Snap, Crackle, Racism? Coco Pops Accused Of Racist Name, While Coon Cheese Also Called Out

Snap, Crackle, Racism? Coco Pops Accused Of Racist Name, While Coon Cheese Also Called Out
Ally Burnie
By Ally Burnie
SHARE
THIS



As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to gain speed, the topic of casual racism in brand names and logos is also becoming a major point of discussion.

Cereal giant Kellogg’s is the latest brand to be accused of casual racism. The accusation came from a former MP in Britain who questioned why popular breakfast cereal Coco Pops is promoted with a monkey, while Rice Krispies (or Rice Bubbles in Australia), has three white-skinned characters on its box.

The former Labour politician, Fiona Onasanya, called out Kellogg’s on Twitter.

In response, Kellogg’s said it supports the black community and agreed it was important discussions are had to improve equality.

“The monkey mascot that appears on both white and milk chocolate Coco Pops, was created in the 1980s to highlight the playful personality of the brand,” the company told Daily Mail UK.

“As part of our ambition to bring fun to the breakfast table, we have a range of characters that we show on our cereal boxes, including tigers, giraffes, crocodiles, elves and a narwhal.

“We do not tolerate discrimination and believe that people of all races, genders, backgrounds, sexual orientation, religions, capabilities and beliefs should be treated with the utmost dignity and respect.”

Meanwhile, Kellogg’s AU posted this show of support on Instagram last week.

However, not everyone agreed with the politician, with a number of people explaining the reasoning behind the name Coco Pops.

One person said: “The monkey is called Coco. Remove the monkey and they are just called pops.”

Another added: “The cacao tree from which cocoa beans and hence cocoa powder is derived is native to the Amazon Basin where there are monkeys.”

Coon Cheese ignites racism debate

Meanwhile, in Australia, comedian Josh Thomas had sparked a fierce debate about the name of iconic Australian cheese brand – Coon.

He took to Twitter with an image of the product alongside the caption: “Hey Australia – are we still chill with this?”

His post received over one thousand comments and 230 retweets, with people agreeing and disagreeing with his post.

However, on Saputo Dairy Australia’s website, owner of Coon Cheese, there is an explanation behind the name.

The company says Coon was named in recognition of “the work of an American, Edward William Coon, who patented a unique ripening process that was used to manufacture the original Coon cheese”.

Colonial Brewing Co faces backlash 

Over in WA, independent brewing chain Colonial Brewing Co is also facing backlash and calls to remove its products from shelves.

Based in the Margaret River, the craft beer brand was accused of “creating nostalgia” for a time in history when Indigenous people “were killed en masse”.

However, managing director of the beer brand Lawrence Dowd hit back at the accusations, telling the Today show it wasn’t part of the brand’s narrative “to celebrate colonialism or imperialism, we have been very forward about that”.

While Dowd said the company would consider the feedback, he didn’t think changing the name would make a difference when it came to eradicating racism in Australia.

“I think actions speak louder. It’s what you do in the community and where you create change,” he said.

 

 

Please login with linkedin to comment

    Latest comments
  • Alan Zamparutti 3 weeks ago

    ohFFS……….coco pops monkey is brown because coco is chocolate colour,..is it that hard to work out for former MP in Britain? People are just looking to throw burley. ..and who is ‘the never heard of before this’ Josh Thomas?

Coco Pops coon cheese

Latest News

The Key To Understanding Your Competitors
  • Opinion

The Key To Understanding Your Competitors

Suzzanne Laidlaw (pictured below) is an internationally accredited business coach, global leader in business planning and author of the new book, “What’s Your Plan?”. In this guest post, Laidlaw argues that examining your competitors might be just as important for post COVID-19 success as examining your own… The industries around you are always changing, new […]

Opinion

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
George Savvides Appointed As SBS Chair
  • Media

George Savvides Appointed As SBS Chair

SBS has appointed George Savvides AM as the new SBS Chair, as announced by the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts for Communications, Paul Fletcher MP, today.  SBS Managing Director, James Taylor; said: “On behalf of the Board and SBS, I’d like to congratulate George on his appointment. Since being appointed as Deputy […]

Tasmanian Paper Rejigs Aussie Map, Moving Victoria Off The Mainland
  • Media

Tasmanian Paper Rejigs Aussie Map, Moving Victoria Off The Mainland

Tasmania’s Hobart-based Mercury has decided to rearrange the Australian map by moving itself onto the mainland and pushing Victoria off. As Victoria’s rise in COVID-19 cases continues, the Tassie newspaper decided to take matters into its own hands and physically banish the state, placing Tasmania between South Australia and NSW instead. Rivalry between Australian states […]

Recommended

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
QUT Launches Refreshed ‘Real World’ Campaign Via BCM
  • Campaigns

QUT Launches Refreshed ‘Real World’ Campaign Via BCM

QUT’s long-term partner BCM has developed brand and student recruitment campaigns for the university for the past 19 years, featuring real student stories about their QUT experiences and real-world success as graduates. But what makes this year different? To reflect QUT’s vision for 2020, BCM has revisited the ‘classic’ QUT graduate success story formula, but […]

Big Brother & Kargo Team Up In Market-First Branded Takeover Ad
  • Technology

Big Brother & Kargo Team Up In Market-First Branded Takeover Ad

To coincide with the launch of Seven’s Big Brother, creative performance company Kargo has announced the findings of its launch campaign for the program, utilizing the advertising industry’s only mobile, 100% share of voice Branded Takeover solution. Working with a variety of publishers, Channel 7 harnessed Kargo’s Branded Takeover campaign during promotion for the new […]

Stateside Sports Selects Emarsys For CDP Technology
  • Technology

Stateside Sports Selects Emarsys For CDP Technology

Stateside Sports, Australia’s home of United States sports lifestyle, has partnered with Emarsys, the only omnichannel customer engagement platform built to accelerate business outcomes, as it looks to double its customer database and retail presence within the next two years.