“Darkie” toothpaste had been sold in Asia for about 65 years. After Colgate became partners with Hawley and Hazel and its distasteful product, however, there was a wave of dissatisfaction with the...

“Darkie” toothpaste had been sold in Asia for about 65 years. After Colgate became partners with Hawley and Hazel and its distasteful product, however, there was a wave of dissatisfaction with the logo and name from U.S. minorities and civil rights groups. There really has been no definite source on how this issue was passed to U.S. action groups and the media; however, a book entitled Soap Opera: The Inside Story of Procter and Gamble places responsibility in the hands of Procter & Gamble in an effort to tarnish Colgate’s image and lower its market share. The Americans’ irate response to “Darkie” was a surprise to the Hawley and Hazel group. The product had always been successful in their Asian markets, and there had been no complaints. In fact, the success of “Darkie” had led the firm to market a new product in Japan called “Mouth Jazz,” which had a similar logo. A spokesperson for Hawley and Hazel remarked, “There had been no problem before; you can tell by the market share that it is quite well received in Asia.” ICCR, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, started the fight against Colgate about 10 years ago when it received a package of “Darkie” toothpaste from a consumer in Thailand. ICCR is composed of institutional investors that influence corporations through stock ownership. At the time the movement against Colgate’s racially offensive product started, three members of ICCR already owned a small amount of stock in the company, and they filed a shareholder petition against Colgate requesting a change in the logo and name. In a letter to Colgate, the ICCR executive director summarized the position against the distasteful toothpaste as follows:

“Darkie” toothpaste is a 60-year-old product sold widely in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and other places in the Far East. Its packaging includes a top-hatted and gleaming-toothed smiling likeness of Al Jolson under the words “Darkie” toothpaste. As you know, the term “Darkie” is deeply offensive. We would hope that in this new association with the Hawley and Hazel Chemical Company, that immediate action will be taken to stop this product’s name so that a U.S. company will not be associated with promoting racial stereotypes in the Third World.