Hai Karate was a budget aftershave on sale in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 1960s through the 1980s, and derives its notability from its position as an icon of nostalgia. It competed with such other brands as Jade East, English Leather, British Sterling, Old Spice, Jaguar, Dante and Brut. As a marketing ploy, in the early days each bottle of Hai Karate came with a small self-defense instruction booklet, to help wearers defend themselves against women.
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.
Hai Karate is also remembered for its television adverts, which featured a stereotypical nerd covering himself in the substance and being seduced by a female passer-by played by British starlet Valerie Leon, accompanied by the advertising catch phrase "Be careful how you use it".
[edit] Pop Culture References
- Nedley Mandingo from the Bubba the Love Sponge Show admitted to still using Hai Karate on 10/19/2009 show. His supply is purchased via eBay.
- Samuel L. Jackson's character "Frozone" in the The Incredibles splashes on Hai Karate [1]
- William Bennett's morning political talk show "Morning in America" 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 & Greg, Dharma's dad uses a vial of Hai Karate to help jog his memory.
- In the stoner movie "Puff, Puff, Pass" starring Danny Masterson and Ronnie Warner, 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 Rio'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 Koontz novel, From The Corner Of His Eye, 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 Children Episode "Spring Break: Part 2," Al, 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 Channel original movie "Under Wraps" Hai Karate is mentioned in two scenes in the movie.
- In the episode "Grandpa's Visit" of the seventies sitcom "Good Times", J.J. Walker tells his brother Michael to look in the medicine cabinet "next to his Hai Karate and his Clearasil".
- In the fifth episode of the first series of "Life On Mars" (UK), a scarf belonging to a suspect is said to smell like Hai Karate by Skelton.
- Hai Karate was a grunge/punk band that was on Frank Kozik's now defunct Man's Ruin Records. 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 Life"
- Hai Karate is referenced in an episode of Home Improvement
- Hai Karate is mentioned in the Freaks and Geeks episode "Girlfriends and Boyfriends".
- Hai Karate is mentioned in an episode of Martin Lawrence's 90's comedy show "Martin", when one of Martin's alter ego characters the "player" Jerome splashes some on exclaiming "No woman can resist my body when I puts on my Hai Karate!"
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