# 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:** 6
**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 11, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/101 "2022-01-11T22:51:30Z")
Okay, here’s one for consideration: [Ichimonjiya Wasuke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichimonjiya_Wasuke) > [@](#): > > **Ichimonjiya Wasuke** ([Japanese](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language): 一文字屋和輔) is a traditional [confectionery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confectionery) company located in [Kita-ku, Kyoto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kita-ku,_Kyoto), [Japan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan). It was established in the year 1000 and is operated by the 25th generation of the same family. The recent building is about 300 years old and contains many benches and stools around small tables. Local people call the shop “Ichiwa”.[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichimonjiya_Wasuke#cite_note-1) > > The business was founded to provide refreshments to pilgrims coming to pray at the adjacent [Imamiya Shrine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imamiya_Shrine), a holy place founded in 994.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichimonjiya_Wasuke#cite_note-NYT12022020-2) > > The restaurant produces and sells [wagashi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagashi), traditional Japanese [confections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confection) often served with [tea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea), namely: > > - aburi-[mochi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi) (or “aburimochi”)- roasted [rice cake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_cake) in a sweet [miso](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso) sauce > - [green tea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_tea), etc. > > Over the centuries there have been minor changes made in concession to modernity. The water used for the mochi was originally sourced from a small spring in the shop’s cellar, however this was changed after local health officials prohibited the use of well water.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichimonjiya_Wasuke#cite_note-NYT12022020-2) They now use a mochi machine to mechanically pound rice.[[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichimonjiya_Wasuke#cite_note-NYT12022020-2) After [World War II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II) they moved from charging on the honor system to a fixed price per plate. 8 minute video: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eQ3jox-dosQ/maxresdefault.jpg "How One Of Japan's Oldest Businesses Has Served Roasted Mochi For Over 1,000 Years | Still Standing") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ3jox-dosQ) ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/102 "2022-01-11T23:06:00Z")
The Levis 501 jeans have been around since around 1890 (I think). They look the same as they did many years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/103 "2022-01-11T23:21:12Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > At some point, I think they added a hole in the cap. I don’t remember the hole in the cap from when I was a young kid but I think it happened in my childhood. That’s at least one small change Yes - they also changed the plug at the end: now it’s almost completely flat (a slight curve); it used to be thicker - maybe 1 millimeter or so. The cap was likely due to lawsuits about suffocation - if you were chewing on it and inhaled it, or something. I think the basic design, aside from those tiny details, is unchanged. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2022, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/104 "2022-01-11T23:55:24Z")
They no longer have the rivets at the four corners of the back pockets nor the crotch rivet. The crotch rivet was removed due to complaints from cowboys squatting around the campfires, and said rivet heating up too much. The pocket rivets were removed after complaints from schools that the seats of their desks were being scratched up too much by the rivets. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/105 "2022-01-12T11:32:11Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > For one thing, nobody had a clue then that something like yeast was a critical ingredient for the process, it just happened accidentally. While they may not have known what it was microscopically or the biological actions, they certainly knew berme/godisgood was essential. They didn’t just free-ferment all their beers, lambic-style, but often carefully preserved the yeast from one batch to the next. Certainly, the [13th C. mead recipe](https://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/13thC-Mead-art.html) I’ve used says " tak drestis of þe fynest ale or elles berme and kast in to þe water & þe hony." ( _Take the [lees](https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED12533) from the finest ale **or else yeast** and cast into the water and the honey_) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/106 "2022-01-12T12:14:24Z")
Didn’t they also add belt loops somewhere along the way? I don’t think they where on the originals. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/107 "2022-01-12T12:19:01Z")
Ames shovels. Founded two years before Paul Revere’s ride. (Although the handle for the classic “dirt” shovel is now fiberglass.) My ca. 1970 Ames Snow Pushers with 30" wide aluminum “buckets” and steel blades are still my shovels of choice when clearing show. Sturdy enough to dig down to the pavement, steel edge to chop through ice, light enough to lift, and wide enough that light snows can be gathered together and cleared in a jiffy. TrueTemper sells a similar model but it is only 24" wide. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/108 "2022-01-12T12:59:42Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The Trajan font has remained essentially unchanged since it was carved into the Trajan Column in 43 AD. That’s a cheat, as Trajan was _inspired_ by the (hand) lettering on Trajan’s column. The column didn’t use the Trajan font. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/109 "2022-01-12T13:47:39Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Aye; Aunt Jemima is gone, replaced by the Pearl Milling Company. I assumed that’s what **Dinsdale** meant when referring to “the decades old package you grew up with being changed.” ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/110 "2022-01-12T15:42:19Z")
The [Bialetti Moka Pot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot) hasn’t changed one jot since 1933. Hot on its heels was one of my personal favourites, [The KitchenAid model K](https://www.kitchenaid.co.uk/landings/explore-a-century-of-milestones), designed in 1937 and barely changed since. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/111 "2022-01-12T16:02:23Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I think the basic design, aside from those tiny details, is unchanged. A Bic was lying at a certain angle the other day, and it said “MEXICO.” Wouldn’t surprise me if the old ones were mede elsewhere. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > They no longer have the rivets I find it interesting on shows like American Pickers, when they will come across some really old jeans. They call in an expert who points out any number of changes over the years. Often the REALLY old ones will be OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive - even if worn to pieces. AIUI, back then the jeans were literally “worn out”, so very few remain. > [@SciFiSam](#): > > Love how nearly everyone is ignoring this Yeah - no matter how clear you try to be in an OP, threads often take on a life of their own. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/112 "2022-01-12T16:25:20Z")
> [@steepone](#): > > The Victor mousetrap has been in production essentially unchanged since 1898 > > [Victor M156 Original Mouse Traps - 4/Pack](https://www.webstaurantstore.com/victor-pest-m156-original-metal-pedal-wood-mouse-trap-pack/903M156.html) Oh, good one! I have some of those. Surprisingly effective. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/113 "2022-01-12T17:14:09Z")
It’s a niche item, but Lena Blackburne’s Baseball Rubbing Mud has been used to prepare baseballs for professional games since 1938. It still comes for the original source: a mudhole on the shore of the Delaware River in Longport, NJ. The actual location is a trade secret. New baseballs are too shiny and slick to be used in a game, so the mud is used to remove the shine. Some football teams also use it. [https://baseballrubbingmud.com/](https://baseballrubbingmud.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/114 "2022-01-12T19:06:25Z")
Nitpick: The mudhole is from a tributary of the Delaware River, but it’s definitely not in Longport (which is on the Atlantic Ocean, just south of Atlantic City - that’s where the company is now headquartered). The actual site is probably on the Pennsauken Creek, a tributary of the Delaware in Burlington County, New Jersey, but that’s a guess as it’s actual location is a closely held secret ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/115 "2022-01-12T19:11:03Z")
The first product that popped into my mind is from the fashion world, of all things. Chanel Nº 5 — the packaging and even the bottle are largely unchanged. The stopper on the bottle has undergone a few redesigns, but overall, it’s been 100 years and it’s become iconic. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/116 "2022-01-13T04:02:26Z")
Nevermind. ---
**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 14, 2022, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/117 "2022-01-14T00:31:27Z")
Pontificia\_Fonderia\_Marinelli bells have been made since at least 1339: > **[Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontificia_Fonderia_Marinelli)** > > .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}41°48′34″N 14°22′34″E / 41.80944°N 14.37611°E / 41.80944; 14.37611 > Marinelli Bells – Pontifical Bell Foundry (Italian: Campane Marinelli – Pontificia Fonderia di Campane) is a bell foundry in Agnone, It... > The firm’s managers still apply the same [lost wax casting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost-wax_casting) technique that the firm’s founders used nearly a thousand years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/118 "2022-01-16T00:12:16Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > My dad and his friends used to use Necco wafers for .22 target practices. They ‘powder’ like a skeet does with a shotgun. So, an impulse buy today, because of this thread. I haven’t had Neccos in years. They’re not the best tasting candy but they are part of American history. [[Album] Since 1847 made in the USA: Neccos ![](https://i.imgur.com/2rRTyFb.jpeg?fb "Since 1847 made in the USA: Neccos") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/FHdEgWg) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/119 "2022-01-16T00:43:01Z")
Folger and Maxwell House Coffee. They switched to plastic cans. But they still look the same. The coloring and logo is very distinctive. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373/120 "2022-01-16T13:24:02Z")
Angostura Bitters - a must for any well-stocked bar – have used the same recipe since 1824. The label is essential the same (deliberately oversized), though an image of a medal featuring Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I was added in 1873. > **[Angostura bitters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angostura_bitters)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Angostura bitters (English: /æŋɡəˈstjʊərə/) is a concentrated bitters (herbal alcoholic preparation) based on gentian, herbs, and spices, by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. It is typically used for flavouring beverages or, less often, food. The bitters were first produced in the town of Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela), hence the name, but do not contain angostura bark. The bottle is recognisable by its distinctive oversize... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-branded-product-has-remained-unchanged-for-the-longest-time/957373.md?page=7)