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Charmin

Charmin is a brand of toilet paper that was launched in 1928. It is currently owned by Procter & Gamble.

History

The Charmin name was first created on April 19, 1928, by the Hoberg Paper Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1950, Hoberg changed its name to Charmin Paper Company and continued to produce bath tissue, paper napkins, and other paper products. Procter & Gamble (P&G) acquired Charmin Paper Company in 1957.[1] Charmin Ultra was originally called White Cloud until 1993.[2]

In 2008, P&G sold the European operations and product line to SCA, where it was renamed to Cushelle.[3]

Advertising

The manufacturer originally wanted to emphasize the product's softness, but did not know how to convey the idea of that physical sensation on television. The company's advertising agency suggested that shoppers be encouraged to squeeze the product in stores like a grocery shopper would squeeze a tomato to assess its softness, however, there was some concern that retailers would object to customers manhandling their merchandise and thus damaging it before purchase. The problem was solved with the concept that the handling would be actively discouraged by a comic antagonistic retailer in the advertisements.[4] In an advertising campaign that lasted over twenty years, American advertisements featured actor Dick Wilson, playing the fictional grocer Mr. George Whipple.[5] Mr. Whipple told his customers: "Please don't squeeze the Charmin!", emphasizing its softness in more than 500 advertisements between 1964 and 1985,[6] and later returning in 1999–2000.

The country song "Don't Squeeze My Sharmon", which was a minor hit for Charlie Walker in 1967, was inspired by the ad campaign for Charmin.

Mascots

In 1928, the logo mascot was a female silhouette,[7] supplemented by a baby in 1953, replacing the woman by 1956.[8]

In advertisements, Mr. Whipple was replaced eventually with "The Charmin Bear", created by D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles in Britain and introduced to the United States in 2000.[9] The original bear was not 3D-animated and had a light brown/tan color.

In 2001, three cubs were added to the family, and by 2007, a blue bear was introduced for the "soft" brand and a red bear for the "strong" brand.[10] The bears later became part of the packaging, replacing the baby in 2004.

The new animated advertising campaign was called "Call of Nature".[11]

In 2010, the company changed the logo to add flecks of toilet paper to the bears in the logo.[12]

The "Charmin Bears"[13] is a collective family of parents and children.[14] Initially there was just one family of brown bears, with Leonard the Bear[15] accompanied by Molly,[16] Bill,[17] Amy and Dylan.[18] This was later split into distinct families of bears: five blue ones called the "Charmin Ultra Soft Family" and five red ones called the "Charmin Ultra Strong Family".[19] The commercials from 2000 to 2014 were animated by Joanna Quinn.[20][21]

Environmental impact

In February 2009,[22] Greenpeace advised consumers not to use Charmin toilet paper, stating that it is bad for the environment.[23]

As of 2018, Charmin is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance.[24]

The NRDC and stand.earth issued a report in 2019 saying that Charmin toilet paper was still being manufactured almost exclusively from forest fiber, much of it sourced from Canada's boreal forest.[25] By November 2019, NRDC claimed that 201,000 people had signed its petition to Procter & Gamble asking the company to change its practices.[26]

Design

ON October 2, 2023, it was announced that P&G would introduce a new design of Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper, this time with scalloped edges[27] in response to complaints about the former toilet paper design—which was composed of squares with straight edges—not tearing smoothly.[28]

External links

References

  1. Davis, Dyer. Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter and Gamble Harvard Business Press, May 1, 2004, retrieved 2013-05-07^
  2. Stuart Elliot. P.& G. Sacrifices White Cloud in Battle of Brands The New York Times, 6 May 1993^
  3. Rosie Baker. Charmin rebrands to Cushelle Marketing Week, 2010-01-25, retrieved 2023-06-22^
  4. Terry O'Reilly. Small Move, Big Gain Under the Influence, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 14 February 2016, retrieved 14 February 2016^
  5. Mary Cross. A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture Greenwood Press, 2002, retrieved 4 September 2020^
  6. Associated Press report, November 19, 2007 ("Wilson appeared in over 500 commercials for Charmin between 1964 and 1985"), accessed same day. The Associated Press: Actor Who Played Mr. Whipple Dies retrieved 2007-11-19^
  7. Great Moments in Toilet Paper History ABC News, 23 April 2002^
  8. Daniel Engber. What Do Bears Have To Do With Toilet Paper? Slate Magazine, 19 September 2011^
  9. Jane Levere. An animated soap drop with sales experience in Latin America is being put to work in the U.S. The New York Times, 17 July 2003^
  10. Charmin Story Charmin.com^
  11. History Of Toilet Paper Charmin.com^
  12. Jack Neff. NAD to Charmin: No Bare Bear Bottoms Advertising Age, 12 August 2010^
  13. Can the Charmin Bears Get Through Airport Security? Advertising Age, 2 July 2014^
  14. Stephanie Butnik. Charmin Bear Reads Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' on the Toilet in New Ad Tablet Magazine, 13 August 2013^
  15. Stephen Brown. Brands and Branding SAGE, 17 August 2016^
  16. There was free Wi-Fi on the flight, so Molly was able to #tweetfromtheseat 27 April 2015^
  17. In the car on their way to visit Bill, the family belts out the classic '99 rolls of TP in the Stall.' 27 April 2015^
  18. Steven Heller. Graphic Design Rants and Raves: Bon Mots on Persuasion, Entertainment, Education, Culture, and Practice Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 3 January 2017^
  19. Meet the Charmin Iconic Bears Charmin.com^
  20. Chris McDonnell. Artist of the Day: Joanna Quinn Cartoon Brew, 2013-04-04, retrieved 2025-03-28^
  21. I Have A Question Joanna Quinn Animation World Network, retrieved 2025-03-28^
  22. Paul Nastu. Greenpeace Releases Latest Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide Greenpeace, February 25, 2009, retrieved 16 October 2018^
  23. Greenpeace Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide Greenpeace, retrieved 16 October 2018^
  24. Charmin Toilet Paper & FlushableWipes www.charmin.com, retrieved 2019-07-11^
  25. The Issue with Tissue: How Americans Are Flushing Forests Down the Toilet Natural Resources Defense Council, 8 October 2019, retrieved 25 November 2019^
  26. Tell Charmin: Nature's Calling, and She Wants Her Forests Back! NRDC, 8 October 2019, retrieved 25 November 2019^
  27. Mike Snider. Charmin Changes up its Toilet Paper, Trading in Straight Perforations for Wavy Tears USA Today, 4 October 2023, retrieved 24 November 2023^
  28. Kelly Tyko, Nathan Bomey. Charmin Rolls Out New Toilet Paper Rip-Off Technology Axios, 17 October 2023, retrieved 24 November 2023^