The phrase "world famous in New Zealand" is a commonly used phrase within
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and the slogan of
Lemon & Paeroa
Lemon & Paeroa, also known as L&P, is a sweet soft drink manufactured in New Zealand. Created in 1907, it was traditionally made by combining lemon juice with carbonated mineral water from the town of Paeroa, but is now owned and manufactured ...
soft drink. It is used to describe items that though famous within New Zealand are unknown in the rest of the world, whereas similar items and people in larger countries would have a far higher media profile and would therefore be famous worldwide.
The term is simultaneously both parochially proud and
self-deprecatingly humorous. It indicates a pride that a small country should be able to produce individuals which, in the opinion of the speaker, would be of a necessary standard to become world famous, yet at the same time it recognises that these individuals come from a country which does not have a high international recognition factor, and therefore these individuals are destined to remain "big fish in a small pond".
History
The phrase was created by
Saatchi & Saatchi Auckland, the advertising agency of Coca-Cola Amatil at the time, and came into widespread use in 1993 when it was used as the slogan for the New Zealand
soft drink
A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...
Lemon & Paeroa
Lemon & Paeroa, also known as L&P, is a sweet soft drink manufactured in New Zealand. Created in 1907, it was traditionally made by combining lemon juice with carbonated mineral water from the town of Paeroa, but is now owned and manufactured ...
(L&P).
The phrase is similar to one coined by Canadian writer
Mordecai Richler in the 9 April 1971 issue of
''Life'' referring to professional hockey players being "world famous – in Canada". Ironically, it is a phrase that became popular in Canada despite being printed in an American magazine. It came to describe Canadian musicians, writers, and other cultural touchstones that were intensely popular inside of Canada but relatively unknown beyond its borders. The phrase was often associated with Richler himself.
In 2009 Paeroa businessman Tony Coombe tried to prevent Coca-Cola Amatil from trademarking the phrase, saying it was a "Kiwi-ism" that belonged to all New Zealanders. However, an Intellectual Property Office commissioner disagreed, and when he later appealed to the High Court, the appeal was dismissed, allowing Coca-Cola Amatil to trademark the phrase.
Other uses
The phrase has also been used as the title of a 1999 album, ''World Famous In New Zealand'', a compilation album by New Zealand rock musicians released by
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
, and a 2001 book, ''World Famous in New Zealand: How New Zealand's Leading Firms Became World-Class Competitors'', by Colin Campbell-Hunt, James Brocklesby,
Sylvie Chetty, Lawrie Corbett, Sally Davenport, Deborah Jones, and Pat Walsh (Auckland, Auckland University Press).
The phrase inspired the title of the 18th episode of the popular show ''
Power Rangers Dino Charge
''Power Rangers Dino Charge'' is the twenty-second season of the long-running television program ''Power Rangers''. Using footage, costumes and props from Japanese 37th Super Sentai Series ''Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger'', it is the first season to ...
'', "World Famous (in New Zealand)", and also takes place in New Zealand. Albert Smith, a tour guide and adventurer the rangers meet, also refers to himself with the phrase.
[''Power Rangers Dino Charge'', Episode 17, "World Famous! (In New Zealand)", Original Airdate: November 7, 2015]
See also
*
New Zealand culture
The culture of New Zealand is a synthesis of home-grown and imported cultures. The country's earliest inhabitants brought with them customs and language from Polynesia, and during the centuries of isolation, developed their own Māori and Morio ...
*
"Big in Japan"
References
External links
The original L&P television commercial (1994)*Harvey, H.
Kiwi speak, ''Taranaki Daily News online'', 3 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2015. The first paragraph gives an example of the phrase as it is used in New Zealand.
{{DEFAULTSORT:World Famous In New Zealand
New Zealand culture
New Zealand advertising slogans
1993 neologisms
Celebrity