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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.
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Tags: Black Man, Colgate Palmolive, Darkie Toothpaste, earth, evolution, Hong Kong, Image Change, Racism, White Teeth
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September 28th, 2007 at 10:00am
I think the name Darkie with the black man is cool.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:16am
WOW … What a BIG change … the old ones seems scary … maybe that’s the reason they changed it
September 28th, 2007 at 10:57am
Wow, where you get the old box of the Darkie. Cool. I prefer this brand than Colxxxx. Hee hee.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:54am
The main reason they changed it is to be politically correct.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:01pm
Mana u find the old box. Can be antique already. Wat a big change.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:00pm
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.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:22pm
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.
September 28th, 2007 at 2:24pm
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.
September 28th, 2007 at 2:35pm
Surprise to see this =)
September 28th, 2007 at 2:43pm
What do you mean by scary, Junelle? You mean black people are scary? >:(
September 28th, 2007 at 4:24pm
wow… i nv see the yellow box before…
September 28th, 2007 at 5:08pm
But it’s still called “The blackman’s tooth paste” in chinese..
September 28th, 2007 at 5:25pm
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?
October 2nd, 2007 at 1:22am
I think it’s because of political correctness, but where is it gonna stop i think it’s crazy
October 2nd, 2007 at 11:40am
Christine Tell me about it, but still, hats off to them for actually changing it.
October 8th, 2007 at 6:21pm
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
October 9th, 2007 at 10:30am
profkingsfield2004 Oh yes, I remember FAB vs BREEZE.
October 10th, 2007 at 9:09am
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
October 10th, 2007 at 7:07pm
Adrienne Zurub Blatant racism. No idea how they got away with it.
October 13th, 2008 at 10:17pm
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!!
October 14th, 2008 at 7:45pm
Tina – No prob!
May 4th, 2009 at 2:41pm
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?
May 5th, 2009 at 10:05pm
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.