See the Japanese (Cameo and Anshin) versions of this tampon.
Japanese tampon with finger cots - Shampon Young Japanese stick tampons - ad for Japanese Elldy tampon with applicator (October 1996) - Kotex stick tampon (U.S.A.) - ad for the Kotex stick tampon (1970s)
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Ortex Gold origami menstrual tampon (the Netherlands, 1972) (the same as Ortex in the Netherlands and earlier, Cameo in Japan)

The British company Robinson & Sons made this tampon for at least three countries, the U.K., the Netherlands and Japan. But the packaging and names deceive: it was Cameo in the U.K., Ortex Gold in the Netherlands and both Cameo and Anshin in Japan. What instantly identifies them as the same product is the six-sided applicator and irritati-, um, unusual way of putting the thing together while you're sitting on the toilet trying to figure out the instructions.

See how you did it.

Actually, a Dutchman looking at this site discovered that they were the same 'pons after I put the Anshin box and contents on view. He sent me what he had found many years ago (below) and wrote, in part,

Hi Harry,

Very interesting your item regarding Anshin. I think you are right: it is not a Japanese tampon.

In the U.K. Robinson made them (also the makers of Nikini). They were called Cameo tampons. See an ad in the Woman's Mirror (May 22, 1965) [here].

The same tampon was sold in the Netherlands in 1972 by Unicura; see the scans of the instructions (on one sheet 107 mm x 83 mm; if folded, it has 4 pages). To market it, you could win in the "Ortex Goudfestijn" (Ortex Goldfestival) gold objects. See some pages of the folder (it is threefolded, 2 x 3 pages, I scanned 2x2 pages) [see all below].

BTW: Unicura was the same company that sold Tassaway menstrual cup in 1972/1973 [in Europe; see an ad].

But if the ads are an indication, after 1972 Ortex disappeared from the market or had a very small part of it.

NB: I think the tampons are not made in Holland; the instructions on it are written in English!!

So I think that Robinson tried to conquer the market in the U.K. but didn't succeed (in the long term). Later, it exported it to Holland/Belgium and Japan and maybe other countries as well.

I send you the  scans as raw material to you.

Thanks to the Dutch contributor for pointing out the British connection and sending proof, these scans.

 
Below: the hexagonla case for the tampon. See the complicated details here.
 
Below: Win gold prizes! Tell us what you think of Ortex! Oh, wait, the contest expired decades ago.
 
 

NEXT: See the instructions and an ad.

See the Japanese (Cameo and Anshin) versions of this tampon. Japanese tampon with finger cots - Shampon Young Japanese stick tampons - ad for Elldy tampon with
applicator (October 1996) - Kotex stick tampon (U.S.A.) - ad for the Kotex stick tampon (1970s)

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