Karo (official spelling: ''KARO'') was a German

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

of filterless

cigarettes A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the oppo ...

, owned and manufactured by

Altria Altria Group, Inc. (previously known as Philip Morris Companies, Inc. until 2003) is an American corporation and one of the world's largest producers and marketers of tobacco, cigarettes, and medical products in the treatment of illnesses ca ...

(previously by

Philip Morris International Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is a multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. Marlboro is PMI’s most recognized brand, but in the last quarter of 2023, Iqos generated the greatest revenue. Philip Mor ...

). Karo is the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

word for "diamond" (a suit of cards).

History

Karo was originally launched as ''Carré'' in the early 1960s but was later "Germanized" into "Karo". Karo cigarettes were formerly produced in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

by the ''VEB Zigarettenfabriken Dresden'', and because they were produced in the German Democratic Republic, the cigarette was made only from tobacco without added perfumes, fragrances, or flavor enhancers. A pack of filterless Karo cigarettes sold for 1.60

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

per box of 20 cigarettes, which made it one of the cheapest cigarettes on the Eastern market. In East Germany, the cigarettes had been nicknamed ''"Lungentorpedo"'' (''"lung torpedo"'') on the basis of their unique and strong taste. The cigarette was widespread in East Germany, especially among prison inmates. In West Germany however, the brand was hardly sold because it was difficult to obtain. After the

German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

, the brand was advertised with the slogan that it was an "attack on the taste of the unification". In 2022 production of Karo ceased.

In popular culture

Wolfgang Lippert sang it in 1982 in his hit ''Erna kommt'' (''"Erna comes"''), with

Hugo Egon Balder Hugo Egon Balder (born Egon Hugo Balder; 22 March 1950) is a German television presenter, producer, and comedian. Early life Balder was born in West Berlin to Egon Friedrich Balder (1904–1970) and Gerda Balder (née Schure; 1910–1997). Ger ...

's western cover version simply changing the words "a Karo" to "cigarette". The brand was also smoked by Jürgen Wolff from "Folkländer" and Bernd Stamm from "Polkatoffel". The brand was especially popular in the East German folk music scene.

References

{{Philip Morris International Philip Morris brands

History

In popular culture

See also

References