This humorous article in The New York Times, “When the Icing On the Cake Spells Disaster”, attests to the delight people find in encountering funny mistakes. One blogger, Jan Yates, chronicles the decorating mishaps that occur with cake decorating and in the process draws many visitors. See: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/. Yates even has a new book out, Cake Wreaks, documenting the best of the worst cake-spelling disasters.
The interest in these mistakes validates authenticity as a consumer sensibility. The cakes certainly are not valued for their availability, cost, or quality. They find their appeal as real via a mix of natural, original, and exceptional authenticity. By being flawed, never-seen-before, and unique, these mistakes resonate with people, especially when the medium is cake frosting!
Yates’ work — and of the economic offerings resulting from it — finds appeal in the the same way as Jay Leno’s “Headlines”.
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What a great illustration - making sure words/names are spelled write on a cake would seem fairly critical. It’s not difficult to imagine how these kinds of errors happen. It’s a great microcosm of what goes on in businesses every day.