Quebec chip company faces criticism for native logo

The 'Yum Yum' chip company is facing criticism after the release of their 'vintage' logo on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013.

Quebec snack-maker Krispy Kernels says it's sticking with plans to re-introduce its old logo featuring a cartoon drawing of an aboriginal boy in a feathered hat, despite many who say the logo is in bad taste.

The company recently announced it's temporarily reviving its old "Little Indian" logo on its Yum Yum brand potato chips for a holiday marketing campaign.

The logo is well known to older Quebecers, as it was featured prominently on the packaging from the time the company was founded in 1959. But the logo was dropped in 1990 around the time of the Oka, Que. land dispute crisis, when tensions between native groups and landowners grew heated.

Now, the logo is back for the holidays on limited edition packaging. As part of the campaign, many stores are also featuring a life-size cardboard store display of the Little Indian mascot wearing a loincloth, with customers encouraged to pose with the cutout and send in photos to win prizes.

The marketing plan has drawn plenty of criticism in Quebec, where many are wondering why a caricature based on a misguided stereotype is being revived.

Mi'kmaq lawyer Pamela Palmater says the logo hurts aboriginal Canadians and she wouldn't be surprised if the company faces a boycott.

"I find it very offensive because you wouldn't be doing this for any other cultural group in Canada or any other country, and they're doing it to make a profit," she told CTV News.

The company is not doing media interviews but said in a statement that the logo was never meant to be derogatory towards First Nations people.

It said the mascot was created by a schoolgirl during a contest and was meant as a nod to the man credited with inventing the potato chip, George Crum, who was part Native American.

The plan to revive the vintage logo was also a tribute to Paul Jalbert, the man behind Krispy Kernels, the owner of Yum Yum Chips, who passed away in October at age 94.

"Far from being a derogatory caricature, the character represents a homecoming for Yum Yum," the company said in a statement. "It bears witness to our roots and our origins, a nostalgic look at our history, but also an opportunity to revive the memory of our customers."

Yet the logo comes as the Idle No More movement continues, and amid the growing push by First Nations communities across North America to end the use of aboriginal warriors in logos of sports teams.

On the company's Facebook page, a debate continues to rage about whether the logo is simply harmless, or passé and a form of retro racism.

The company insists the logo never meant to offend but rather to evoke nostalgia.

"Our motivations were sincere, no bad intentions. We even hoped to create a sense of pride," says Yum Yum marketing director Renée-Maude Jalbert.

With a report from CTV's Richard Madan