Super, applicator TamPak, 1973 - See look-a-like Tampex Japanese tampon with finger cots Tampax tampon from the early 1930s - Main Tampax patent - Ad from 1936 - World War II Tampax sign - Go to early commercial tampons page. See a real American douche set from the 1920s. See also Australian douche ad (ca. 1900) - Fresca douche powder (U.S.A.) (date ?) - Kotique douche liquid ad, 1974 (U.S.A.) - Liasan (1) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany) - Liasan (2) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany) - Lysol douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Lysol douche liquid ad, 1948 (U.S.A.) - Marvel douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Midol menstrual pain pill ad, 1938 (U.S.A.) - Midol booklet (selections), 1959 (U.S.A.) - Mum deodorant cream ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Myzone menstrual pain pill, 1952 (Australia) - Pristeen genital spray ad, 1969 (U.S.A.) - Spalt pain tablets, 1936 (Germany) - Sterizol douche liquid ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Vionell genital spray ad, 1970, with Cheryl Tiegs (Germany) - Zonite douche ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) Vaginal hygiene in The Intimate Side of a Woman's Life, by Leona W. Chalmers (1937, Pioneer Publications, Inc., Radio City, New York), with photo of American bulb syringe from the 1960s or 1970s. ***The Perils of Vaginal Douching*** (essay by Luci Capo Rome) - the odor page CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could? Some MUM site links: homepage | MUM address & What does MUM mean? | e-mail the museum | privacy on this site | who runs this museum?? | Amazing women! | the art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | asbestos | belts | bidets | founder bio | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books: menstruation and menopause (and reviews) | cats | company booklets for girls (mostly) directory | contraception and religion | costumes | menstrual cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | facts-of-life booklets for girls | famous women in menstrual hygiene ads | FAQ | founder/director biography | gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux | humor | huts | links | masturbation | media coverage of MUM | menarche booklets for girls and parents | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | olor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | puberty booklets for girls and parents | religion | Religión y menstruación | your remedies for menstrual discomfort | menstrual products safety | science | Seguridad de productos para la menstruación | shame | slapping, menstrual | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour of the former museum (video) | underpants & panties directory | videos, films directory | Words and expressions about menstruation | Would you stop menstruating if you could? | What did women do about menstruation in the past? | washable pads Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación. MUSEUM OF MENSTRUATION AND WOMEN'S HEALTH TamPak menstrual tampons, no applicator, Turkey, 1973 Box Turkish tampon imitates Tampax This box from Turkey seems intended to imitate Tampax, starting with the color. (Look at the Tampax box, below.) Someone, probably from Tambrands, wrote on the white label. Do you see the line under the letter K, pointing out the difference between the real and fake Tampax? I'd bet the Tampax lawyers saw it too. But the big difference is what's inside: tampons with no applicators! Tampax famously made the first tampon with an applicator (see the patent and early history plus a very early Tampax). But the super-size TamPak does have an applicator. I think the capitalization of the letter P, plus the K for the X, were intended to fend off lawsuits, at the same time leading the buyer astray. The typeface of the name reminds me of German typefaces of the 1920s through the Nazi era. The Germans had helped Turkey romanize its Arabic writing after World War I; this might be an effect of that. Nowhere do you find patent information - if there is any. Turkey around this time also imitated American films, including Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz; see a Turkish poster for the latter. The box measures 4.625" x 2" x 0.625" (11 x 5.2 x 1.6 cm). Tambrands kindly donated the box as part of a large gift from its archives.        The star patterns.   Left: Tampax box, Nov. 17, 1970 (gift from Tambrands). Note the identical typefaces for "tampon[s]."   Next page: the tampons - instructions - Super, applicator TamPak, 1973 - See look-a-like Tampex - Tampax tampon from the early 1930s - Main Tampax patent - Ad from 1936 - World War II Tampax sign - Japanese tampon with finger cots © 1998 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute any of the work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org