PC Police Strike Again? Aldi product sparks rumours on possible renaming of Golden Gaytime
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When one shopper stumbled upon a pack of ‘Cookie Crumble’ ice creams at her local Aldi store, rumours began swirling about whether or not the iconic treat may undergo a major rebranding.
Cookie Crumble is the brand name for Golden Gaytimes in New Zealand – meaning they are the same exact ice creams, just with different names. As soon as the change was adopted in selected Australian stores, shoppers couldn’t help but assume a possible renaming of the item was in the works.
“They’re Gaytimes, just a new name due to political correctness,” said one customer on the Aldi Mums Facebook page.
“Is this a renaming thing? What I meant, is the ‘Gaytime’ renamed due to it being ‘offensive’, like Redskins, Chicos and Coon cheese of late that have been renamed," asked another.
A shopper shared a snap of Streets Cookie Crumbles. Image Credit: 7News
Recently, Redskins renamed their brand to Red Ripper, Chicos became Cheekies, and Coon Cheese shifted its name to Cheer Cheese as corporations decided to eradicate allegedly racist connotations from their branding.
However, a spokesperson for Streets clarified that there are currently no plans to change the name of Golden Gaytime in Australia.
“We are constantly offering our customers new and delicious products to try in our frozen range of desserts and Streets Caramel Cookie Crumble is no exception!” they said.
“Cookie Crumble is usually sold in New Zealand but for a limited time it will be available in ALDI stores across Australia.”
Back in 2021, a petition was made for the favourite Australian ice cream to change its name as it was deemed ‘offensive’ to the gay community.
The Australian man behind the petition, known as Brian Mc, argued that the beloved ‘Golden Gaytime’ title was ‘offensive’ and ‘outdated.’ It sparked a national debate over the brand’s name.
“As a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I believe my sexual identity is owned by me, not a brand and that the outdated meaning no longer applies. Isn’t it time for this double entendre to end?” the petition read.
The petition amassed over 900 signatures that supported the switch.
Is the name homophobic? Image Credit: Pedestrian.TV
One Streets spokesperson at the time responded to the issue saying that the name was released in 1959 when the term ‘gay’ had no reference to sexuality whatsoever.
“The origin of the ‘Gaytime’ name was and remains related to having a joyous or happy time and is meant to capture the pleasure that comes with enjoying an ice cream,” the spokesperson explained.
In a statement, Streets announced it had made the decision to keep the Golden Gaytime name after a discussion with community leaders.
“The meaning behind the Gaytime name has not changed since its iconic debut in 1959 – it is, and always has been for everybody to enjoy, no matter who you are or who you love,” the statement reads.
“However, we are very mindful that the world has changed since the first Gaytime was made – and culture and language have also evolved over time.”
“We’ve been listening to our fans and consumers. We’ve been engaging with our customers and having lots of conversations internally. We also felt it was important to engage directly with the LGBTQIA+ community, so we met with ACON – one of Australia’s leading LGBTQIA+ community organisations – to get their perspective.”
“Following these conversations and reflection, and with the support of ACON and many other voices in the LGBTQIA+ community, we are proud to keep the Golden Gaytime name.
“There is a lot of history and pride behind Gaytime, and we have been inspiring a sense of community for many years. Going forward, we want to continue bringing communities together and creating a more diverse, inclusive and equal world for everybody.”
Do you think that the iconic ice cream brand name is offensive? Should it be renamed? Or is this just a lot of fuss about nothing? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Learn about what Brian Mc thinks about the brand’s name by watching the video below:
Video Credit: Sky News Australia
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