KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – Large consumer products companies like Proctor & Gamble and Colgate Palmolive have sometimes complicated the sale of household products. Endless product line extensions and umpteen variations on products have confused consumers who like the product as it was. Most recently, the trend has been the mixingMORE HERE
Got to love the funny little American brand names that serve small product niches. With these brands, the product markets are small, and so is the competition. Little advertising is needed, and is mostly word of mouth. One such niche is the category of brands that solve unique problems; inMORE HERE
CINCINNATI – This May, Procter & Gamble is offering limited edition, retro-packaged versions of Tide, Bounce and Downy, only available at Target. It’s an amusing promotion that helps to educate younger consumers about Tide’s legacy, while giving older consumers a bit of nostalgia. “Technology has changed how we wash andMORE HERE
At first sight, it seems that our choices for American-made brands are decreasing. Just two big beer brewers, three big cereal companies, and four large laundry detergent makers. Small laundry detergent brands seem to be the most challenged. How can small and local brands survive and even flourish against aMORE HERE
Glamorene was once a top upholstery cleaner; it has since disappeared from American shelves. Such an amusing name. Pictured here, a can from the 1970s or so. Glamorene was originally made by the company Jerclaydon, a company owned by three brothers named Sheldon, Clayton and Jerold Hulsh. Time magazine hasMORE HERE
CHICAGO – Back in the 1950s, Bab-O was one of the top bathroom and kitchen cleansers, along with Ajax and Comet. Today, the cleanser is distributed by Fitzpatrick Brothers of Chicago. The brand shows up at assorted variety and specialty stores. Here, the current packaging, a gel version with bleach.MORE HERE
That there can be small companies that make just a few products and stay independent is evidenced by Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing. The company was born in the 1880s, when a traveling salesman name Al Stewart carried around a family concoction. He sold the rights to a fellow named Luther Ford inMORE HERE
The Calgonite monster was an evil gremlin of the dishwasher. He would prance around the dishes, putting spots everywhere, and ruining the lives of housewives. The name came from the brand Calgon, which is a portmanteau of the phrase “calcium gone.” Calgon was most famous as a washing machine brand;MORE HERE
We were curious about Old Dutch Cleanser; it was one of the most recognizable trademarks of the early 20th century consumer product era. Old Dutch, along with Comet and Bon Ami, was one of the big brands of pumice-based kitchen cleaners; its railcars were even featured on Tyco and LionelMORE HERE
Editor’s Note from 2021: The most recent news is that the soap is no longer in production. NEW YORK – There is something great about a brand that has not only survived a long time, but is still owned by the original company. Such is the case with Cashmere Bouquet,MORE HERE