The Lemon Fool

End of an era.

Tate & Lyle's Golden Syrup rebrand drops dead lion

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68347249

The image of a dead lion being swarmed by bees is to be dropped from some of Lyle's Golden Syrup packaging.

"The company said it was to refresh its appeal to modern shoppers."

"refresh" - Yes. That all purpose, meaningless, corporate garbage speak again.

I didnt realise golden syrup was still on the go.

I used to eat it by the spoonful when ever it was out.

Maybe that's why I have no teef.

I didn't realise it was a dead lion - always just assumed it as a lion (alive or dead!).

Don't think I've ever bought any - my only recollection of using it would have been as a child on pancakes once in a blue moon. Given my subsequent dental bills I think they have a lot to answer for!

I regard this as a very sad day.

That said, when I told the wife, she said "what dead lion"? So possibly they did need to rebrand.

After all who needs to solve Samson's riddle to make flap jacks etc.

I dunno. First, Camp Coffee and now this!

And when did "Cette sauce..." go from the HP sauce bottle? Is nothing sacred?

I like seeing these solid, old fashioned, straight to the point brand labels. As opposed to the increasingly vapid, shapeless and meaningless modern versions.

I'm not sure "BItter Lemons" is the correct board for this.

That tin is a thing of beauty. I always thought the lion wasn't dead: to my childish eyes it was merely resting. Male lions do a lot of that.

I still have a tin in the cupboard, and use it occasionally on porage.


Arb.

Arborbridge wrote:That tin is a thing of beauty. I always thought the lion wasn't dead: to my childish eyes it was merely resting. Male lions do a lot of that.

I still have a tin in the cupboard, and use it occasionally on porage.

Is porage a nickname for porridge served with lovage?

Lootman wrote:

Arborbridge wrote:That tin is a thing of beauty. I always thought the lion wasn't dead: to my childish eyes it was merely resting. Male lions do a lot of that.

I still have a tin in the cupboard, and use it occasionally on porage.

Is porage a nickname for porridge served with lovage?

I've always found the spelling odd! You're just being a pendant.

Arborbridge wrote:

Lootman wrote:Is porage a nickname for porridge served with lovage?

I've always found the spelling odd! You're just being a pendant.

We're hanging on your every word.

Arborbridge wrote:That tin is a thing of beauty. I always thought the lion wasn't dead: to my childish eyes it was merely resting. Male lions do a lot of that.
Arb.

I always had the lion taking a nap, in a bee-loud glade.
Sorry to hear it is supposedly dead. Somewhat spoiled the image for me.
Vague recollection of awareness of the backstory, but stuck to the idea it was asleep.

Arborbridge wrote:

Lootman wrote:Is porage a nickname for porridge served with lovage?

I've always found the spelling odd! You're just being a pendant.

Ahh, the old ones are the best!

GrahamPlatt wrote:

Arborbridge wrote:That tin is a thing of beauty. I always thought the lion wasn't dead: to my childish eyes it was merely resting. Male lions do a lot of that.

I always had the lion taking a nap, in a bee-loud glade.
Sorry to hear it is supposedly dead. Somewhat spoiled the image for me.
Vague recollection of awareness of the backstory, but stuck to the idea it was asleep.

I always wondered what bees were doing around a dead lion. Surely they should be flies?

GrahamPlatt wrote:

Arborbridge wrote:That tin is a thing of beauty. I always thought the lion wasn't dead: to my childish eyes it was merely resting. Male lions do a lot of that.
Arb.

I always had the lion taking a nap, in a bee-loud glade.
Sorry to hear it is supposedly dead. Somewhat spoiled the image for me.
Vague recollection of awareness of the backstory, but stuck to the idea it was asleep.

That's how I thought of it. This lion is sleeping!

Are today's viewers supposed to be easily traumatised so it needs taking down? It stands alone as an iconic piece of branding and I do not understand how "modernising" it is going to help marketing.

Incidentally, in my twenties, when I wqas very much into black and white photography (I thought I was Anselm Adams, who I met once) I did some studies of this tin. I still have it somewhere - that was in my Objet Trouve period

Arb.

XFool wrote:

GrahamPlatt wrote:I always had the lion taking a nap, in a bee-loud glade.
Sorry to hear it is supposedly dead. Somewhat spoiled the image for me.
Vague recollection of awareness of the backstory, but stuck to the idea it was asleep.

I always wondered what bees were doing around a dead lion. Surely they should be flies?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson%27s_riddle

Some time later, Samson returns to Timnah to take the Philistine woman in marriage. On the way, he passes the spot where he had killed the lion, and finds that a swarm of bees have created a hive inside the carcass. Samson gathers some honey from the hive for himself and his parents, but he does not tell his parents about the lion.

Somehow I doubt that the quote and image would have been used on tins of syrup, were the dot's flies.

Urbandreamer wrote:

XFool wrote:I always wondered what bees were doing around a dead lion. Surely they should be flies?

Somehow I doubt that the quote and image would have been used on tins of syrup, were the dot's flies.

That's likely what was puzzling me, as a child.

Arborbridge wrote:

GrahamPlatt wrote:
I always had the lion taking a nap, in a bee-loud glade.
Sorry to hear it is supposedly dead. Somewhat spoiled the image for me.
Vague recollection of awareness of the backstory, but stuck to the idea it was asleep.

That's how I thought of it. This lion is sleeping!

Are today's viewers supposed to be easily traumatised so it needs taking down? It stands alone as an iconic piece of branding and I do not understand how "modernising" it is going to help marketing.

Incidentally, in my twenties, when I wqas very much into black and white photography (I thought I was Anselm Adams, who I met once) I did some studies of this tin. I still have it somewhere - that was in my Objet Trouve period

Arb.

In the jungle, the quiet jungle, the lion sleeps tonight
In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight

A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh
A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh
A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh
A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh

Arborbridge wrote:That tin is a thing of beauty.

Good job they're not changing it then, they're only changing the squeezy bottles etc. From the BBC link :

the classic Lyle's Golden Syrup tin will be excluded from the rebrand, keeping its more than 150-year-old packaging design.

Hallucigenia wrote:

Arborbridge wrote:That tin is a thing of beauty.

Good job they're not changing it then, they're only changing the squeezy bottles etc. From the BBC link :

the classic Lyle's Golden Syrup tin will be excluded from the rebrand, keeping its more than 150-year-old packaging design.

Phew, that's a relief

Hallucigenia wrote:

Arborbridge wrote:That tin is a thing of beauty.

Good job they're not changing it then, they're only changing the squeezy bottles etc. From the BBC link :

the classic Lyle's Golden Syrup tin will be excluded from the rebrand, keeping its more than 150-year-old packaging design.

Cor! Didn't read that bit.
The giveaway should have been that little word shown in the picture: "POURING" And the sentence:

"But the classic Lyle's Golden Syrup tin will be excluded from the rebrand, keeping its more than 150-year-old packaging design."

Saved the day.

A good demo of how instant outrage can blindside you.