Leinenkugel’s To Drop Indian Madien From Packaging

Well it was only a matter of time until the Leine maiden would see her day in the sun.

After similar mascots got the axe like the Land O Lakes Indian girl, Aunt Jemima, Uncle Bens, the Cleveland Indians and etc it was only a matter of time Leinenkugel’s would have to follow suit.

The unique thing about the Leinenekugel’s Indian Madien is that it represents the town and area the brewery is located in, and that is the Chippewa Valley of Wisconsin, so in my mind, that alone has a free pass.

I believe the Florida State Seminoles have an agreement with the actual Seminole Tribe to use the logo on their uniforms, so not everybody is offended by everything these days, crazy huh?

Of course other brands have an obvious derogatory use of their logos like the Washington Red Skins and the Cleveland Indians, I mean come on that stuff is pretty ridiculous if you actually think about it. I will say the Land O Lakes Indian girl does represent Minnesota as far as for being the area it is in (Land of Sky Blue Waters…..wink) but others say the logo insensitive because she is on her knees in a servant position and whatever else people nitpicked about.

So as to the new logo or design? Im not sure what I would like to see really. I know Leinenkugel’s is expanding across the US right now so they will be more visible to people who havent had the beer before. I just hope they dont do what Miller did to it’s brands a few years ago by making everything look like an energy drink with bold face lettering and boring labels while changing the colors…..Hello Harp haha. Thankfully they figured out that was a stupid move and reverted back to a retro design. Too bad the beer doesnt taste the same as it did before…oh was that out loud?

So in closing here are a couple quotes from the Leinenkugel family as to how the maiden came to be and why she has stuck through the years…

“Originally it was felt that with a name like Chippewa Pride, it wouldn’t mean much without an Indian on our label,” Leinenkugel said. “This is the beer that was coming from the area known as the ‘Indianhead’ part of the state. It seemed appropriate that an Indian’s head should grace the bottles of beer coming from Chippewa Falls.”

“The face on the label was very appropriate at the time it was designed,” Leinenkugel said. “I have to comment that the Indian woman’s face was kept on the label primarily through the efforts of our distributors, who kept telling us not to change it...not ever. So we never did.”

-Leinenkugel said that customers let the distributors know that they liked the old fashioned trademark and felt it reflected the small town, northern Wisconsin image as well as any design might.

“The Native American Indian who graces our label is a symbol of the rich heritage of our area. Leinenkugel’s® has been brewed in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, for over 145 years.

The Santee Sioux and Ojibways were the area’s first native settlers. Chippewa Falls also lies in the heart of what is called the Indian Head Country. The Indian Head area was so named because the border of the northwest corner of Wisconsin forms the profile of an Indian. We’ve featured the Native American Indian on our label since the 1930s as a tribute to this special area that is rich in Indian history.”