Red Rose Tea
Encyclopedia
Red Rose Tea is a beverage company established by Theodore Harding Estabrooks in 1894 in Saint John
, New Brunswick
, Canada. Its orange pekoe tea
is said to be made from only the top two leaves of each tea plant sprig, thus ensuring the best quality.
Red Rose's old commercials introduced the catchphrase, "Only in Canada, you say? Pity..." (The catchphrase was transformed by Canadian popular culture to, "Only in Canada, eh? Pity...") Another slogan was "Red Rose Tea is Good Tea."
Red Rose brand tea has been available in the United States since the 1920s, but it is a different blend of black pekoe and cut black teas compared to the orange pekoe sold in Canada.
The brand is owned by Unilever
in Canada, and by Redco Foods in the U.S. The brand was formerly owned by Brooke Bond
Foods of the UK.
; collectible tea cards; and small ceramic
figurines by Wade Pottery, commonly called Wade figurines).
by Taylor, Smithm, and Taylor of fine bone china
. A small illustrated booklet about tea leaf reading accompanied them.
states. In 1983 the promotion moved into the United States. The molds for the promotions in both nations were the same, but the glaze
colouring differed between the two runs.
During the promotion of each series, Red Rose Tea refuses to offer the figurines for sale, but at the end of each series' availability, the company offers a "closeout option" to consumers to purchase a complete set of figurines as long as supplies last. After each series is "closed out," availability is limited to trading among collectors.
According to the company's web site, "more than 300 million Wade figurines have been given away in packages of tea in America."
Monkey, Lion, Buffalo, Bush Baby, Owl, Bear Cub, Rabbit, Squirrel, Bird, Otter, Baby Hippo, Seal, Wild Boar, Turtle, Elephant.
Koala, Giraffe, Pine Marten, Langur, Gorilla, Camel, Kangaroo, Tiger, Zebra, Polar Bear, Orangutan, Raccoon, Rhino, Beaver, Leopard, Puppy, Kitten, Rabbit, Pony, Cockatiel.
Ringmaster, Human Cannonball, Strongman, Clown, Bear, Custard Pie Clown, Elephant, Teapot Monkey, Raised Elephant, Teacup Monkey, Lion, Poodle, Seal, Horse, Tiger.
Sturgeon, Manatee, Timber Wolf, Bald Eagle, Florida Panther, Polar Bear, Peregrine Falcon, Green Sea Turtle, Humpback Whale, Spotted Owl
Noah and Wife, Male and Female Elephant, Male and Female Rhino, Male and Female Zebra, Goose, Gander, Hen, Rooster, Ram, Ewe, Lion, Lioness
Laborador Retriever, Cat, Tropical Fish, Parrot, Kittens, Puppies, Pony, Rabbit, Turtle, Duck
January - Snowman, February - Cupid, March - Leprechaun, April - Easter Bunny, May - Mother's Day Flowers, June - Graduation, July - Uncle Sam, August - Sandcastle, September - Scarecrow, October - Pumpkin Kitty, November - Turkey, December - Christmas Tree
(another Brooke Bond brand) since 1956 in the UK, and would continue to do so until the late 1990s.
In 1968, Pittsburgh disc jockeys Zeke Jackson and Frank "Crazy D" DiMino played the "Rock and Roll Dance Party" soundtrack on their radio programs. Listener response was so enthusiastic that they licensed the song from Red Rose's parent company, Brooke Bond Foods, and issued it on a 45-rpm single. Record collector and producer Paul Mawhinney pressed 1000 copies of the tune for Jackson and DiMino on their own Gink label ("Red Rose Tea," Gink #9612, no artist credited); the record version extends the TV-commercial soundtrack by playing it through twice; and the "B" side is identical to the "A" side.
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada. Its orange pekoe tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
is said to be made from only the top two leaves of each tea plant sprig, thus ensuring the best quality.
Red Rose's old commercials introduced the catchphrase, "Only in Canada, you say? Pity..." (The catchphrase was transformed by Canadian popular culture to, "Only in Canada, eh? Pity...") Another slogan was "Red Rose Tea is Good Tea."
Red Rose brand tea has been available in the United States since the 1920s, but it is a different blend of black pekoe and cut black teas compared to the orange pekoe sold in Canada.
The brand is owned by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
in Canada, and by Redco Foods in the U.S. The brand was formerly owned by Brooke Bond
Brooke Bond
Brooke Bond is a brand-name of tea owned by Unilever, formerly an independent manufacturer in the United Kingdom, known for its PG Tips brand and its Brooke Bond tea cards.- History :...
Foods of the UK.
Collectable Premiums
From the 1950s through the 1970s packages of Red Rose Tea included premiums, including at various times fortune telling tea cups with saucers, for use in tasseographyTasseography
Tasseography is a divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments....
; collectible tea cards; and small ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
figurines by Wade Pottery, commonly called Wade figurines).
Tea Cups
There were three white tea cups with gold designs in the series of fortune telling cups, numbered 1, 2, and 3 on the bottom of each cup and saucer. They were manufactured in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by Taylor, Smithm, and Taylor of fine bone china
Bone china
Bone china is a type of soft-paste porcelain that is composed of bone ash, feldspathic material and kaolin. It has been defined as ware with a translucent body containing a minimum of 30% of phosphate derived from animal bone and calculated calcium phosphate...
. A small illustrated booklet about tea leaf reading accompanied them.
Tea Cards
Red Rose collectible tea cards were issued in annual series of 48 cards each, from 1959 through 1975.| Series | Name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Songbirds of North America | 1959 |
| 2 | Animals of North America | 1960 |
| 3 | Wildflowers of North America | 1961 |
| 4 | Birds of North America | 1962 |
| 5 | Dinosaurs | 1963 |
| 6 | Tropical Birds | 1964 |
| 7 | African Animals | 1965 |
| 8 | Butterflies of North America | 1966 |
| 9 | Canadian/American Songbirds | 1967 |
| 10 | Transportation through the ages | 1968 |
| 11 | Trees of North America | 1969 |
| 12 | The Space Age | 1970 |
| 13 | North American Wildlife in Danger | 1971 |
| 14 | Exploring the Ocean | 1972 |
| 15 | Animals and their Young | 1973 |
| 16 | The Arctic | 1974 |
| 17 | Indians of Canada | 1975 |
Miniature Figurines
In 1967, Red Rose Tea began to give away miniature glazed pottery figures made by the Wade pottery company. The earliest giveaways took place only in Quebec, Canada as part of a short term promotion, but the promotion was soon extended to the entire nation of Canada. During the 1970s, United states test markets for the figurines were opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
states. In 1983 the promotion moved into the United States. The molds for the promotions in both nations were the same, but the glaze
Glaze
Glaze or glazing is a thin shiny coating, or the act of applying the coating; it may refer to:In materials or engineering:* Architectural glass, a building material typically used as transparent glazing material in the building envelope...
colouring differed between the two runs.
During the promotion of each series, Red Rose Tea refuses to offer the figurines for sale, but at the end of each series' availability, the company offers a "closeout option" to consumers to purchase a complete set of figurines as long as supplies last. After each series is "closed out," availability is limited to trading among collectors.
According to the company's web site, "more than 300 million Wade figurines have been given away in packages of tea in America."
- Wade Red Rose American Series #1, 1983-1985
Monkey, Lion, Buffalo, Bush Baby, Owl, Bear Cub, Rabbit, Squirrel, Bird, Otter, Baby Hippo, Seal, Wild Boar, Turtle, Elephant.
- Wade Red Rose American Series #2, 1985-1994
Koala, Giraffe, Pine Marten, Langur, Gorilla, Camel, Kangaroo, Tiger, Zebra, Polar Bear, Orangutan, Raccoon, Rhino, Beaver, Leopard, Puppy, Kitten, Rabbit, Pony, Cockatiel.
- Wade Red Rose Circus Series, 1994-1999
Ringmaster, Human Cannonball, Strongman, Clown, Bear, Custard Pie Clown, Elephant, Teapot Monkey, Raised Elephant, Teacup Monkey, Lion, Poodle, Seal, Horse, Tiger.
- Wade Red Rose North American Endangered Animals Series, 1999-2002
Sturgeon, Manatee, Timber Wolf, Bald Eagle, Florida Panther, Polar Bear, Peregrine Falcon, Green Sea Turtle, Humpback Whale, Spotted Owl
- Wade Red Rose Noah's Ark Series, 2002-2006
Noah and Wife, Male and Female Elephant, Male and Female Rhino, Male and Female Zebra, Goose, Gander, Hen, Rooster, Ram, Ewe, Lion, Lioness
- Wade Red Rose Pet Shop Series, 2006-2008
Laborador Retriever, Cat, Tropical Fish, Parrot, Kittens, Puppies, Pony, Rabbit, Turtle, Duck
- Wade Red Rose Calendar Series, 2008–present
January - Snowman, February - Cupid, March - Leprechaun, April - Easter Bunny, May - Mother's Day Flowers, June - Graduation, July - Uncle Sam, August - Sandcastle, September - Scarecrow, October - Pumpkin Kitty, November - Turkey, December - Christmas Tree
Red Rose Tea TV commercials
The Marquis Chimps appeared in three television commercials for Red Rose Tea in 1960. One had the apes playing golf, and another showed them as cowboys. The most popular ad, "Rock and Roll Tea Party," featured the chimps as plaid-suited musicians, playing a swinging jazz number in praise of Red Rose Tea. Chimpanzees had been advertising PG TipsPG Tips
PG Tips is a brand of tea in the United Kingdom, manufactured by Unilever UK. It is claimed that Britons drink 35 million cups of the tea every day.-Brand name:...
(another Brooke Bond brand) since 1956 in the UK, and would continue to do so until the late 1990s.
In 1968, Pittsburgh disc jockeys Zeke Jackson and Frank "Crazy D" DiMino played the "Rock and Roll Dance Party" soundtrack on their radio programs. Listener response was so enthusiastic that they licensed the song from Red Rose's parent company, Brooke Bond Foods, and issued it on a 45-rpm single. Record collector and producer Paul Mawhinney pressed 1000 copies of the tune for Jackson and DiMino on their own Gink label ("Red Rose Tea," Gink #9612, no artist credited); the record version extends the TV-commercial soundtrack by playing it through twice; and the "B" side is identical to the "A" side.