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JooJoo is pronounced "joujou" in French, which is the diminutive form of "jouet", a toy. This form is only used when referring to the toys of little kids up to

by Loic 17y ago

JooJoo is pronounced "joujou" in French, which is the diminutive form of "jouet", a toy. This form is only used when referring to the toys of little kids up to 7 year old. $500 for a little kid toy? Not for me, sorry. They are definitely missing the TechCrunch ad agency now to not make such a basic check.

kstenson 17y ago
it also is Cantonese slang for penis
- rbanffy 17y ago
  The screen is 12 inches. I suddenly feel... small.
- cakesy 17y ago
  I am pretty sure every word is slang for penis in some language.
evgen 17y ago
That same french term became synonymous with supernatural fetishism in the US (via west african slaves) and was turned into "juju", which is almost always preceded by the word "bad" as another way of saying bad luck or a feeling of impending doom....
- narag 17y ago
  In Spain it was introduced by Tarzan films.
jodrellblank 17y ago
It's a little kid's toy because the name sounds a bit like the French word for little kid's toy, so you won't buy one? Did you buy an Acer Ferrari laptop because you thought it was really a Ferrari sports car? What a daft reason for not buying one.
- Luc 17y ago
  The name sounds _exactly_ like 'little kid's toy' in French, so, indeed, it follows that it will carry those connotations to French speaking people (you're not one, I'm guessing). Shakespeare may have found a rose by another name smelling just as sweet, but in the centuries since his time we've learned that varieties called 'poo-poo' just don't sell at the garden center.
  - bdr 17y ago
    Not exactly the same. An English speaker would pronounce d-sounds before the js in "JooJoo" that wouldn't be there in the French "joujou".
  - dejb 17y ago
    The 'Wii' sold OK in English speaking markets so I don't see what the problem is.
    - Teulon 17y ago
      Nintendo also has a lot more marketing to back up their choice of name.
    - cturner 17y ago
      Ha - I'd thought this was smart. We expect Japanese things to be a bit oddball by our standard, and this delivered.
- thaumaturgy 17y ago
  The Chevy Nova completely flopped in Spanish speaking countries, primarily because in Spanish, "Nova" means "no go".
  - rmaccloy 17y ago
    No, it didn't: http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp
Keyframe 17y ago
Same way with softimage back in the day. It is pronounced softimazh, but it took bazillion of dead trees and marketing to explain to users how it is pronounced. You're doing something wrong if you need to use dictionary explanation in your marketing material imo.

by Loic 17y ago

kstenson 17y ago

it also is Cantonese slang for penis

rbanffy 17y ago
The screen is 12 inches. I suddenly feel... small.
cakesy 17y ago
I am pretty sure every word is slang for penis in some language.

evgen 17y ago

That same french term became synonymous with supernatural fetishism in the US (via west african slaves) and was turned into "juju", which is almost always preceded by the word "bad" as another way of saying bad luck or a feeling of impending doom....

narag 17y ago
In Spain it was introduced by Tarzan films.

jodrellblank 17y ago

It's a little kid's toy because the name sounds a bit like the French word for little kid's toy, so you won't buy one? Did you buy an Acer Ferrari laptop because you thought it was really a Ferrari sports car? What a daft reason for not buying one.

Luc 17y ago
The name sounds _exactly_ like 'little kid's toy' in French, so, indeed, it follows that it will carry those connotations to French speaking people (you're not one, I'm guessing). Shakespeare may have found a rose by another name smelling just as sweet, but in the centuries since his time we've learned that varieties called 'poo-poo' just don't sell at the garden center.
- bdr 17y ago
  Not exactly the same. An English speaker would pronounce d-sounds before the js in "JooJoo" that wouldn't be there in the French "joujou".
- dejb 17y ago
  The 'Wii' sold OK in English speaking markets so I don't see what the problem is.
  - Teulon 17y ago
    Nintendo also has a lot more marketing to back up their choice of name.
  - cturner 17y ago
    Ha - I'd thought this was smart. We expect Japanese things to be a bit oddball by our standard, and this delivered.
thaumaturgy 17y ago
The Chevy Nova completely flopped in Spanish speaking countries, primarily because in Spanish, "Nova" means "no go".
- rmaccloy 17y ago
  No, it didn't: http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp

Keyframe 17y ago

Same way with softimage back in the day. It is pronounced softimazh, but it took bazillion of dead trees and marketing to explain to users how it is pronounced. You're doing something wrong if you need to use dictionary explanation in your marketing material imo.