Politically correct toothpaste makes your smile brighter

Walt's Chinese new year greeting resulted in a "remember when" chat with an old China hand, which somehow got confabulated with a discussion of political correctness.

Those who think we should be super-sensitive to issues of diversity will be glad to know that political correctness has reached even the People's Republic of China, as the morphing of "Darkie" toothpaste into "Darlie" shows.

Darkie toothpaste -- literally 黑人牙膏, "Black Man Toothpaste" -- was first manufactured in Shanghai in 1933. The maker, Hazel & Hawley Chemical Co., later moved to Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Darkie logo was, at first, a caricature of a grinning man in blackface, possibly inspired by that well-known African-American entertainer, Al Jolson.

Mr. Darkie (or whatever his name was) would probably be with us still, had not Hazel & Hawley been acquired in 1985 by Colgate. When that happened, the jig was up! After complaints from the NAACP and other US "civil rights" groups, Mr. Darkie was replaced by a top-hatted, grinning man who is, errr, not obviously black.

For good measure, the name got changed to "Darlie". However, a quick glance at the latest package (back row, fourth from left) shows that the 黑人 is still there. Walt's Chinese is not good enough to read all the characters on the box, but I'll bet Darlie toothpaste now makes your smile brighter...not whiter!

Darlie toothpaste is on sale at fine stores throughout China and eastern Asia... and in North America... perhaps at a dollar store near you!