Originally published at: How the Great British Bake-Off was fastidiously retitled in the U.S. to avoid Pillsbury's trademark on "Bake-Off" here. | Boing Boing
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“a traditionally cheap and unremarkable British game show award”
That cheap award is one of the things I like most about the show. Unlike US shows that have contestants stabbing each other in the back to win $250k, The Great British Baking Show highlights civility among contestants. The most scandalous moment in its history was probably when one contestant removed another’s Baked Alaska from the freezer, causing it to melt.
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Captain Disillusion is a real gem on youtube. Both funny and informative.
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I had no idea. And I’ve been watching it for a long time on Netflix.
Also - why is this guy silver?
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Why not?
IMO, it is emulating the liquid metal effect from T2 to create the character.
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I watched this video the other day and I was at least half way through it before I was certain it wasn’t an elaborate joke. I hadn’t paid much attention to the UK or US versions of the show, nor noticed the name-change, so it all seemed rather insane. An (apparently unused) Pillsbury’s trademark causing a show to rename itself for the US market and digitally alter all the signage and edit out all references to the name? That is insane.
That’s trademarks!
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Also, just a few years ago, they would have simply censored the original name by blurring it out. But now they’re doing this weird reality-replacement that reminds me of Stalinistic photo editing…
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Just fyi, it is in use…
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This honestly sounds jarring to me. That’s just not what the show’s called
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It is still in use. I think it’s goofy to trademark the term but I also understand the need to legally protect one’s brand when the need arises.
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And, to be fair, Pillsbury may never have actually forced them to change the name (or even raised an objection), the BBC might have just noticed there was a trademark and noped right out of there, it being cheaper to change the name for the US than to hire the lawyers to even have the discussion with Pillsbury.
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In my experience people are aware enough of it that they just call use “bake off” anyway.
It’s plenty jarring to me to hear and see “baking show”, and I am an American.
Thing is the show was already sort of popular here before it ever got “aired” officially in the US, or whatever Netflix deal they have now. Because internets
Before Netflix got involved it was just re-broadcast on PBS. So I sort of doubt they started out with CGIed plates. And even if you Google the show right now. All results that aren’t from PBS, Netflix or otherwise official (like IMDB) just use Bake Off.
So ass coverage aside it’s just kinda not a thing.
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They should have called it Bake-On
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Bake-a-palooza
Every time I see that guy I have to wonder, is that healthy? Is he going to get some weird cancer 20 years from now from wearing that silver (paint? make-up?)
That new logo really pops.
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Like I needed another reason to not buy anything from Pillsbury ever again? (Yeah, I know, they didn’t demand the change or probably even notice it was there in the first place.)
This. It’s because the stakes are so low it’s much more entertaining.
There’s no dramatic confessionals of people in tears about how they simply need to win so their family doesn’t starve or so they don’t get kicked out of their home or whatever.
It’s downright refreshing that the only reward in the end is bragging rights and that everybody can be friendly toward one another. No need for any excessively clichéd utterances of, “I’m not here to make friends” - in fact they are there to make friends!
I just call it “Britain’s Best Baking Bloke” since I like alliteration.
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