If you're of a certain age you probably remember the scuttlebutt that was created across the country by an innocent picture on a can of air freshener. The year was 1995 and we were still very innocent. Most of us hadn't gotten "online" and only a few of us were carrying around smartphones.

Home Alone
20th Century Fox
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These were the times when it was easier to start, build, and grow an urban legend. In 1995 the folks that bring you Renuzit Air Freshener found themselves in the middle of either a public relations nightmare or the greatest explosion of free publicity since Evel Knievel tried to jump the Snake River in a vacuum cleaner.

Renuzit had just debuted a new fragrance in 1995. The scent was called Fresh Cut Flowers and the brand's parent company, Dial, you know them from the soap, decided the label should include pictures of fresh cut flowers.

nj.com via YouTube
nj.com via YouTube
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The problem with the label, that no one at the Dial Corporation or their artists and creative teams missed was the striking similarity between a young tulip bulb and a certain appendage found on the male of the humanoid species.

You can watch at your own risk, technically we need to say this is NSFW. But if that was really the case we couldn't show you a hot dog.

So, do you still think we're too sensitive here in 2022? That "suggestion" of impropriety cost the company a lot of money. They had to  rebrand and relabel and they might have even pulled the fragrance,

I guess they know how the folks who made Ayds diet candies felt when a worldwide health issue was given a similar name. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try you just can't win.

Sears1
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Just ask the folks at Sears.

The year was 1975 and the new Sears Catalog had just come out when someone made an interesting discovery about an underwear model on page 602. This incident had people taking their Sears Catalogs into the office to show to their friends and co-workers. Which in 2022 would earn you a trip to HR, but back then it was "a bonding" moment.

Sears responded to queries about the "exposed tip" by telling the media it was simply a "printing spot" a normal occurrence that happens in the printing of catalogs. However, this one just happened to land in a very unfortunate spot.

The Man on Page 602 was such a big deal there was even a song written about him.

You know you're a big deal when the likes of Zoot Fenster are writing and performing songs about you, right?

Nowadays these incidents wouldn't even scratch the surface of TikTok, Instagram, Boys Life, or any other media produced for mass consumption. It was a simpler time and it was okay to giggle.

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