Lifebuoy (soap)
Lifebuoy is a brand of soap containing phenol marketed originally by Lever Brothers in England in 1895.
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[edit] History
Although Lifebuoy is no longer produced in the US and UK, it is still being mass produced by Unilever in Cyprus for the UK, EU, US and Brazil markets, as well as in Trinidad and Tobago for the Caribbean market. Unilever in Cyprus and Trinidad and Tobago is manufacturing the original Red Lifebuoy Soap with phenol. In other markets, including South and South East Asia, the global brand of Lifebuoy Soap has been updated to use red and other colours with ‘modern’ aromas.[1]
[edit] Catchphrases
When the Philadelphia Phillies played at the Baker Bowl during the 1920s, an outfield wall advertisement for Lifebuoy stated, "The Phillies use Lifebuoy". One night a vandal snuck in and added to the ad, "And they still stink".[2] Variations of the joke were also employed by detractors of other losing teams.
The term "B.O.", short for "body odor", is often thought to have been invented by Lifebuoy for an advertising campaign. However, the term "B.O." was actually coined by a company that made deodorant for women called Odo-Ro-No in 1919. Lifebuoy made the term famous, however. The Lifebuoy radio ad, parodied by several Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes cartoons, used a foghorn-type sound to create the "B.O." sound.[3][4]
[edit] References
- ^ "Unilever Lifebuoy brand information". Unilever. http://www.unilever.com/brands/personalcarebrands/lifebuoy/index.aspx. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ Baseball: Phillies near 10,000th loss, New York Times, June 12, 2007
- ^ Who Invented B.O.? - Center for History and New Media at George Mason University
- ^ Old Time Radio Fans - Lifebuoy B.O. commercial, circa 1948
It is also the bar-soap used in the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story" by the main character Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) and by his Mother (Melinda Dillon). In the following psuedo-forshadowing scene, Ralphie's Father (Darren McGavin) cries out loud " I told you not to use Lifebuoy!"
[edit] External links
- lifebuoy.com, official website
- lifebuoy.co.uk, importers
- Lifebuoy, Brazil
- Lifebuoy, Turkey
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lifebuoy is pronounced by life-boy
