Darlie
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Darlie, also known as 黑人 ("black person") and formerly Darkie, is a toothpaste brand of Hawley & Hazel Chemical Company. First manufactured in Shanghai in 1933 and later based in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Hawley & Hazel was acquired in 1985 by the US corporation Colgate-Palmolive, although the product is not marketed by Colgate-Palmolive.[1]
Darky, or darkie, is a term used primarily in the United States and Britain to refer to black people, and is now generally considered a racial slur. The package featured an image of a wide-eyed, smiling dark-skinned black male wearing a top hat, monocle and bow-tie, very similar to the Golliwogg in England. Because of the contrast with their dark skin, it was a common misperception that the teeth of people of African origin were exceptionally white.[citation needed]
Due to sensibilities to its allegedly racist branding, after its 1985 acquisition by Colgate-Palmolive the English name of the toothpaste was changed to "Darlie", and the image on the packaging was altered to show a racially ambiguous face in a top hat. The Chinese name of the brand, "黑人牙膏" (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".[citation needed]
The toothpaste remains popular in some Asian countries such as The People's Republic of China, Malaysia, and Thailand.[citation needed]
