Darlie, also known as 黑人 ("black person") and formerly known as Darkie is a toothpaste brand of the Hong Kong-based company Hawley & Hazel, which was acquired in 1985 by the US corporation Colgate-Palmolive, although the product is not marketed by Colgate-Palmolive.[1] Darky, or darkie, is a term used primarily in the United States and Britain to refer to black people, and is now generally considered a racial slur. The package featured an image of a wide-eyed, smiling dark-skinned black male wearing a top hat, monocle and bow-tie, very similar to the Golliwogg in England. Because of the contrast with their dark skin, it was a common misperception that the teeth of people of African origin were exceptionally white.
Due to changing sensibilities, allegedly racist branding practices began to end in the 1950s. After its 1985 acquisition, the toothpaste was renamed "Darlie" in for English-language markets. The image on the packaging was altered to show a white face in a top hat. The Chinese name of the brand, "黑人牙膏" (in English, "Black People Toothpaste"), remains the same and a Chinese-language advertising campaign reassured customers that "Black Man Toothpaste is still Black Man Toothpaste".
The toothpaste remains popular in some Asian countries such as The People's Republic of China, Malaysia, and Thailand.