Darkie Toothpaste - Promotional Fan.

Hawley & Hazel, 1975. Original Print . No Binding. Fine. Undated Lithographed Cut-Out Mounted On Handle. Pre-1985. The Relating Explanatory Wikipedia Article Reads Like A Very Tasteless And Unbelievable Joke. Darlie (Originally Known As Darkie) Is An Oral Care Brand Owned And Manufactured By The Hawley & Hazel Company With Focus On Chinese And Southeast Asian Markets. The Company Is Headquartered In Hong Kong With Manufacturing Facilities In Zhongshan. The Brand Was Launched In Shanghai In The 1930S And Was Included In The Colgate-Palmolive Portfolio In 1985 After Colgate-Palmolive Acquired 50% Equity In Hawley & Hazel. Hawley & Hazel Marketed Darkie Toothpaste As A Parody Of 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 An Ethnic Slur 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. 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, Changing 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, "????" (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". 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. The Brand Experienced An Increase In Popularity And Notoriety In 2004,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. On June 19, 2020, Following The Murder Of George Floyd And Subsequent Protests, Colgate-Palmolive Announced It Will Work With Hawley & Hazel To "Review And Further Evolve All Aspects" Of The Darlie Brand, Including The Brand Name. At The Time Of The Announcement, The Chinese Name Of Darlie Was Still "????" (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. On December 14, 2021, Hawley & Hazel Announced The Chinese Name Of The Brand Will Be Changed From "????" ("Black Person Toothpaste") To "??" ("Haolai") Starting In March 2022, Aligning It With The Company Name. The Original Flavor Of Darlie Was Mint. Other Flavors Are Available For Children. 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. 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. The Popularity Of The Brand May Be Due To The Recognition Of The Genetically Superior Teeth Of Many Persons With Darker Skin Color.