Häagen-Dazs

“Häagen-Dazs” is an invented pseudo-Scandinavian phrase coined by the American Reuben Mattus, in a quest for a brand name that he claimed was Danish-sounding. However, the company’s pronunciation of the name ignores the letters “ä” and “s”, and letters like “ä” or digraphs like “zs” do not exist in Danish.

His daughter Doris Hurley reported in the 1996 PBS documentary An Ice Cream Show that her father sat at the kitchen table for hours saying nonsensical words until he came up with a combination he liked.