and that’s only in some quarters - is Morrissey. Because he is Morrissey and has 30 years of a legacy. But even then, he’s not a mainstream US success - still a cult figure of sorts. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/88 "2010-06-12T06:23:09Z")
LOVE Level 42. My all time fave of theirs is “Running In The Family” and Mark “Thunderthumbs” King’s bass playing is superb. I’m currently working on getting all their stuff because my cassette tapes are toast. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/89 "2010-06-12T06:42:12Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Why \*don’t \*we have dual flush toilets here in the States, like \*\*Shalmanese \*\*mentioned earlier? You’d think with all the eco-friendly sentiment running rampant over here, these’d be a no-brainer. > > Huh. I haven’t been in many of bathrooms at the Evergreen State College, a hotbed of eco-friendly sentiment, but the ones I have visited have dual flush toilets that seem to work pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/90 "2010-06-12T07:54:09Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > I remember reading an article about Robbie, and I agreed with the writer. In essence, Robbie’s persona was very tongue-in-cheek, taking the piss out of himself, which is very British. He came across as a little foppish to the average American. If you didn’t have the history from the Take That days and know Robbie from then it would be hard to get your head around him. Half comic, half depressive depending on the day it seems. Here’s his “Cribs” [performance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKvraSa3ZDk) which I find very funny but I can see where some would be confused by it if you didn’t know Robbie. I really thought [Let Me Entertain You](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtTb2DZwR4c) was going to be very big in the States and break him there. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/91 "2010-06-12T08:12:50Z")
Actually here’s Kylie and Robbie being hot [together](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYB4ebbJUys&feature=related). What a little bag of hotness she is. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/92 "2010-06-12T14:44:43Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > If you didn’t have the history from the Take That days and know Robbie from then it would be hard to get your head around him. Half comic, half depressive depending on the day it seems. Here’s his “Cribs” [performance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKvraSa3ZDk) which I find very funny but I can see where some would be confused by it if you didn’t know Robbie. > > I really thought [Let Me Entertain You](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtTb2DZwR4c) was going to be very big in the States and break him there. EastWest released a compilation called The Ego Has Landed, with some of Robbie’s better songs, and the single “Millennium.” They did the needed promotion - it was all over MTV that summer, with a little ad clip saying that RW was the biggest thing the UK had ever seen. But really, not a ripple. The video for “Rock DJ” got a lot of attention, but that didn’t translate to sales. You know who the American equivalent of RW is? Bobby Brown. Member of hugely successful boy band, “bad boy” of the group, goes solo, eventually eclipses the band he left. Found a great producer/songwriter (RW=Guy Chambers, BB=Teddy Riley). Both a bit off their rockers. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015/93 "2010-06-12T14:47:09Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > LOVE Level 42. My all time fave of theirs is “Running In The Family” and Mark “Thunderthumbs” King’s bass playing is superb. I’m currently working on getting all their stuff because my cassette tapes are toast. Yay! I agree that RITF is their most radio-friendly release and I think the loss of the Goulds really killed the momentum they had over here. They did a new album featuring the Goulds as songwriters in '04 or so. King is a marvel, can’t get enough of him! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-it-never-make-it-in-america/541015.md?page=4)