 |
| AN EARLY 1929 DR. WEST'S TOOTHBRUSH Print Ad, Graphic Magazine |
DR. WEST’S –a name that originated from West Products Company--became a byword in dental hygiene when, in 1938, the company introduced the world’s first nylon toothbrush—the DR. WEST’S Miracle Tuft Tootbrush. But the globally popular brand was already in existence since 1921, when the Chicago-based company, launched its DR. WEST’S Toothbrush with the health curve, that follows the curved angles of the mouth for better cleaning. These toothbrushes and their subsequent variants were known and sold as WESCO Products.
 |
| 1924 DR. WEST'S with Health Curve |
Less than a decade after its introduction, DR. WEST’S Toothbrush brands were being sold in the Philippines, available at local druggists. These early toothbrushes were still being made with ”choice, carefully-selected bristles” from animal hair, like boars and pigs.
 |
| 1929 DR. WEST'S TOOTHBRUSH Philippine Ad |
The West Products Company changed all that in 1938, when it launched the orange coloured, medium size, Dr. WEST’S Miracle Tuft Toothbrush. Originally released in February 1938, this toothbrush was the first successful commercial application of nylon, marketed as the DuPont 'Exton' bristle.
 |
| DR. WEST'S GERM-FIGHTER AD, 1959 |
In October 1938, the West Products Company, Chicago rolled out an intensive national advertising campaign for its new toothbrush with the Dupont-made synthetic bristles. The ads communicated 4 benefits: ‘No bristle shedding, 100 percent waterproofed, longer life, greater cleaning power.’ The value of oral hygiene was underscored when DR. WEST’S Toothbrushes were included in the personal kits of soliders who served during World War II.
 |
| DR. WEST'S Color Ad, 1961 |
When WECO's exclusive franchise with Dupont on the use of the bristles expired in 1940, other
manufacturers began to make nylon bristled toothbrushes. By the 1950s, almost 80%
of all toothbrushes had synthetic bristles. DR. WEST’s Tootbrushes were
advertised until the 1960s in Philippine magazines. The 1961 colored ad played up on the different
color handles available to make brushing with the germ-fighting DR. WEST’S Toothbrush more fun and appealing.
There is no information available about the closure of the West Products Co. business, Today, there are Dr. West (not West’s) toothbrushes being made in China and Oman, but these are not in any way, connected with the original DR. WEST’S Toothbrush of West Products Co.
SOURCES:
1924 Dr. West’s print Ad,
ebay.com
Dr. West’s ad, Life Magazine ,Nov. 21, 1938 issue.
History of the Modern
Toothbrush, by White Dental Studio | Oct 12, 2015 |, https://mywhitedental.com/toothbrush-history/
No comments:
Post a Comment