Gold Dust Twins
Encyclopedia
The Gold Dust Twins originated as the mascot
s for Fairbank's Gold Dust Washing Powder products as early as 1892. It has seen popular
use as a moniker in several instances since. The phrase, "Gold Dust Twins", is often used to describe two talented individuals working closely together for a common goal, especially in sports.
first introduced in the 1880s by the Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank
Soap Company based in New York, NY
. Gold Dust was distributed in America by the Lever Brothers
Company of Cambridge, MA
. Its first regional success was in the midwestern
United States. Gold Dust Washing Powders had been marketed nationally since the mid-1890s, becoming a top-selling national brand
by 1903. Gold Dust products were eventually marketed internationally (by Unilever
) in Canada
and Great Britain
. The product lines' bright orange labels all prominently featured the Gold Dust Twins.
By 1900, the Twins had been transformed into a cartoon
ish pair of caricature, bald, asexual black children shown wearing tutu's emblazoned with the words "Gold" and "Dust". On product containers and in ads, they were often comically depicted, along with a huge stack of dishes in a washtub, with one twin cleaning, the other drying. The twins became icons
following the 1903 kick-off of a national marketing campaign, with the slogan "Let the Twins Do Your Work". They became an easily recognizable trademark
found in many, if not most, U.S. homes during the first half of the twentieth century.
The Twins were featured in print, billboard, specialty advertising and radio ads for over sixty years. "The Gold Dust Twins" was the name of a popular radio program which first aired nationally in 1929. Starring Harvey Hindemeyer and Earle Tuckerman as "Goldy" and "Dusty", respectively, the show was sponsored by Lever Brothers and Gold Dust Washing Powder. An early example of product tie-ins, the Gold Dust's advertising jingle became the show's theme song.
When national sensibilities began to change, the products (along with Goldie and Dustie) were phased out by the mid-1950s. The Gold Dust Twins were drawn by E.W. Kemble, a staff artist for the Chicago Daily Graphic.
The Twins appear in the 2004 "mockumentary" "C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America," a purported British documentary about American life after the Confederates won the Civil War. A recreation of a "Gold Dust Twins" commercial, featuring outrageous racial stereotypes, is shown as part of the "mockumentary."
circa 1898.
Beginning in 1900, Tim Moore
, later famous for his role of George "Kingfish" Stevens in the television version of "Amos 'n' Andy", along with stage-partners, Romeo Washburn and Cora Miskel, performed as "Cora and Her Gold Dust Twins" on the vaudeville circuit in the midwestern and the northeastern United States
.
More recently, the phrase has been used to describe two individuals working closely together for a common goal, including:
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
s for Fairbank's Gold Dust Washing Powder products as early as 1892. It has seen popular
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
use as a moniker in several instances since. The phrase, "Gold Dust Twins", is often used to describe two talented individuals working closely together for a common goal, especially in sports.
As Product Mascots
Gold Dust Washing Powder
Gold Dust Washing Powder was an all-purpose cleaning agentCleaning agent
Cleaning agents are substances, usually liquids, that are used to remove dirt, including dust, stains, bad smells, and clutter on surfaces. Purposes of cleaning agents include health, beauty, absence of offensive odor, avoidance of shame, and avoidance of spreading of dirt and contaminants to...
first introduced in the 1880s by the Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank
N. K. Fairbank
Nathaniel Kellogg "N.K." Fairbank was a Chicago industrialist whose company, the N.K. Fairbank Co., manufactured soap as well as animal and baking products in conjunction with the great meat packing houses in northern Illinois. The company had factories in Chicago, St. Louis, Montreal and...
Soap Company based in New York, NY
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Gold Dust was distributed in America by the Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...
Company of Cambridge, MA
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. Its first regional success was in the midwestern
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
United States. Gold Dust Washing Powders had been marketed nationally since the mid-1890s, becoming a top-selling national brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
by 1903. Gold Dust products were eventually marketed internationally (by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
) in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The product lines' bright orange labels all prominently featured the Gold Dust Twins.
The Gold Dust Twins
The Gold Dust Twins, "Goldie" and "Dustie", were the 'faces' of the Fairbank's Gold Dust Washing products. The original (circa 1892) version of the twins was a standard drawing of two young African-American children cleaning up together in a washtub. On the original containers, they are simply pictured standing side-by-side behind a mound of gold coins, under an arch reading "Fairbank's" and over the "Gold Dust Washing Powder" text.By 1900, the Twins had been transformed into a cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
ish pair of caricature, bald, asexual black children shown wearing tutu's emblazoned with the words "Gold" and "Dust". On product containers and in ads, they were often comically depicted, along with a huge stack of dishes in a washtub, with one twin cleaning, the other drying. The twins became icons
Cultural icon
A cultural icon can be a symbol, logo, picture, name, face, person, building or other image that is readily recognized and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group...
following the 1903 kick-off of a national marketing campaign, with the slogan "Let the Twins Do Your Work". They became an easily recognizable trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
found in many, if not most, U.S. homes during the first half of the twentieth century.
The Twins were featured in print, billboard, specialty advertising and radio ads for over sixty years. "The Gold Dust Twins" was the name of a popular radio program which first aired nationally in 1929. Starring Harvey Hindemeyer and Earle Tuckerman as "Goldy" and "Dusty", respectively, the show was sponsored by Lever Brothers and Gold Dust Washing Powder. An early example of product tie-ins, the Gold Dust's advertising jingle became the show's theme song.
When national sensibilities began to change, the products (along with Goldie and Dustie) were phased out by the mid-1950s. The Gold Dust Twins were drawn by E.W. Kemble, a staff artist for the Chicago Daily Graphic.
The Twins appear in the 2004 "mockumentary" "C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America," a purported British documentary about American life after the Confederates won the Civil War. A recreation of a "Gold Dust Twins" commercial, featuring outrageous racial stereotypes, is shown as part of the "mockumentary."
Use As A Moniker
The "Gold Dust Twins" moniker was applied to two Catholic Carmelite brothersBrother (Catholic)
A religious brother is a member of a Roman Catholic religious order who commits himself to following Christ in consecrated life of the church by the vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. A layman , he usually lives in a religious community and works in a ministry that suits his talents and gifts...
circa 1898.
Beginning in 1900, Tim Moore
Tim Moore (comedian)
Tim Moore was a celebrated American vaudevillian and comic actor of the first half of the 20th century. He gained his greatest recognition in the starring role of George "Kingfish" Stevens in the CBS television series, Amos 'n' Andy...
, later famous for his role of George "Kingfish" Stevens in the television version of "Amos 'n' Andy", along with stage-partners, Romeo Washburn and Cora Miskel, performed as "Cora and Her Gold Dust Twins" on the vaudeville circuit in the midwestern and the northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
.
More recently, the phrase has been used to describe two individuals working closely together for a common goal, including:
- Benjamin V. Cohen and Thomas CorcoranThomas Gardiner CorcoranThomas Gardiner Corcoran was one of several Irish American advisors in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's brain trust during the New Deal, and later, a close friend and advisor to President Lyndon B. Johnson....
, government (1930s) - Harold "Jug" McSpaden and Byron NelsonByron NelsonJohn Byron Nelson, Jr. was an American PGA Tour golfer between 1935 and 1946.Nelson and two other well known golfers of the time, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, were born within seven months of each other in 1912...
, golf (1930s and 1940s) - The Shapiro Brothers of Ohio, business (1930s through 1950s)
- Royal Copeland and Joe KrolJoe KrolJoe "King" Krol was a Canadian football quarterback, running back, defensive back, and placekicker/punter from 1942 to 1953 and 1955...
, gridiron football (1940s and early 1950s) - Lew HoadLew HoadLewis Alan Hoad was a champion tennis player....
and Ken RosewallKen RosewallKenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam...
, tennis (1950s) - Fred LynnFred LynnFredric Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres .Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame...
and Jim RiceJim RiceJames Edward "Jim" Rice , nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989...
, baseball (1970s)