Some people like golf, I like finding marketing mistakes. I read cereal boxes, Ikea instructions, the fine print on the 12-pack of Bounty paper towels. If I see words, I’m moving in.

I enjoy finding spelling errors & other mistakes in massive print runs. It’s a sick hobby, I know, but the pure joy of “it wasn’t me” is hard to deny. What keeps this odd obsession going? Because treasures exist. Mistakes are made. Often times these marketing errors are of omission.

Here are some truly odd advertising from popular brands. Have you seen others?

Bag Lifting That’s 50% Easier

This beauty came from a Rubbermaid trashcan at Ace Hardware. The cardboard wrap over the lid very clearly wanted to explain that lifting out bags from their newly vented version was “50% Easier”. I read the small print only to find what I assume is the same message in other languages.

At first glance, “50% Easier” sounds impressive, but how is the new & improved version 50% easier? And 50% easier than what? They mention the reason is the venting channels. I had no idea such statistical problems were being managed and measured at Rubbermaid, which IMHO is the real story, but I digress. Once adorned on the trash cans in retail establishments across the country, few customers will question the claim.

A Jar of Sweet + Small

One of my all time favorites is this jar of Peter Piper’s Sweet Midgets. These were purchased in at a local grocery store in the US Virgin Islands, where neither the FDA nor the FTC has any known offices. The joy of this omission comes from the fact that nowhere on the jar or label does it say “pickles.” Not even “cucumber.” There’s no ingredients list whatsoever. Kudos for including nutritional information, weight & size, and a star-worthy “new sweeter taste”, but the buyer can only be confident that it contains “Sweet Midgets”.

A quick search on Google reveals only one place (Harter House) sold a jar that looked similar, but today it’s a “page is not found”. Is it possible a pickle producer was dumping their remaining supply of poorly marked Peter Piper’s pickles in paradise?

Wouldn’t be the first time. Year’s ago, bottles of Joy dish detergent for sale in Coral Bay read “Not Your First Choice” proudly on the front. Disgruntled employee? Office dare? I love this stuff.

Years earlier I witnessed an entire end cap at Walgreens displaying large boxes of “Potable Speakers.” I had to ask another customer to confirm I was reading the error correctly.

So back to the sweet midgets. I did finally get up the nerve to fish one of the tiny green turds out of the mystery container. I took a brave bite and I’m pretty sure it was a pickle. Pretty sure.

What’s your hobby?