What happens in Vegas Stays in Mexico?
January 21, 2008 9:19 AM Subscribe
What happens in Vegas, Stays In Mexico??
Does anyone else remember the "What happens in *, stays in *" being used by Mexico (or some city therein) way before Las Vegas started advertising "What happens in (Las) Vegas, Stays in (Las) Vegas"?
I distinctly remember a Mexican town or Mexico itself advertising this very slogan years before the stupid Las Vegas ones. It's funny how quickly a slogan can be erased from the collective memory and reapplied to another thing. I suppose lots of money and advertising does that.
But am I remembering this wrong?
Does anyone else remember the "What happens in *, stays in *" being used by Mexico (or some city therein) way before Las Vegas started advertising "What happens in (Las) Vegas, Stays in (Las) Vegas"?
I distinctly remember a Mexican town or Mexico itself advertising this very slogan years before the stupid Las Vegas ones. It's funny how quickly a slogan can be erased from the collective memory and reapplied to another thing. I suppose lots of money and advertising does that.
But am I remembering this wrong?
I do remember the phrase being used in reference to Mexico well before it was co-opted by Las Vegas. But, in my experience it was always used informally by friends and acquaintances, not as part of an advertising campaign.
posted by oddman at 9:56 AM on January 21, 2008
posted by oddman at 9:56 AM on January 21, 2008
Perhaps this 2004 Toby Keith Song (lyrics) has implanted itself in your memory?
posted by Partial Law at 9:57 AM on January 21, 2008
posted by Partial Law at 9:57 AM on January 21, 2008
I remember it being used a lot in reference to Jamaica, as well as many other scenarios (with bikers, for example: "What happens on the road, stays on the road"). It has been around a couple of decades, if not longer.
posted by TedW at 10:19 AM on January 21, 2008
posted by TedW at 10:19 AM on January 21, 2008
I remember hearing "What happens in Tijuana stays in Tijuana" on an episode of the O.C. before I ever heard the Las Vegas thing, but I may just have been exposed late to the Las Vegas thing.
posted by Jeanne at 10:39 AM on January 21, 2008
posted by Jeanne at 10:39 AM on January 21, 2008
It was a coming saying while in the military - What happens on TDY stays on TDY. And that was years before the vegas thing.
posted by bigmusic at 10:44 AM on January 21, 2008
posted by bigmusic at 10:44 AM on January 21, 2008
Echoing that "What happens in X, stays in X" has been in use for years and years, even if colloquially and informally. I made a t-shirt for some friends in 1999 (after a long border trip filled with much partying and silliness) to remind them of our vow after the weekend, that "What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico." I also thought at the time that we were nicking the phrase from a defunct 80's Mexico tourism campaign.
I can see why the flap came up in Vegas and was declared actionable (it would clearly be confusing to the marketplace, which is one of the arbiters of infringement), but I don't believe that anyone using the "What happens in X, stays in X" format in a location that wasn't Vegas would be necessarily in trouble in the way that bcwinters stated.
posted by pineapple at 10:55 AM on January 21, 2008
I can see why the flap came up in Vegas and was declared actionable (it would clearly be confusing to the marketplace, which is one of the arbiters of infringement), but I don't believe that anyone using the "What happens in X, stays in X" format in a location that wasn't Vegas would be necessarily in trouble in the way that bcwinters stated.
posted by pineapple at 10:55 AM on January 21, 2008
high school, early 80's. theme for a school europe trip was "what happens in europe stays in europe."
been around forever and someone co-opted it, kind of like fugly.
posted by domino at 11:00 AM on January 21, 2008
been around forever and someone co-opted it, kind of like fugly.
posted by domino at 11:00 AM on January 21, 2008
That line has been used a lot. Check this out for other examples. Mexico is near the top of the list.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 12:00 PM on January 21, 2008
posted by Pater Aletheias at 12:00 PM on January 21, 2008
I think I first heard it as whit NAVY sit NAVY. Probably in the 1960s
posted by hexatron at 4:36 PM on January 21, 2008
posted by hexatron at 4:36 PM on January 21, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
(On MTV's wretchedly wonderful Laguna Beach, the 'cast' was always saying "What happens in Cabo, stays in Cabo!"--is it possible that watching that show melted some part of your brain and you're confusing which came first? I know it, like, totally damaged parts of mine.)
posted by bcwinters at 9:47 AM on January 21, 2008