Nestlé's Redskins candy

Redskins (confectionery)Redskins are raspberry-flavoured chewy confections manufactured in Australia by Nestlé under their Willy Wonka brand.

The candy is sold as a short 4-gram bar wrapped in paper. Multi-packs and Redskin lollipops are also available.

Controversy

In 1996, a complaint was made to the New Zealand Advertising Standards Complaints Board about a Redskins advertisement aired on New Zealand television. The advertisement featured comedian Mark Wright dressed in American Indian clothing and assuming a mock accent. A stereotypical drumbeat featured on the soundtrack. Despite protest from Nestlé New Zealand that the advertisement was inoffensive, the Board upheld the complaint.

Redskin packaging formerly featured an image of a Native American wearing a traditional headdress. This was replaced in the late 1990s by a more neutral red character.Some comments about this candy on Facebook:Redskins Nestle has been selling this racist candy for decades. Why would such a product be called Redskins? Because they are red and taste like raspberries (just like real Native Americans). Somehow, these candies are still available today.

Ya this is not right....They took Nigger Babies off the market in the late 70s early 80s....Changed them to Licorice Babies....As a kid you do not understand the racism of the name....I use to just love the cute shape of the baby and the taste....I actually did not realize it till I was in my 20s that it was...naive I guess...♥ Hugs ♥

The following excerpt was taken from Nestle's website discussing who they are and their commitment to diversity.

"Valuing people is the core foundation of Nestlé USA’s Blueprint for Success. Diverse individuals, who reflect our consumer base, make up the tapestry of who we are as an organization. Each unique perspective is part of the fiber that weaves us together to add strength and integrity to the whole. As part of a global company serving diverse markets, we have respect for all individuals inclusive of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability and/or veteran status."

I left a question on Nestle's FB page asking them to explain the contradiction between what they say and what they are selling. The comment has not posted yet.

I've actually created a power point presentation looking at racist food products. My students are against that racism is a live and well in the supermarkets. Usually after viewing the power point, I take my students to Stop & Shop and see what else they can find. As you know Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben's are vestiges of the Jim Crow era. And yesterday one student found Eskimo Pies and a German beer company using an Indian for its logo! How about the Frito Bandito and his "cronchy" corn chips...Hehehe. Sick!

Last summer I was looking for Margarita glasses. The store clerk did not have what I was looking for but suggested a set with "a cute little Mexican having a siesta as the stem." I asked her if she had wine glasses with "a cute little Italian organ grinder & his monkey" as the stem. She was horrified at my question and completely confused when I told her the Margarita glassware was an ethnic stereotype. When will it end?

Here is a copy of my correspondence with Nestle's via their FB page:

"Valuing people is the core foundation of Nestlé USA’s Blueprint for Success. Diverse individuals, who reflect our consumer base, make up the tapestry of who we are as an organization..."

Your commitment to diversity is admirable. How do you explain the packaging and sales of "Redskins" candy under the Wonka trade name....That appears to contradict the respectful manner you describe who you are as a company.

RESPONSE:
Yesterday at 12:45am

Report Nestle USA: This is a product of Australia and not sold by Nestle USA. The name of this product was not intended to offend or be discriminatory.

Product name decisions are made locally, so we will pass your feedback to Australia. You can send your feedback directly to Nestle Australia here:

https://www.nestle.com.au/AboutUs/ContactUs/Default.htm.Comment:  I presume the package below is the old one. The name "Redskins" is offensive engouh, but doubly so when combined with the stereotypical "redskins" images. Without the images, Nestlé could claim the name refers to the candy's red color.

The margarita-glass story is telling. White people think of themselves as the norm: solid, decent, middle-class citizens. In contrast, they think of minorities as deviant: as peasants, criminals, or savages. When you turn the stereotype around, they're shocked. "How could you think of us as something strange or unusual? W-we're white!"

Redskins candy and mascots

This reminds me of all the schools that have changed their offensive Indian mascots in the last few decades. The process goes something like this:

1) School says there's nothing wrong its whooping, dancing mascot.

2) Under pressure, school changes mascot to a less offensive but still stereotypical version.

3) School says the new stereotypical mascot "honors" Indians.

The history proves such claims false. The school didn't intend to honor Indians. It intended to stereotype them. It thought the racist caricatures were funny. "Look at the red-skinned clown act like a monkey," someone probably said. "He thinks he's a human being...!"

Same with the original Redskins candy. Nobody at Nestlé could've thought the red-skinned images on the package were real Indians. The company intentionally stereotyped Indians because it thought it could profit from racism.

For more on the subject, see Why Americans Exploit Indians and Red·skin n. Dated, Offensive, Taboo.