Brightly colored “Sukkot boxes” recently available on Amazon have captured the attention of Jewish consumers across the United States. Priced around $15 for a dozen boxes, these items feature Hebrew lettering that spells a phonetic variation of the Yiddish word “tuchus,” meaning “butt,” instead of “Sukkot,” leading many to purchase them for their humor rather than their intended use.
Erin Stern from Baltimore described her impulse buy as hilarious, noting that she likely wouldn’t have purchased them if they had spelled “Sukkot” correctly. This sentiment resonates with others who saw the boxes mocked on social media, prompting curiosity and amusement.
Yaakov Langer, a Jewish digital creator, shared a tweet highlighting the humorous mistake in the Hebrew lettering while wishing families a “Happy & Healthy Tuchus.” He pointed out that the mix-up occurs often when Hebrew letters are copied and pasted into English documents, leading to reversed spellings.
In Atlanta, Heather Blank used the boxes to deliver treats to her synagogue members who helped during the High Holidays. While she found the boxes amusing, they proved to be flimsy, collapsing when trying to hold heavier items.
Questions arise about the implications of these boxes’ availability on contemporary Judaism and capitalism. Rabbi Yael Buechler, an advocate for accurate Jewish products, expressed her curiosity in purchasing the boxes to confirm their existence and correctness after seeing them advertised online. She noted a trend of mass retailers mishandling Hebrew, having recently influenced the removal of inaccurately labeled holiday decor from another store.
Blank speculated that a seller unfamiliar with Jewish traditions attempted to capitalize on a market trend following the success of similar products related to Purim. She remarked that the product does not reflect a genuine effort to represent Jewish culture but rather an opportunistic attempt to increase sales.
Stern expressed her concerns about the lack of oversight in the marketing of Jewish products, highlighting the broader significance of such oversight in ensuring cultural representation. Yet, she also recognized that even imperfect representations can be more valuable than none at all.
The seller, Howaf, has since removed the Sukkot boxes from its Amazon store, and similar products are now available from various other vendors, most of which lack identifiable contact information. These anonymous sellers are part of a growing number of “pseudo-brands” on Amazon, a model that has raised concerns about product quality and ethical marketing practices.
Cultural commentator Cory Doctorow described this phenomenon as a cycle where platforms first provide value to users before prioritizing shareholders, often resulting in low-quality products dominating the marketplace. Buechler, who runs her own Jewish-themed product business, expressed skepticism about Amazon’s ability to foster sustainable growth for small businesses.
Consumers continue to embrace quirky and low-quality products, fueling a marketplace that may not prioritize cultural competence in the future. Shoshana Gottlieb, a Jewish educator in Australia, went so far as to have the Sukkot boxes mailed to her, citing their comedic value and the relief of seeing a joyful product in contrast to more somber Jewish experiences this past year.
As the Jewish community recognizes the first anniversary of significant events, many see humor in the tuchus boxes as a much-needed boost. Buechler plans to use the boxes for decorations in her Sukkah and repurpose them for Purim celebrations, highlighting their playful nature even with their design flaws.
While the opportunity for using these boxes for Sukkot may have passed this year, new holiday-themed products are already emerging on platforms like Amazon, promising to continue the trend of culturally questionable merchandise.