Hai Karate aftershave: a fine line between seduction and vandalism

YOU can look back at some aftershaves from the 70s and 80s and think:

1. Cool – Blue Stratus could fall into this category
2. Sporty – Brut
3. Manly – Old Spice
4. Seductive – Denim
5. All the above plus an element of Bruce Lee characteristics – Hai Karate

Whilst straplines like ‘Splash it all over’ and ‘The mark of a man‘ meant sporty and manly, Hai Karate’s strapline of ‘Be careful how you use it‘ provided a stern warning to the user: this aftershave is lethal and you’ll need to spring into self-defence/karate mode to keep women at bay. In fact, Hai Karate was so potent it came with self-defence instructions.

Element of surprise

Without any prior coaching, a man was able to execute karate moves with relative ease – a bottle of Hai Karate and a quick read of the self-defence instructions resulted in men magically impowered to kick and chop down objects to defend themselves from women who’d got a whiff of the sexual arousing aftershave. Tables, chairs, trees and innocent bystanders received the Hai Karate treatment from men being pursued by aroma-seduced women.

Be careful what you turn into!

So, after dousing their cheeks with Hai Karate, men were able to keep women at bay thanks to the helpful karate instructions. There’s then the tiny issue of the damage caused to the surroundings – remember the tables, chairs, trees and bystanders that have been smashed up with bare hands? Men can argue that they were protecting themselves (don’t rely on the manufacturers of Hai Karate for back-up), but the other side of the argument is that this was an act of vandalism!

Good or bad; innocent or guilty? The decision could go either way, so be really careful how you use it!

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Remember when Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks threw their weight around the wrestling ring? A time when the Milk Tray Man secretly delivered chocolates. Mr Kipling made exceedingly good cakes but what was your favourite? Fun, straplines and nostalgic photos in the new hardback book, Section N Underpass, a nostalgic trip reliving advertising, leisure and entertainment from the 70s and 80s – fiction with loads of interesting facts. Click front cover to get your copy:

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