Hai-Karate
Encyclopedia
Hai Karate was a budget aftershave
sold in the United States
and the United Kingdom
from the 1960s to the 1980s.
. In the UK spots, a stereotypical nerd
covers himself in Hai Karate and is promptly seduced by a female passer-by played by British starlet Valerie Leon
; similar ads ran in the US as well. All of the spots contained the catch phrase
"Be careful how you use it".
The fragrance was developed by the Leeming division of Pfizer
and launched in 1967. As well as the original Hai Karate fragrance, versions named Oriental Lime and Oriental Spice were soon introduced. It competed successfully with such other brands as Aqua Velva
, Old Spice
, Jaguar, Dante
and Brut
before fading away in the 1980s.
Aftershave
Aftershave describes a lotion, gel, balm, powder, or liquid used mainly by men after they have finished shaving. It may contain an antiseptic agent such as denatured alcohol or stearate citrate to prevent infection of cuts...
sold in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from the 1960s to the 1980s.
"Be careful how you use it"
Hai Karate is best remembered today for its marketing plan, with a small self-defense instruction booklet sold with each bottle (to help wearers fend off women) and its television advertsTelevision advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
. In the UK spots, a stereotypical nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
covers himself in Hai Karate and is promptly seduced by a female passer-by played by British starlet Valerie Leon
Valerie Leon
Valerie Leon is an English actress who had roles in a number of high profile British film franchises, including the Carry On series.-Early life:...
; similar ads ran in the US as well. All of the spots contained the catch phrase
Catch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
"Be careful how you use it".
The fragrance was developed by the Leeming division of Pfizer
Pfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
and launched in 1967. As well as the original Hai Karate fragrance, versions named Oriental Lime and Oriental Spice were soon introduced. It competed successfully with such other brands as Aqua Velva
Aqua Velva
Aqua Velva is a line of men's grooming products, including a widely advertised aftershave originally introduced as an alcohol-based mouthwash for men in 1929 by the JB Williams Company . As of 2009, it is marketed worldwide by Combe Incorporated...
, Old Spice
Old Spice
Old Spice is a prominent American brand of male grooming products. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble, which acquired the brand in 1990 from the Shulton Company.-History:...
, Jaguar, Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
and Brut
Brut (cologne)
Brut is the brand name for a line of men's grooming and fragrance products first launched in 1964 by Fabergé. The Brut line would grow to include aftershave, balms, and deodorant...
before fading away in the 1980s.
Pop culture references
- Nedley Mandingo from the Bubba the Love SpongeBubba the Love SpongeTodd Alan Clem is an American radio personality better known by his Legal name Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. He is the host of The Bubba the Love Sponge Show on various Cox Radio and Beasley Broadcast Group stations, formerly on Sirius XM Howard 101, as well as on RadioIO.-Early career and the...
Show admitted to still using Hai Karate on the October 19, 2009 show. His supply is purchased via eBay. - Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
's character Frozone in the The IncrediblesThe IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
splashes on Hai Karate. http://www.eeggs.com/items/44368.html - William BennettWilliam BennettWilliam John "Bill" Bennett is an American conservative pundit, politician, and political theorist. He served as United States Secretary of Education from 1985 to 1988. He also held the post of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under George H. W...
's morning political talk show Morning in AmericaMorning in America"Morning in America" is the common name of an effective political campaign television commercial formally titled "Prouder, Stronger, Better" and featuring the opening line "It's morning again in America." The ad was part of the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign of Republican Party candidate Ronald...
featured several segments where Seth, one of Bennett's assistants on the show, went in search of a bottle of the scent. Bennett gave Seth a bottle for Christmas of 2006 after finding it in a relative's old things. The bottle is considered part of the studio's shared collection and is occasionally referred to in great reverence. - In "A Night to Remember" episode 318 of Dharma & GregDharma & GregDharma & Greg is an American television sitcom that aired from September 24, 1997, to April 30, 2002.It starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a couple who married instantly on their first date despite being complete opposites...
, Dharma's dad uses a vial of Hai Karate to help jog his memory. - In the stoner movie Puff, Puff, PassPuff, Puff, PassPuff, Puff, Pass is a 2006 comedic stoner crime film, also known as Living High, directed by Mekhi Phifer. The name derives from a smoking custom in cannabis culture wherein a group of cannabis smokers will commonly each take two "puffs" from whatever smoking device is being used and then pass it...
starring Danny MastersonDanny MastersonDaniel Peter "Danny" Masterson is an American actor and DJ best known for his role as Steven Hyde in That '70s Show.-Early life:...
and Ronnie WarnerRonnie WarnerRonnie Warner is an American actor, producer and writer.- Actor filmography :* Nora's Hair Salon II...Studio Producer - 2008* This Christmas...Dude - 2007* Puff Puff Pass...Rico - 2006* Threshold...Tazz - 2005...
, Masterson's character questions Warner about his aftershave, asking if it was Hai Karate. He then asks where Warner found Hai Karate, getting the response "Ebay". - In "Bubba Hyde", Diamond RioDiamond RioDiamond Rio is an American Country music/Christian music band formed in 1984 in Nashville, Tennessee. Since its foundation, the group has comprised the same six members: Gene Johnson , Jimmy Olander , Brian Prout , Marty Roe , Dan Truman , and Dana Williams...
's 1994 country hit, the lyrics mention Bubba Hyde, the song's protagonist, "slaps on his Hai Karate aftershave" before heading out to the Honky Tonk. - In Dean KoontzDean KoontzDean Ray Koontz is a prolific American author best known for his novels which could be described broadly as suspense thrillers. He also frequently incorporates elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire. A number of his books have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with...
novel, From the Corner of His EyeFrom the Corner of His EyeFrom the Corner of His Eye is a novel by the best-selling author Dean Koontz, released in 2000. It is the story of a boy named Bartholomew Lampion, a ruthless killer named Enoch Cain, and a girl named Angel, born by the result of a rape.-Synopsis:...
, the killer, Junior Cain, splashes a little Hai Karate behind each ear before attempting to seduce a nurse he met in the hospital. (Page 211.) - In a Married... with ChildrenMarried... with ChildrenMarried... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
episode, "Spring Break (Part 2)", AlAl BundyAl Bundy is a fictional character from the U.S. television series Married... with Children. He was played by Ed O'Neill.-Character history:...
, Jefferson and Griff are wearing Hai Karate while crashing spring break in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The girls in Fort Lauderdale refer to it as "Geezer" smell. - In another Married... with Children episode, "Ride Scare", one of the fat women Al is carpooling with asks him " So do you always go to work wearing a suit and smelling of Hai Karate?:
- In the Disney ChannelDisney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
original movie Under WrapsUnder Wraps (film)Under Wraps is a 1997 Disney Channel Original Movie and the second to be called as such.-Plot:Three 12-year-old kids discover a mummy in the basement of a "dead" man's house. It comes alive due to the conjunction of the moonlight during that time of the month...
Hai Karate is mentioned in two scenes in the movie. - In the episode "Grandpa's Visit" of the seventies sitcom Good TimesGood TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
, J.J.J. J. EvansJames Evans, Jr. is a fictional character on the 1970s sitcom, Good Times. He was created by Norman Lear and portrayed by Jimmie Walker. The character was known as simply "J.J.", and is commonly seen as the show's breakout character. His favorite expression was "Dyno-MITE!"-Character...
tells his brother MichaelMichael Evans (Good Times)Michael Evans is an American supporting character from the 1970s American sitcom Good Times. The character was apparently named after Good Times co-creator Michael Evans. He was portrayed by Ralph Carter....
to look in the medicine cabinet "next to his Hai Karate and his ClearasilClearasilClearasil is the top-selling brand of skin care and acne medication, whose products contain chiefly benzoyl peroxide, sulfur & resorcinol, triclosan, or salicylic acid as active ingredients...
". - In the fifth episode of the first series of Life on MarsLife on Mars (TV series)Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
(UK), a scarf belonging to a suspect is said to smell like Hai Karate by Chris SkeltonChris SkeltonPC/DC Christopher "Chris" Skelton is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes.- Life on Mars :...
. - Ray CarlingRay CarlingDC/DS/DI Raymond Milton "Ray" Carling is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes.-Life on Mars:...
also says he's "a black belt in Hai Karate" in the Ashes to AshesAshes to Ashes (TV series)Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
2010 Sports Relief special. - Hai Karate is referenced by Ray CarlingRay CarlingDC/DS/DI Raymond Milton "Ray" Carling is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes.-Life on Mars:...
once again in the fourth episode of the final series of Ashes to AshesAshes to Ashes (TV series)Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
when he comments to Chris SkeltonChris SkeltonPC/DC Christopher "Chris" Skelton is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes.- Life on Mars :...
that he should "go easy on that Hai Karate". Skelton responds by telling Carling "it's just a dab and a dash". - Hai Karate was a grunge/punk band that was on Frank KozikFrank KozikFrank Kozik is an American graphic artist who has worked with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Melvins, The Offspring and Butthole Surfers. Kozik runs Man's Ruin Records, a media outlet and record label, and has published several books including Man's Ruin:...
's now defunct Man's Ruin RecordsMan's Ruin RecordsMan's Ruin Records was an independent record label, owned and founded by Bay Area artist Frank Kozik. After the 1994 release of Man's Ruin's first record, entitled Experimental Audio Research : Delta 6, Kozik worked with artists who he wanted to release; he also designed all of the sleeve art for...
. One of its members, bassist Bob Blackstone, was in the Seattle garage rockers Gas Huffer. Hai Karate released one self-titled full length album (in 1998). - Hai Karate is referenced several times in the TV show Get a LifeGet a Life (TV series)Get a Life is a television sitcom that was broadcast in the United States on the Fox Network from September 23, 1990, to March 8, 1992. The show starred Chris Elliott as a 30-year-old paperboy named Chris Peterson. Peterson lived in an apartment above his parents' garage...
- Hai Karate is referenced in an episode of Home Improvement
- Hai Karate is mentioned in the Freaks and GeeksFreaks and GeeksFreaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series, created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season...
episode "Girlfriends and Boyfriends". - Hai Karate is mentioned in the "Uptown Friday Night" episode of Martin LawrenceMartin LawrenceMartin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
's 90's comedy show MartinMartin (TV series)Martin is an American sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions that aired for five seasons, from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on Fox...
, when one of Martin's alter ego characters the "player" Jerome splashes some on exclaiming "No hottie can resist my body once I put on Hai Karate!" - Hai Karate is mentioned in Season 3, Episode 1 of Sex and the CitySex and the CitySex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
, "Where There is Smoke..." - The lyric "He smells like Hai Karate" appears in the song "Nerdy Boys" by the band Candypants.
- The original radio spot from the 1960s is used on the SIRIUS XM station '60s on 6.
- A bottle of Hai Karate Cologne is seen on the desk in the opening credits of the movie Almost FamousAlmost FamousAlmost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
. - In the 1993 satire Loaded Weapon 1Loaded Weapon 1National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 is a 1993 crime-comedy film, directed by Gene Quintano and starring Emilio Estevez, Samuel L. Jackson and William Shatner...
, Dr. Harold Leacher (a caricature of Hannibal LecterHannibal LecterHannibal Lecter M.D. is a fictional character in a series of horror novels by Thomas Harris and in the films adapted from them.Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer...
played by F. Murray AbrahamF. Murray AbrahamFahrid Murray Abraham is an American actor. He became known during the 1980s after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. He has appeared in many roles, both leading and supporting, in films such as All the President's Men and Scarface...
) comments that Sgt. Jack Colt, played by Emilio EstevezEmilio EstevezEmilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire...
, smells of Hai Karate. - In episode 249 of Cheers "The Magnificent Six", Sam Malone admits the cologne in his babe kit is a special blend of Old Spice, Hai Karate, and something that takes spots out.
- Hai Karate commercials are played throughout the 1999 British film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? is a film written by Ben Steiner, directed by Peter Hewitt and released in 1999. The British movie was filmed in Sheffield....