# What branded product has remained unchanged for the longest time? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2022, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373 "2022-01-07T14:31:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/81 "2022-01-09T17:52:23Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > There have been some changes. I restored a number of these many years ago. The attach point for the handle now has a plastic ball type thing to prevent fingers from getting pinched. The top of the wagon has a more molded shape, the older wagons had a rolled top. I believe they are made with thinner metal now. The wagons I restored were heavier than new wagons. And the logos have changed over the years too. I still have the Radio Flyer wagon I got for xmas in 1962. To a casual viewer, the new wagons may look awfully similar. But to someone who grew up using that thing for all of his/her kid transportation and haulage purposes :D, they are quite different indeed. (Plus, mine has my dad’s 1962 auto license plate affixed to it! ;)) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/82 "2022-01-09T17:53:12Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Was the 350 mg tablet a real Aspirin™, though, or a generic version? Yes. 🙂 [Bayer](https://www.bayeraspirin.com/products/genuine-bayer-aspirin/) or off brand are available here at 325mg (My memory was a bit off). Bayer also has [500mg tablets](https://www.bayeraspirin.com/products/bayer-extra-strength-aspirin/), but they’re touted as “extra strength.” ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/83 "2022-01-09T18:21:32Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Odd. Here in the US, 350mg is the standard tablet size with two being the usual dosage. 500 mg is touted as “extra strength.” Do Germans pop theirs one or two at a time? I don’t know what the instructions say, but for a normal headache, people take only one, maybe another one later if the headache doesn’t go away fast enough. I’ve never taken more than one, but I’m lucky to very rarely have headaches, and almost never really strong ones. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/84 "2022-01-09T19:46:26Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > With some products - I’m thinking Aunt Jemima, Betty Crocker - it can be a bit of a shock to see the decades old package you grew up with being updated Is Aunt Jemima still being made? I thought I read that the name was changed in the not too distant past because PC people saw racist connotations or whatever in the name and her appearance… ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/85 "2022-01-09T19:48:41Z")
Hmm. Is there a doctor in the house? There is no question that additional versions have been introduced since then. Clearly by now there are also different dosages available, some tablets are “enteric-coated”, etc. The [Bayer web site](https://www.bayer.com/en/products/aspirin) confirms that the original dosage was 500 mg, and that the “classic tablets” were out within a year of the drug launch. These still seem to be available OTC, but Bayer itself also has 325 mg tablets available, for example. [drugs.com](http://drugs.com) has “Usual Adult Dose for Pain / Oral: 300 to 650 mg orally every 4 to 6 hours as needed / Maximum dose: 4 g in 24 hours” ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/86 "2022-01-09T19:56:09Z")
Well, for what it’s worth, here in Germany you can get Aspirin from Bayer itself and some generics in 500mg doses as a painkiller, in 100mg doses as blood-thinner for cardiac patients (like me, I’ve been taking 100mg of Aspirin per day since I got a cardiac stent 7 years ago), and then there’s some product called Aspirin+Vitamin C, in which the Aspirin dosage is 400mg and which is sold as water-soluble tablets. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/87 "2022-01-09T20:14:15Z")
Aye; Aunt Jemima is gone, replaced by the Pearl Milling Company. > **[Aunt Jemima](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aunt_Jemima)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Pearl Milling Company (formerly known as Aunt Jemima from 1889 to 2021) was an American breakfast brand for pancake mix, syrup, and other breakfast food products. The original version of the pancake mix for the brand was developed in 1888–1889 by the Pearl Milling Company and was advertised as the first ready-mix cooking product. In June 2021, the Aunt Jemima brand name was discontinued by its current owner, PepsiCo, with all products rebranded... ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/88 "2022-01-09T21:29:22Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > 100mg doses as blood-thinner for cardiac patients Low dose here, Bayer or otherwise, is [81mg](https://www.bayeraspirin.com/products/aspirin-regimen-bayer-low-dose/). I’ve been on it for a few years now. ---
**Author:** ![Tarataratara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tarataratara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarataratara)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/89 "2022-01-09T23:12:22Z")
In terms of packaging, the Old Bay package hasn’t changed too much. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2022, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/90 "2022-01-09T23:41:56Z")
Zildjian Cymbals. Only around since about the early 1600’s. [Avedis Zildjian Company - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avedis_Zildjian_Company) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/91 "2022-01-10T00:42:40Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Zildjian Cymbals. Only around since about the early 1600’s. For the purposes of this thread - is there one particular cymbal of theirs you were thinking about that has been unchanged for a long time? And yeah, Aunt Jemima is gone now, but before it was gone, they updated Auntie J considerably. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/92 "2022-01-10T22:11:54Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > There’s a peculiar anomaly in this, though: the **Hewlett Packard 3458A digital multimeter**. > > It was first introduced in 1988. Since then, HP turned into Agilent, and then Agilent turned into Keysight. None of the stuff that was made in the 1980s and 1990s is still offered today, **with the exception of this meter**. You can still buy the same meter, brand new, from Keysight. (I should probably say it’s “essentially” the same; they may have changed a few components here and there inside the unit due to obsolescence issues.) > > Why? Not sure. But I’ve heard the design is “so good” that it can’t be improved upon. One thing for sure is that the meter has developed a bit of a cult following since its introduction. Fluke also still makes meters introduced in the 1980’s. The reason is for consistency over time. Large institutional customers can have many years of measurements, and to maintain consistency across time they don’t like to change their measurement tools. Also, they often have training materials featuring a certain meter, and don’t want to change all that every time a new meter comes along. Also, 80’s era meters are still ‘good enough’, and don’t need much improvement for general measurements. My bench meter is an old Radio Shack desktop digital multmeter I bought in 1986, and it works perfectly for small electronics projects. I have a newish Rigol scope, a new soldering station, but my meter just keeps trucking on. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/93 "2022-01-11T02:13:21Z")
The Bird 43 wattmeter is, as far as I can tell, virtually the same product as was first sold in 1952 (elsewhere, ‘the early 50s.’), remarkable for an electrical instrument: Current product page (it certainly looks the part): [https://birdrf.com/en/Products/Test%20and%20Measurement/RF-Power-Meters/Wattmeters-Line-Sections/RF-Wattmeters/43\_General-Purpose-Wattmeter.aspx](https://birdrf.com/en/Products/Test%20and%20Measurement/RF-Power-Meters/Wattmeters-Line-Sections/RF-Wattmeters/43_General-Purpose-Wattmeter.aspx) Celebrating 70 years: [Bird Celebrates 70 Years](https://birdrf.com/en/AboutUs/News/Bird-Technologies-Celebrates-70-Years-of-Helping-Others-Be-Heard-Loud-and-Clear.aspx) Wikipedia: [Bird Technologies - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_Technologies) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/94 "2022-01-11T02:32:02Z")
Bayer used the original apothecary measurements, and these still persist in Canada. 325mg, the most common dose, is five grains. Smaller tablets are 81mg, or 1.25 grains. Twenty grains made a scruple; three scruples a dram; eight drams an ounce. Chartreuse has tasted the same since 1737. Benedictine and riveted jeans are from the 1880s. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/95 "2022-01-11T02:38:36Z")
You must be shopping at Publix or similar. They cost 52 cents at my local Walmart. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/96 "2022-01-11T02:41:58Z")
Quaker Oats have been around since 1877. I figure rolled oats are pretty much the same now as then. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/97 "2022-01-11T02:53:58Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Bayer used the original apothecary measurements, and these still persist in Canada. 325mg, the most common dose, is five grains. Smaller tablets are 81mg, or 1.25 grains. Twenty grains made a scruple; three scruples a dram; eight drams an ounce. But are you sure they also used those measurements in Germany? Germany already had gone metric in 1899, from which the picture of the Aspirin package posted above originated, and the dosage there is given as 0.5g. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/98 "2022-01-11T20:38:33Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Ahem. I saw an ad for that several years ago. It read “Smell like George Washington!” Yep. That’ll have them banging on your doors, eager to get in and buy. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/99 "2022-01-11T20:38:40Z")
That’s what I was going to post. It’s officially the oldest brand in the world, the design not changing since 1885. It’s a gorgeous design, despite featuring a dead lion being eaten by bees. I have a tin in my cupboard right now. The ingredients probably haven’t changed much, if at all, either, given how simple a product it is. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/100 "2022-01-11T20:42:50Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Just to clarify, I’m talking about the appearance of the product, not the product itself. So in the case of Coke, whatever the formula, the can/bottle has changed significantly. Love how nearly everyone is ignoring this 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373.md?page=6)