Mortein
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| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
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| Area served | Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh,India, Pakistan, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania and Papua New Guinea |
| Owner(s) | Reckitt Benckiser |
Mortein is an Australian brand of household insecticide owned by Reckitt Benckiser. Together with its sister product Aerogard, a popular insect repellent, Mortein has become something of a household name in Australia, owing much in this regard to its cartoon antagonist, Louie the Fly in the advertisements. Louie was drawn and animated by Geoffry Morgan Pike and made his first appearance on Australian TV in 1957. In a jingle created by Bryce Courtenay it was used in animated TV commercials since 1962, he proudly sings of his own dirtiness, claiming to be afraid of no-one except "the man with the can of Mortein."
Mortein's slogan is "More smart, more safe, Mortein." The word "Mortein" is a combination of the French word "mort" (dead) and the German word "ein" (one).[1]
Mortein "Insect Seeking Fly Spray" uses the active ingredients Allethrin (2.09 g/kg) and Resmethrin (0.39 g/kg), both Pyrethroid neuro-toxins which are not known to be harmful to humans in typical doses, and break down after one or two days. Mortein is also available in New Zealand [2] and India.[3] It is a very popular insecticide brand in Pakistan Reckitt Benckiser Pakistan Limited.
The music and lyrics were written by James Joseph White and the copyright of the music and lyrics was held by him until his death. The copyright then was inherited by his relatives. The copyright of the jingle is registered with A.P.R.A (Australasian Performing Right Association LTD).
In Spring 2013, Mortein will be sold in stores around Fiji and the Comoros.
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