Description
Book SynopsisMany of the most successful innovations—from the light bulb to the Internet—have often resulted from ingenuity, ambition, and dedication. Such achievements have changed lives for the better. Yet for every new development that the public embraces, there is a dark side of progress: cultural byproducts that litter the road to obscurity. Just because something is a failure, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that it shouldn’t matter. In Epic Fails: The Edsel, the Mullet, and Other Icons of Unpopular Culture, Salvador Jiménez Murguía examines some of the most iconic missteps of the past several decades. In order to shed light on the inherent, often comic strain in American life between fame and infamy, the author surveys some of the best—or rather, worst—of what man has to offer. From fashion flops like the mullet and Zubaz pants to marketing mistakes like Bud Dry, New Coke, and Crystal Pepsi, this text captures the unintentionally entertaining milieu of failure. Placing these gaffes in cultural context, Murguía considers how each of these products crashed and burned, while trying to arrive at an answer to the ultimate question: “What were they thinking?” Whether these attempts were doomed from the start, failed because of consumer indifference, or were simply the victims of poor timing, this book returns them, however briefly, to the spotlight. A fascinating look at man-made disasters, Epic Fails is an entertaining treatise about the forgotten—and infamous—endeavors of American creativity, or lack thereof.
Trade ReviewAmerican innovation and ambition have led to many successful inventions, writes sociology professor Murguía (The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Films, 2018), but what about the ones that failed—sometimes spectacularly? Whether they failed because of negative consumer reception, a lack of conceptual vision, or simply poor timing, the 18 products, fads, and services featured—ranging from the 1950s to the present—make for fascinating case studies in how consumer psychology can make or break cultural artifacts.... [T]he book’s wide cultural ambit will appeal to a variety of readers. * Booklist *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: The Edsel Chapter 2: Athletic Uniform Failures Chapter 3: Beta Max Chapter 4: LaserDisc Chapter 5: The Mullet Chapter 6: Blublocker Sunglasses Chapter 7: Zubaz Chapter 8: New Coke Chapter 9: Bud Dry Chapter 10: Crystal Pepsi Chapter 11: Burger King’s Table service Chapter 12: Zima Chapter 13: WOW Chips Chapter 14: Y2K Chapter 15: XFL Chapter 16: McAfrika Chapter 17: Microsoft Zune Chapter 18: Google Wave Conclusion Index About the Author
