This is a piece that I first posted back in May 2007, and I believe it resides somewhere in Europe these days. I was fun to make, and ended up pretty much how I envisioned it.My question is- What is the logic of the brand name? Knowing the story of the Trojan Horse, it doesn't make a bit of sense to me. I know that there must be some logic to this line of thinking though, because the another popular brand of condoms is Ramses, who was an Egyptian king who famously had between 100 to 200 children.
Can someone enlighten me?
35 comments:
I'm guessing the reference is more to the Trojans rather than the Trojan horse?
Always baffled me too, man. Glad to see somebody else sharing in my confusion.
I think that Trojans are meant to house thousands of "soldiers" if you will and Ramses is referring to the action not the person. Like the horse.
I always thought of it as sort of a joke, in reference to a helmeted Trojan warrior.
OH MY GOD YES! You and I, we must have some kind of mind link business going on.
I've been wondering that since I was like, 15. Seriously.
The Trojans were the people from Troy and therefore the soldiers in those ancient battles. I expect the brand name is referring to those soldiers to give the package a 'manly' name.
Ha, ha, ha!!! No logic at all! Hi, hi, hi!!! Sorry, but I cann´t help you.... But there are not 100% save ...
This is hard to figure out? It's a reference to the Trojan Horse. It contains a mighty warrior.
Yeah, I think Jim Drew has the idea. I think it's supposed to be a commentary on the stature of the thing inside. But...it's not a very effective catch if no one gets it.
Yes, OF COURSE I get the Trojan Horse reference. The problem I see is that the horse was seen as a gigantic gift that was SAFE to let INSIDE the city, right? So the thing is let inside, and then secretly opens (!) when no one is expecting it to, and the next thing you know, many, many SOLDIERS are running around creating havoc.
.....
And as Sara mentioned, maybe it doesn't have anything to do with the horse, although that what everyone thinks of when they hear the word.
Iberg- never heard of the horse called a Ramses, so I'll take your word on that.
Now I'll definitely grant you that it's not an ideal name in the end (ahem), since the followthrough is the contents getting out and doing their planned deeds.
So THAT is why my baby has a distinctly Roman-looking nose! I was infiltrated!!!
That little ladder coming out of it is a great touch!
What I've never worked out is why the Trojan horse was called that. It was a GREEK horse, used to invade Troy, not the other way round.
Anyway, cool piece, and I imagine the name is in reference to the condom being as strong as a Trojan soldier.
I always thought it an allusion to 'horse' as in "hung like a..." Just as Ramses didn't refer to an old king, but an action.
I think you give condom namers way too much literary credit. Gotta think more like a porn director.
yeah, it refers to the torjan soldiers. Suposedly they were the hardest working men of their time and every woman in the land wanted a piece of their manliness.
That is true, but I can admit, I never put much thought to it. But I do like that, I think it is pretty twisted.
Trojans (the people, not the horse) and Rameses both connote power and strength.
I think that Trojan called their condoms that just to get people to talk about their product...... think about it, this is not the first discussion that anyone's had about it. And talking about their product, is like free advertising for the company.
Impulse buying!
Let's say that a nerd is finally getting lucky, is suddenly reminded of the Iliad at the drugstore. Over nine years of trying the Greeks could not "get inside", get through the Trojan gate. (I can't think of a stronger parallel in coincidence!) Nothing got through the gates UNLESS they wanted it inside.
As for non-nerds with only a vague knowledge of historical or literary narrative, Trojans = horse. In order to ride safely it would be wise to "saddle up".
As for the Rameses association, I don't know. Could be that condoms were once made of sheep intestines, AND the action involved associated with a ram.
LOL more at the commenters than the sculpture! Great stuff! "What? Not 100% effective?! They should put that on the box!" (Ross, and Joey - Friends)
I love the horse, especially the ladder.
I've never thought of the Trojan horse in connection to the condoms. I mean, they had the Trojan Man commercials (I can't say that without singing it in my head...he-he). Remember...he would show up when a couple was about to have sex and remind them to use a condom?
I thought it was obvious that they were talking about the soldiers.
I believe it's connected to the old phrase "works like a Trojan".
Good catch, Ellen. In context, "works like a Trojan" goes beyond hard working and into the realm of "stays on task for *years*".
Ah, yes, what are the subtle advertising messages here?
Scenario of the Trojan Horse:
Stealth
Successful Raid(s)
Trickery
Obsfucation - bait and switch
Utter decimation of the competition
Divide and conquer
Halloween effect: The 'treat' was really a 'trick'
Do it under cover, in the darkness of night
Haste makes waste
Effective answer to: "let me in!" "let me in!"
"Thinly veiled" disguise gets you where you want to go
Battle of the sexes
"unbridled" passion
Good things come in a box (horse)
"Winning" requires subtlety
Rolling right along.....
Easy come, easy go (slip right in, unnoticed)
Strong, invincible, conquering "hero"
Unstoppable, able to leap tall horses at a single bound
Quick change artist(s)
What you see is not what you get
Very slick move
No success without deceit!
(you get the idea)
Ya, Andrew, that's it in a nutshell.
"Over nine years of trying the Greeks could not "get inside", get through the Trojan gate. (I can't think of a stronger parallel in coincidence!)"
The way I see it, the Greek army hid inside a great big horse in order to invade Troy. Right?
So, if you want to INVADE um, an opening, then you COVER UP, and maybe, uh, you can TRICK your way in by pretending you're offering a nice big PRESENT.
Or something?
The name Trojan implies invasion to me. Invasion, intrusion, incoming!
So then the next logical brand for a condom company would be, "Big Pops".
might be redundant not having read the comments... but, my theory is that they are working like Trojans to keep things safe... working diligently and as hard as possible... darn ..didn't want to have to use the word "hard" there, but can't think of anything else right off the bat....
that's my two cents worth anyway... ...
I imagine it to be because the Trojan horse is how the Trojans "got inside completely protected"
Same puzzle struck me as I decided today to write a poem titled Trojans based on the many uses of that word.
Prophylactically, Slate seems to have it right on how Trojans got their name:
Youngs knew, however, that condoms needed a new image in order to thrive. He countered the product's dicey reputation by stressing manufacturing standards and building a state-of-the-art factory in Trenton, N.J., that produced condoms of uniform quality. He also favored austere packaging emblazoned with nothing but a Trojan helmet, a symbol meant to connote protection and virility.
Aren't Trojans and Troy the archetypes of powerful defense, holding the Greeks at bay for ten years?
If you favor the Trojan horse analogy, condoms should have been called Greeks, who were the successful actors in that scenario. But Greeks would have been disastrous for branding purposes since it implied the wrong hole.
If possible, I'd like to update my "Trojans" entry with my most recent draft of the poem:
Trojans
Skirting a greasy eyelet,
the dog and I are better suited
to the magnolias' sudden snow.
What is it about Trojans and sidewalks?
Odd linkage: warriors, their helmets
plumed with sun rays, and rubbers.
One spine, many forks:
software that wreaks havoc;
rock condemned to captive orbit,
a step behind and mathematically
guaranteed not to collide.
The software like the horse.
Phalanxes, towers, garlands,
but always circling back
to the oval wallet welts
that accompanied our high hopes,
riding shotgun all those years
as we waited for our luck to turn.
That knew before we did
how dreams turn out.
Then I'm roping in the dog
who's no longer here with me
while the Mass in B Minor
splinters in the air.
Shaded by a Trojan moon,
we plumb cobalt skies,
rocking out of control
one Lagrangian unit away -
equidistant from
what we want
and who we are.
I think the wall that surrounds and protects Troy is the inspiration for the name. Nothing came into the city unless the Trojans wanted it to. And the exception of the horse could be a warning that neither are 100% effective!
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