S5-E4 - Whitemen Toothpaste Vs. Hei Ren Ya Gao
Two common brands of toothpaste sold in Taiwan: one of them is strangely/poorly named, but the other has a very long history of flirting with racism. In this less-somber episode, you’ll learn the backstories of both “Whitemen Toothpaste” 白人牙膏, and Hei Ren “Darkie/Darlie Toothpaste” 黑人/好來牙膏, and also enjoy a bit of info on the “ten courts of hell,” where the dead are judged and sentenced. Heed this warning if you don’t want to be reincarnated as a mosquito: “Decieve (sic) women and children, use illegal mean set porn trap, seize others money, cause people ruin and death. Punishment of stone cone through the heart should be subject!” Umm…we’ll explain.
We will soon upload pictures from John Ross' trip to the Whitemen Toothpaste Tourism Factory.
“Darkie” toothpaste was launched in Shanghai in 1933, Hawley & Hazel marketed Darkie toothpaste using a parody of American minstrel performer Al Jolson (who had become popular for his blackface performances), In 1985, when Colgate-Palmolive acquired 50% of Hawley & Hazel, controversy erupted over the brand in the United States, to which Colgate-Palmolive CEO Ruben Mark responded by issuing an apology. He changed the English name of the toothpaste to "Darlie" in 1989, and altered the image on the packaging to show a racially ambiguous face in a top hat. The Chinese name of the brand, "黑人牙膏" (English: "Black Person Toothpaste"), however, remained the same and a Chinese-language advertising campaign reassured customers that Black Person Toothpaste is still Black Person Toothpaste..” In 1989, the toothpaste held a 75% market share in Taiwan, 50% in Singapore, 30% in Malaysia and Hong Kong and 20% in Thailand.
--Change took a LONG time!
On June 19, 2020, following the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests, Colgate-Palmolive announced it would work with Hawley & Hazel "...to review and further evolve all aspects" of the Darlie brand, including the brand name.[6] At the time of the announcement, the Chinese name of Darlie was unchanged (still "黑人牙膏"). 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 brand remained on shelves in Hong Kong. On December 14, 2021, Hawley & Hazel announced the Chinese name of the brand will be changed from "黑人牙膏" ("Black Person Toothpaste") to "好來" ("Haolai") starting in March 2022, aligning it with the subsidiary company's name.
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2020 Scandal - Whitemen Toothpaste in brush with law for labeling Chinese tubes as Taiwanese
READ: Darkie: The History Behind Darlie’s Old Racist Name & Logo
READ: Official legal judgment on the "Whitemen vs. Hei Ren Ya Gao Toothpaste War."
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