Rinso – English Version

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Rinso soap powder was another Lever Brothers brand which was a household name in New Zealand from the 1950s up until it was discontinued in the early 1980s.

For many years Rinso was the main sponsor of the popular radio quiz show "It's in the Bag," hosted by Selwyn Toogood. The programme was on radio for 11 years, from 1954, and from 1973 enjoyed further success on television as well. "It's in the Bag" was broadcast live on radio from small towns around New Zealand. When the show came to locations like Dargaville or Oamaru it was a big event, with communities packing full the local hall. You can listen to a broadcast from Dannevirke in 1955 here.

Selwyn Toogood became the "face of Rinso" and appeared in print and television advertisements for the product too.

This jingle exemplifies the increasingly sophisticated use of original music in radio advertising at this time. It was played during "It's in the Bag" radio broadcasts and became so well-known that when the programme visited the Northland town of Opononi in the early 1960s, a version was recorded in te reo Māori.

Image: Reckitt and Colman New Zealand: [Rinso packet. Front. 1950s?]. Ref: Eph-F-PACKAGING-1950s-01-front. Alexander Turnbull Library. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23195491