Darlie
Darlie originally known as Darkie, is a toothpaste brand of Hawley & Hazel Chemical Company established in Shanghai in 1933 and later based in Taiwan (1949) and Hong Kong (1973). Colgate-Palmolive acquired 50% of Hawley & Hazel later in 1985.[1] Darlie emblazoned it's packaging with a black-faced man sporting a top hat and a toothy grin.
Racial Issue
Hawley and 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.
After being bought by Colgate-Palmolive Co great controversy erupted over the brand in the United States, 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.
Although the English name on the toothpaste’s packaging was changed from Darkie to Darlie but but the product kept its racially charged name in Chinese. It’s still called Hei Ren Yagao—“Black Person Toothpaste”— in China and is one of the nation’s top sellers.[2]
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.
Rebranding
"For more than 35 years, we have been working together to evolve the brand, including substantial changes to the name, logo and packaging. We are currently working with our partner to review and further evolve all aspects of the brand, including the brand name," a Colgate spokesman told to BBC.[3]
Racial injustice is under the spotlight following the death of African-American George Floyd while being detained by police. This sparked demonstrations around the world and gave further impetus to the Black Lives Matter movement. Corporate America has been forced to tackle the issue.
References
- ↑ Darlie. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ↑ In Asia, Brands Built on Racist Stereotypes Face Scrutiny, Bloomberg, 25 June 2020. Retrieved Deember 26, 2020.
- ↑ Colgate reviews China's Darlie brand amid race debate, BBC, 19 June 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.

