15 Strange Branded Products (That No One Asked For)
![15 Strange Branded Products (That No One Asked For)](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/6/1/842661_320x180.jpg)
Brand extensions are what it's called when a company used its well-known brand to launch another product. You know the strategy even if you didn’t know its name: Reese’s move into cereal, Google’s shift to email hosting, or Tide’s release of stain remover pens. Sometimes, like with Michelin Stars, it doesn't even make any sense why it works. (How do tires help sell fancy food??)
But more commonly, a drastic shift--if not well thought out--can cause brand confusion. At its worst, it’s just plain gross. And that’s when we at Cracked can sit back and laugh at big corporations spending tons of money on new, amusingly silly product releases. It’s fascinating no one anywhere along the way seems to have stepped back to say, “Wait, maybe this is a bad idea?” Seriously, anyone who approved Colgate Kitchen Entrees should probably reconsider their career choices. Here’s that, plus fourteen more ridiculous brand extensions that should have never seen the light of day.
Cosmopolitan Yogurt
![COSMOPOLITAN YOGURT COSMOPOLITAN COSMOPOLITAN Mother CHOPOLITAN CHOPOLITAN The women's magazine Cosmopolitian may be famous for giving bad sex tips. It gave itself bad advice when it decided to venture beyond its area of expertise to move into food products. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/5/6/842656.jpg)
Source: Marketing Week
Lifesavers Soda
![LIFESAVERS SODA LIFE SAVERS PINEAPPLE I LIFE SAVERS ONANGE FUNCH If soda already makes your teeth ache, the idea of Life Savers flavored soda LIFE SAVERS I may make you run to the dentist. GRAPE PUNCH Released in 1995, it failed quickly. IFE SAVERS I I LIME PUNCH SAVERS LIFE CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/5/9/842659.jpg)
Source: TIME
Dr Pepper and A&W BBQ Sauce
![DR PEPPER BBQ SAUCE Pepper RICH'N DALIARS Pepper Est. 23 123 A&W Sweet & Kickin' Sweet & Kickin' HEARTY BBQ Sauce BBQ Sauce BBQ SAUCE NET WT 18oz (lb 2sa) (510g) LAMPUE NET WT 18oz (1h 2sr) (510g) This brand extension was understandable ... there are definitely sauces with Dr Pepper as the secret ingredient, but the moment it become Dr Pepper branded, it adds a syrupy sweet ick factor. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/5/0/842650.jpg)
Source: HEB and Grantiga_Guevara
Chicken Soup for the Soul Dog Food
![CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL DOG FOOD Chicken Chicken Soup for the Soul HIM Union Name.ry e Contact its .. - Chicken Soup for the Soul Chicken Soup Holistic in Health for the Soul - Cream Claden - - سنة Holista Chicken Soup los del Soul Description - - With is - 2 er - - - I - 1 - - - President - MyDegi Life Did you grow up loving Chicken Soup for the Soul books? Well, now they have a line of Chicken Soup for the Soul dog food, with even the name of the product being hard](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/5/1/842651.jpg)
Source: Packaging Digest
Bic Underwear
![BIC UNDERWEAR EVER THIN 5-6 BIG Kleldergrope 46-52 SITZT NEU! Mit Zwickel! PASST The pen company sold women's disposable underwear and hoosiery for one year in 1998, before they quietly realized it's a rare day when you need to wear a glorified diaper. They never sold the products in the U.S. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/1/5/842615.jpg)
Source: Consumer Reports
Nascar Romance Novels
![NASCAR ROMANCES NASCAR® We certainly don't think it's strange that romance novels include NASCAR, but we do think it's strange that, starting in 2006, there were actually NASCAR officially branded romance novels. The books didn't include crashes or sex. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/8/842598.jpg)
Source: Sportscasting
Pillsbury Frozen Microwave Popcorn
![PILLSBURY FROZEN POPCORN Microwave Microwave POPCORN POPCORN Butter flavor Original FROZENN FOR FRESHNESS Pillsbury introduced the world's first microwave popcorn in 1982. Even though it was the first in the game, the first microwaved popcorn options required freezing because a way to preserve the coconut oil hadn't been discovered. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/5/2/842652.jpg)
Source: New York Times
Hannah Montana Cherries
![HANNAH MONTANA CHERRIES Disn Garden RED CHERRIES HANNAN MONTANA THE MOVIE Hannah Montana branded cherries caused a lot of controversy ... did Disney not see the problematic implication or were they just 'innocently' slapping branding on everything? CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/7/842637.jpg)
Source: Celebitchy
Gerber Adult Food
![GERBER ADULT FOOD Singles Singles We ADULTS BEEF BURGUNDY Single 40% BLUEBERRY MEDITERRANEAN CC DEL IGHT We don't blame Gerber for trying, but baby food for adults is hard to make sound sexy. Gerber Singles were released in 1974, reminding people that maybe they were single because they were eating pureed meat from a jar. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/9/842599.jpg)
Source: CNN
Play-Doh Cologne
![PLAY-DOH COLOGNE DEMETER. FRAGRANCE LIBRARY Play-Doh Simple. Subtle. Singular Scents. Each Day. Everywhere. Pick-Me-Up Cologne Spray Vaporisateur Naturel 3.4 fl oz I 100mL Although we ate enough Play Doh to understand just how irresistible the scent is, Play Doh mostly just smells like salt. Save a few bucks and rub a few grains on your wrists. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/7/842597.jpg)
Source: Walmart
Coors Sparkling Water
![COORS BOTTLED WATER Coors AJ GAT MOUNTAIN ESPARKLING M WATER г. Coors Cochi Coors ROCKY SPARKLING WATER MOUNTAIN ROCKY SPARKLING Mind02 MOLINTAIN WATER ROCKY SPARKLING 65FL MOUNTAIN WATER (192ml) 6.5FL OZ (192ml) OZ (190g) A hard seltzer would have been ahead of its time in 1990, but Coors' Rocky Mountain Sparkling Water was nonalcoholic. Although in the golden era of bottle water, the product failed big... probably because no one wants to drink water with the the mental association of watery beer. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/3/842593.jpg)
Colgate Kitchen Entrees
![COLGATE FROZEN MEALS Colgate Relased in 1982, Colgate Kitchen Entrees was an ... interesting idea? It's hard to associate minty toothpaste with savory meals in any way that isn't just a resounding Ew. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/2/842592.jpg)
Evian Water Bra
![EVIAN WATER BRA evian If you've ever thought, My, I wish my favorite bottled water brand made lingerie then boy do we have great news. Bad news, it was a quick and terrible failure in 2005. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/0/842590.jpg)
Hello Kitty Motor Oil
![HELLO KITTY MOTOR OIL Agip for MELLINT HELLO KITTY SAE 5W-30 API SM, ILSAC GF-4 - una PART Agip - In a collaboration between an oil company and everyone's favorite cat cartoon, the strange crossover motor oil was exclusively available in Japan. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/5/842585.jpg)
Source: AutoEvolution
Hooters Air
![HOOTERS AIRLINES N250TR HOOTERSar FOR HOOTERS In addition to three FAA certified attendants, two Hooters servers (wearing the classic uniform of course) would mingle and host trivia games with prizes. It lasted from 2002 to 2006. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/4/842584.jpg)
Source: CNN