Epic Fails: The Edsel, the Mullet, and Other Icons of Unpopular Culture

Sociologist Murguia (editor of The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Films) surveys a wide range of “the most iconic failures in American popular culture” in this colorful look at the way various inventions suffered from cultural and economic variables. The book contains 18 chronological chapters from the Edsel in the 1950s to Google Wave in the early 2000s. Murguia illustrates that, for example, the failure of Ford’s Edsel car was not due to a faulty product but instead was the result of a complex combination of changes in Ford’s corporate structure, poor marketing, and the lack of a dedicated spokesperson. In another fascinating chapter on McDonald’s introducing the McAfrika hamburger in Norway in 2002, he explains how the franchise attempted to broaden the brand through regional associations; however, the sandwich became associated with cultural appropriation and not cultural inclusion. And in a chapter on Sony’s Betamax, Murguia smartly summarizes how it lost out to the VHS video format, suggesting that pornography might have played into the tape’s downfall because Sony didn’t allow licensing for explicit sexual material. Murguia’s slim book is unfailingly entertaining and enlightening. [em](Aug.) [/em]