NATION : Darkie Toothpaste Gets New Name

The Colgate-Palmolive Co. will change the name of its Darkie toothpaste, a best-selling brand in Asia, and redesign the label depicting a grinning black minstrel, company officials said today.

The toothpaste, which is not sold in the United States, will be renamed Darlie and the label will be changed to a “non-racially offensive silhouette” of a man clad in a top hat, tuxedo and bow tie, the company said in a statement.

The toothpaste’s name and package had been basically unchanged since the product was launched in the 1920s by the Hawley & Hazel Group, said officials of Colgate, which bought half ownership of the group for $50 million in 1985.