Darlie

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This article is about the oral care brand in Asia called Darlie.

Darlie
Darlie Toothpaste logo.png
Product typeOral hygiene
OwnerHawley & Hazel
Produced byHawley & Hazel
CountryChina (1933–1949)
Taiwan (1949–)
Hong Kong (1973–)
Introduced7 December 1933; 87 years ago (1933-12-07)
MarketsAsia
Websitewww.darlie.com Edit this at Wikidata

Darlie is an oral care brand owned and manufactured by the Hawley & Hazel Company[1] with focus on Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.  The company headquartered in Hong Kong with manufacturing facilities in Zhongshan.  The brand was launched in 1930s in Shanghai and became a brand under the Colgate-Palmolive portfolio after the Colgate-Palmolive acquired 50% equity in Hawley & Hazel[2] in 1985.

Naming[]

Hawley & Hazel marketed Darkie toothpaste as a parody of an American minstrel performer, Al Jolson, who became popular for his blackface performances. The whiteness of his teeth inspired the brand name and logo. Darky, or darkie, is a racist term used primarily in the Western World to refer to black people. The packaging featured an image of a wide-eyed white man in blackface, wearing a top hat, monocle and bow-tie, an image associated with minstrel shows.

Al Jolson, the comedian who inspired the logo design

In 1985, after Colgate-Palmolive acquired 50% of Hawley & Hazel, great controversy erupted over the brand in the United States, to which Colgate-Palmolive CEO Ruben Mark responded by issuing an apology and replacing the English name of the toothpaste to "Darlie" in 1989, and altering the image on the packaging to show a racially ambiguous face in a top hat to avoid racial misunderstanding.[3] However, the Chinese name of the brand, "黑人牙膏" (in English, "Black Person Toothpaste"), remains the same and a Chinese-language advertising campaign reassured customers that "Black Person Toothpaste is still Black Person Toothpaste".[4]

After the entry of Colgate-Palmolive, the brand continued to be sold in several Asian countries, including Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand where its brand and logo were not considered offensive. Colgate-Palmolive announced the brand would not be sold outside of Asia.[5]

Darkie toothpaste packaging from Thailand in 1988

The brand experienced an increase of both popularity and notoriety in 2004,[citation needed] after the toothpaste, along with other allegedly racist brands, was featured in the mockumentary C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America. It was depicted as a fictional brand that is popular in the alternative history of the film; the final credits reveal that it, along with most of the other brands, is a genuine product.[6]

On June 19, 2020, Colgate-Palmolive announced it will work with Hawley & Hazel to "review and further evolve all aspects" of the Darlie brand, including the brand name.[7] At the time of the announcement, the Chinese name of Darlie still continues to be "黑人牙膏" (in English, "Black Person Toothpaste"). The announcement followed similar announcements made by PepsiCo/Quaker Oats (Aunt Jemima) and Mars, Incorporated (Uncle Ben's) for their respective brands. In November 2020, the blackface imagery of the brand remained unchanged.[8]

Product and market share[]

The original flavor of Darlie was mint. Other flavors are available for children.[9]

As of 1989, the toothpaste held a 75% market share in Taiwan, 50% in Singapore, 30% in Malaysia and Hong Kong and 20% in Thailand.[10] Nowadays it is one of the bestselling toothpaste brands in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, with market shares ranging from 10 to 30 percent.[11]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "HKGCC - Hong Kong Business Directory". www.chamber.org.hk. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  2. ^ "Investegate |Colgate-Palmolive Co Announcements | Colgate-Palmolive Co: Colgate Announces Acquisition of GABA Holding AG". www.investegate.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
  3. ^ "Darkie drops offensive name and logo". Straits Times. 1989-01-29. p. 6. Archived from the original (JPEG) on 2015-12-04.
  4. ^ hkcfphobia (2007-08-01). "【HKTVC】Darlie 黑人牙膏 1990/20sec". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  5. ^ "'Darkie' toothpaste puts company in a squeeze". Baltimore Afro-American. 1986-03-01. Retrieved 2015-12-04 – via Google.
  6. ^ McCarthy, Todd (2004-03-09). "Review: 'C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America'". Variety. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  7. ^ Shakib, Delara (June 19, 2020). "Colgate-Palmolive to review product's name that translates to 'Black people toothpaste'". NBC News. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Grundy, Tom (November 27, 2020). "Darlie toothpaste remains on shelves five months after Colgate vowed to rethink 'racist' brand". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  9. ^ http