Scotch Tape is used to describe certain pressure sensitive tapes manufactured by 3M as part of the company's Scotch brand. The precursor to the current tapes was developed in the 1930s by Richard Drew to seal a then-new transparent material known as cellophane[1]. Although it is a trademarked brand name, it is sometimes used in the US and elsewhere as a generic term for transparent adhesive tape. The Scotch brand includes many different constructions of tape.
Use of the term "Scotch" in the name has a pejorative origin. To cut costs 3M applied the adhesive only to the edges of the tape. A remark was made by a St. Paul automobile detailer that the stingy Scotch bosses needed to put more adhesive on it, and the name has stuck ever since. Scotty McTape, a kilt-wearing cartoon boy, was the brand's mascot for two decades, first appearing in 1944. The familiar plaid design was introduced in 1945.
The Scotch® brand and Scotch® Tape are registered trademarks of 3M.
Besides using "Scotch" as a prefix in its brand names (Scotchgard and Scotchlite), the company also used the name "Scotch" for its (mainly professional) audiovisual magnetic tape products[2], until the early 1990s when the tapes were branded solely with the 3M logo. In 1996 3M exited the magnetic tape business, selling its assets to Quantegy (which is a spin-off of Ampex).
See also
References
- ^ http://www.3m.com/brands/scotch/anniversary/images/ScotchHistoryFinal.pdf
- ^ http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/3mtape/soundtalk/soundtalkbull12.pdf
External links
- The History of Cellophane Tape and the Scotch Brand
- Scotch 75th Anniversary — pages with history information and old commercials featuring Scotty McTape
- www.scotch-tape.co.uk — the official website for the UK
- www.scotchbrand.com — the official website for the USA
