Ah yes, we all know about the bummer sales of the Chevy Nova in Latin America ("no va" means, literally, "It doesn't go" in Spanish), and the whole Engrish phenomenon. But driving to work today, I saw a new example.
Ahead of me was a typical food service truck with a giant goofily grinning white teddy bear head painted on the back roll-up tailgate. The goofily grinning white teddy bear had a white chef's hat on his head (clue that it was a food service truck, heh!). And under this teddy bear was a single word:
WTF? What does a vacant-headed female have to do with anything?! So I zoomed alongside the truck while exiting and saw the full-sized teddy bear on the side, dancing with his white chef's hat and still with that goofy grin on his face, and the big word 'Bimbo' beside him (or her). And then on the front door of the truck, the words: Tía Rosa.
Mystery solved. This truck is owned by Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, which bought several U.S. brands a few years ago. Bimbollo in Spanish means "bun" in English. Thus the chef's hat. Still, hillarious as hell to watch a bimbo bear toodle down the 101 freeway, heh!
-- Badtux the Easily Amused Penguin
Updated: Found a picture of the goofy bear!
It also means "baby" in Italian. When I was over there in 2003, I saw cars with yellow road-sign-like window decals saying "Bimbo a bordo" ("Baby on board"). I should have bought one, but I've never come across any since.
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