They appeared in printed media as early as 1892, and adorned the packages of the several lines of washing products developed and marketed by N.K.

The use of the "Goldie" and "Dusty" product mascots in a 1903 national advertising campaign[a] that featured a booth with two live actors depicting the characters at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, was hugely successful for the popularity of the Twins, and for the company, whose soap products became national staples in the United States during the early to mid twentieth-century.

The program featured comedians Harvey Hindemeyer (as "Goldie"), and Earle Tuckerman (as "Dusty"), who performed their comedic skits in blackface, depicting somewhat minstrel-like caricatures of two bumbling black men.

[4][3] An early example of product tie-ins, Gold Dust's advertising jingle became the show's theme song, and was sung by Hindemeyer and Tuckerman.

[5] The two actors embodied the characters of the Gold Dust Twin icons found in the advertising for the Fairbanks' soap line.