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Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "James L. Owens & Sons, window." An elaborate display featuring Klim powdered milk. View full size. National Photo Company.
You might be out of luck looking for Klim or Car-Mac in US stores, but you a can still buy a Westclox Big Ben in the same style they issued in 1931. The brand name is now owned by NYL Holdings: New York Life.
Notice the product on the right hand side of the window --"Car-Mac Dental Cream." I assume this is early toothpaste, but I'm a bit surprised. I always thought toothpaste (or cream) came along later and that during the 20s the product available was the dental powder that folks placed on their toothbrushes. (Or maybe that was Klim powdered milk they were putting on their brushes).
As for the Klim, you can tell their salespeople were doing their best to reassure people that the powdered stuff actually is milk, by showing huge 3-D (well, sort of) images of contented cows, dairy barns, and barnyard scenes.
[Wikipedia: Pre-mixed toothpastes were first marketed in the 19th century. In 1896, Colgate Dental Cream was packaged in collapsible tubes. - Dave.]
Nestle owns the Klim trademark now. Wikipedia says they bought it from Borden in 1988 and market it primarily in Latin America. When I lived in a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood in Brooklyn, I'd see Klim at the grocery.
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