Lost in Translation?
July 14, 2008 
I know what you're thinking, you crass people, you. You're just bursting to say something devastatingly witty that involves the word "crap" right now, aren't you? Uh-huh; I knew it.
Alright, then, rather than stifle it, let's just get this all out of systems, shall we? It'll be cathartic. Turn to the person next to you...what, there's no one nearby? Ok, go get someone. I'll wait.
Ok, are there at least 2 of you here now? Good. Now, look at the cake, turn to the person(s) next to you, and make all the obvious, disgusting, and profane jokes you can think of. You get extra points for saying the exact same thing at the same time. Running low on material? Try guessing what that inscription says, or what occasion the cake was for. (For example: Just-Found-Out-My-Boyfriend-Is-Cheating-On-Me Day, with an inscription that includes the word "eat".)
All done? Got it all out of your system? Can we discuss this like rational adults now?
Nah, I didn't think so, either.
Before you comment: yes, we all know what it looks like, people, so there's no need to spell it out for us, mmkay? Let's try to keep our comments as clean as possible, or failing that, to at least use the "*" key when necessary. Thanks, all!
Reader Comments (89)
this has become my favorite blog in the whole world.
Well.... That's a sh***y cake if I ever saw one!!!
For the last time:
Those are not Japanese words. They are Mandarin Chinese words printed in the Traditional (as opposed to Simplified) variant. They read (in my approximation of American phonetics):
Shung-rr kwy-luh
The Japanese would say/write:
Tahn-joe-bee oh-may-day-toe.
THE END.
Man, that's sickening!
Well, I'm glad everyone got that out of their systems.
Happy birthday! I'm dumping you.
;P
Lol, poop.
Y'know, I've watched a fair amount of Asian tv shows...read a good bit of manga...viewed a hefty amount of anime...
And do you know what I've learned? Something about poop REALLY amuses people in that part of the world. It's insanity.
That cake made me Giant Sweatdrop.
That'll be funny to SOMEone around here, I'm sure.
So, did you hear about the cannibal who dumped his girlfriend.......?
I think I can clear things up for you all. In my family we have an expression reserved for people who look utterly depressed. Whenever we are gathered as a groom and someone makes a miserable face, someone else always says "who sh** on your birthday cake?" No lie.
My mother actualy put a Baby Ruth candybar on my birthday cake as a joke one year.
I dont know for sure, but I', guessing that this cake comes from someone else familiar with that particular expression.
See I was thinking that it would be some kind of "you can get through this" cake. Like "Oh crap!" because the person hit a deer and got their car totaled or.... found out they were irregular? Okay, so I didn't think that far ahead, but it was a nice idea, right?
someone questioned the brown spots... I think those would be fly specks more commonly known as fly poop. You know it is true that flies vomit/poop everytime they land and eat it...well part of it. Those brown dots are what they leave behind
Um. Who gets the piece of poop? I think I'd almost rather have a piece with a fly.
Caller, over bad cell phone connection: "I'd like to order a cake."
Baker: "Sure. What would you like?"
Caller, over static: "I want a sheet cake."
Baker: [blinks] "Uh, what was that?"
Caller, over more static: "A sheet cake."
Baker: "Um, okaaaay. What do you want it to say?
Caller, spilling hot coffee on self: "Oh sh*t!"
Baker: [more blinking] "All right. It'll be ready for pick-up tomorrow afternoon."
before jamie clarified i thought it might have said something like 'Eat $#!^' and delivered to an ex boyfriend
Moose Turd Pie! (google it for the Utah Phillips story)
I went on one chinese mandarin class and there we learnt how pronounciation is very important. I don't remember which was it was anymore but Baba could mean Poop or dad, depending on how your pronounced it. So maybe the cakemaker heard it wrong?7
Nanna, no baba does not sound anything like what is depicted on that cake. As Jamie said earlier, it says Happy Birthday in traditional Chinese. But it does not mean Happy Birthday in Japanese, rendering Tom Terranova's tidbit, just that: A tidbit.
It Says Happy Birthday in Chinese
Please tell me that the poo pile is not solid frosting, please I'm begging you.
This was...educational. 0_o Gross, but educational.
I'm not feeling very well; I'm going to lie down now...*turns a strange shade of green*
WV: Destiond. Whoever gets this cake is destiond to spend some time in the lavatory...
hah! i love it.
As I was reading this I happened to be listening to the parody "You'll Look Like Poo" on YouTube.
Cherish
Well, in Japan the whole "cute little pile of poop" thing is pretty big.
The "cute little pile of poop" thing is pretty big in japan, but I just don't see how this cake is particularly cute.
And since the cake is inscribed in Chinese, the popularity of cute poop in Japan is probably not related.
I imagine it must be some kind of in-joke on the birthday boy/girl.
The insciption says: happy birthday..Although the cake has a rather more subtle meaning than birthday..
C'mon y'all, so serious! Thanks for the info but I think yer messin' the poont. Just dump all the educational stuff and eliminate all seriousness. It is time to clean out the air and get down to business. Go to the library and constipate, er, relieve yourself of yesterdays business. Yea! Log on!!!!
ahahaha I just pointed and laughed at this....brilliant. Thats insane, but not in the least appetizing! lol x
Good luck enjoying
your birthday surprise this year.
You're going to need it.
ummmm... WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????
this cake is the s#!t
sorry, couldn't resist...just like this whole site.
" In return for all the s**t you've given me"
Dad worked with an Asian immigrant named Dung Heap, when I was a kid.
Seeing this in today's links below the "excited happy penis sandcastle cake," despite the assurances the commenters have given of its Chinese origin, the only thing I can think of is the flabbergasted customer screaming, "NO, I ORDERED SHIITAKE!" Which, I suppose, is another sort of happy mushroom.
Sorry to burst your bubble of amazing ideas of what it could say, but it actually says : sheng ri kuai le ( thats without tone marks) in pinyin. It means 'happy birthday'. But I still dont see why they would put poop on the cake, dont get me wrong, I love poop! But.... why? Its a great little cake though, thanks for posting it!
Ewwwwwwwwwwww!
Carrie,
Surely it's better that it is solid frosting than the real deal, don't you think?
Ella Mc
Poopcake is a poopcake
Dat flyze iz POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I asked a relative what the cake means. It simply says, "Happy Birthday". But even they didn't understand why the cake was covered in poo and flies.