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From Darkie to Darlie : The Evolution
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I don’t know how they got away with the discriminatory Darkie toothpaste in the past. I was too young to distinguish racism, though the thought did hit me (wondering why on earth a black man was used? Maybe because to highlight the white teeth even more).
This Hong Kong based company was bought by Colgate-Palmolive in 1985 and soon had its image change to reflect the non-racist version. I remember seeing all 3 brands, especially the short lived “Darlie” with a black man on the cover.
I think the name Darkie with the black man is cool.
WOW … What a BIG change … the old ones seems scary … maybe that’s the reason they changed it
Wow, where you get the old box of the Darkie. Cool. I prefer this brand than Colxxxx. Hee hee.
The main reason they changed it is to be politically correct.
Mana u find the old box. Can be antique already. Wat a big change.
yea, this brings back memories alright! but seriously, ‘darkie’ is so icky for a TOOTHPASTE brand la….dunno what made them choose this name at that time.
Hmm… I still rememeber that, the transformation from Darkie to Darlie. Somehow, I prefer the latter one.
It’s always nice to see the things in the olden days, which we have almost forgotten.
But chinese still call it “hak yan nga kou” (black man toothpaste) to this day. Brushing with Darlie is the best. No other toothpaste is comparable with the Darkie-Darlie experience.
Surprise to see this =)
What do you mean by scary, Junelle? You mean black people are scary? >:(
wow… i nv see the yellow box before…
But it’s still called “The blackman’s tooth paste” in chinese..
hcfoo Really? You’re the first
Junelle No, it’s like what Wombat says, politically correct.
Pauline Off the internet. LOL. I’m fine with any toothpaste, but lately, it’s been Oral B or than funny Greek toothpaste from Guardian.
Wombat Spot on, but what took them so long?
Erina Law Off the internet. Teehee.
Yvy Maybe because of it’s chinese name?
saoirse Yeah, I have blogged about the old times every now and again, let’s see if I bump into something that ignites my childhood memories.
endroo G The older generation or the younger generation?
keeyit Well, I’m a self proclaimed eclecticist, though most entries still revolves around music.
Afrogal I’m guessing it’s because it looks like a skeleton – that’s how I perceived it as a kid. It didn’t hit me til I was older. Racist.
xin You haven’t? You’re making me feel old.
Wannabe Economist Yeah, that’s what endroo said too. Younger generation still call it by that name ka?
I think it’s because of political correctness, but where is it gonna stop i think it’s crazy
Christine Tell me about it, but still, hats off to them for actually changing it.
yeah those were the days when DARKIE competed against COLGATE brand like washing poweder FAB versus BREEZE or VASELINE (fr4om Yardley) versus BERYLCREAM in haircream
profkingsfield2004 Oh yes, I remember FAB vs BREEZE.
I remember seeing this toothpaste in Hong Kong some twenty years ago. I was shocked! Now, I wish I had purchased a tube just to show my kids. I didn’t want my money to add to that racist brand. I think I also saw a tube of the toothpaste on sale on Ebay!
Adrienne Zurub
author
‘Notes From the Mothership The Naked Invisibles.
http://chasewunderlickpublishers.com.cn
Adrienne Zurub Blatant racism. No idea how they got away with it.
I am a practical joker amongst my cousins, and when I seriously told them that Darlie was called Darkie once upon a time, naturally, they didn’t believe me. Now I have this to show them! Thank you!!
Tina – No prob!
I remember the toothpaste with the old name. However, I don’t think it was ever meant to be racist. They were just trying to emphasise the whiteness of the teeth… Maybe we are just too sensitive these days, hence the opinion that they were being racist?
TerraShield – I disagree. People back then were ignorant, with digital age, comes more exposure to such things, and people these days, are not sensitive, but more in tuned with their environment.