Kolynos is the name of an old-time line of oral care products that was created by N.S. Jenkins in 1908 and acquired by Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products . Under its "Hill's" brand, it is also a manufacturer of...

 in 1995.

The brand was very popular in the thirties and forties, and sponsored several well-known radio programs. See http://web.archive.org/web/20041221010947/http://dg125.com/Kolynos/InterestingInfo.htm.

Although not now readily available in the United States, the brand remains strong in Latin America, and also manufactured in Hungary. In Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, for instance, Kolynos was the second best-selling brand, after Colgate

Colgate (toothpaste)

Colgate is an oral hygiene product line of toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes and dental floss.-Duraphat:Duraphat is a professional strength paste intended for the treatment and prevention of dental caries....

 itself. Because of antitrust

Antitrust

The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...

 concerns at the time of the acquisition, Colgate-Palmolive agreed to suspend marketing Kolynos-branded toothpaste in Brazil for a number of years. However, Colgate-Palmolive shortly began selling what was essentially the same product, with very similar packaging and marketing, under a new brand called Sorriso ("Smile" in Portuguese

Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

), successfully transferring most of the customer loyalty to the new brand. Kolynos jingles have been written in several languages.

The Kolynos brand is mentioned in a passage in The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...

 by J. D. Salinger

J. D. Salinger

Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....

:
In the novel Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children is a 1981 book by Salman Rushdie about India's transition from British colonialism to independence and the partition of India. It is considered an example of postcolonial literature and magical realism...

 by Salman Rushdie there is a chapter titled "The Kolynos Kid".