After more than three years of pressure from shareholders, religious groups and blacks, the Colgate-Palmolive Company announced in 1989 that it would rename Darkie, a popular toothpaste that it sells in Asia, and redesign its logotype, a minstrel in blackface.
The company had faced increasing criticism for promoting racial stereotypes through its marketing of the toothpaste, which is a best-selling brand in several Asian countries, after it paid $50 million in 1985 for half-ownership of the Hong Kong company that manufactures it.
Its just plain wrong, Reuben Mark, chairman and chief executive of Colgate-Palmolive, said about the toothpastes name and logotype. Its just offensive. The morally right thing dictated that we must change. What we have to do is find a way to change that is least damaging to the economic interests of our partners.
The company said it would change the name of the toothpaste to Darlie and make the logotype a portrait of a man of ambiguous race wearing a silk top hat, tuxedo and bow tie. Two-Year Changeover Planned
Read More: Colgate to Rename a Toothpaste – NYTimes.com
3 Comments
This is just uncalled for. I can’t believe this world sometime. Teaching racism is outrageous! Shame on you Colgate.
It didn’t originate with Colgate-Palmolive, which inherited Darkie Toothpaste when it bought a half-stake in Hawley & Hazel in 1985. It took four years for Darkie to become Darlie.
However, the Chinese name of the toothpaste, which translates as, “Black Person Toothpaste,” remains because of name recognition and Darkie’s strong share of the Asian toothpaste market.
Now that more companies are reconsidering their products that feature racial caricatures (Aunt Jemima, Cream of Wheat, Uncle Ben’s, etc.), Colgate-Palmolive should do the same and change the Chinese name of Darlie.
Yeah, This was a very old and super popular brand in Asia for years! I remember seeing it when I was in JHS. Colgate just bought into the company a few years ago.