Band-Aid
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Band-Aid is a brand of adhesive bandages distributed by the consumer health company Kenvue, spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Invented in 1920, the brand has become a generic term for adhesive bandages in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and others.
History
[edit]The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by a Johnson & Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, in Highland Park, New Jersey,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> for his wife Josephine, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The prototype allowed her to dress her wounds without assistance. Dickson passed the idea on to his employer, which went on to produce and market the product as the Band-Aid. Dickson had a successful career at Johnson & Johnson, rising to vice president before his retirement in 1957.
The original Band-Aids were handmade and not very popular. By 1924, Johnson & Johnson introduced machine-made Band-Aids and began the sale of sterilized Band-Aids in 1939.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In World War II, millions were shipped overseas, helping popularize the product. Since then, Johnson & Johnson has estimated a sale of over 100 billion Band-Aids worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1951, the first decorative Band-Aids were introduced. They continue to be a commercial success, with such themes as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Superman, Spider-Man, Rocket Power, Rugrats, smiley faces, Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Elmo, and Batman.
In 2022, Band-Aid was named the most trusted brand in the United States, beating the second place brand, Lysol, by more than two points.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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Trademark status
[edit]Over time, Band-Aid has become a well-known example of a genericized trademark in the United States, Canada and South America.<ref name="gc">Template:Cite web</ref> Johnson & Johnson has registered Band-Aid as a trademark on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has tried to prevent its genericization in its marketing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
[edit]- Elastoplast, a comparable European brand and genericized trademark