Royale
Royale is a Canadian household paper-products brand owned by Irving Tissue.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Royale is a Canadian consumer brand specializing in household paper products, including facial tissue, bathroom tissue, paper towels, and paper napkins. The brand is associated with everyday household care and is particularly recognized in Canada for its long-running advertising use of white Persian kittens as symbols of softness. The brand's organizational roots extend to the development of Canada's tissue-paper industry in the twentieth century. In 1929, the New York-based National Cellulose Company established a Canadian office after ending its relationship with a Canadian distributor. In 1936, Toronto businessman William S. Gibson and other investors acquired the Canadian operation and created Dominion Cellulose. Dominion Cellulose marketed Facelle tissue products in Canada for several decades. In 1961, the company was sold to Canadian International Paper Company and renamed the Facelle Company. Royale was introduced in 1963 by the Facelle Company. Its initial range consisted of two products: three-ply facial tissue and two-ply bathroom tissue. The launch gave the company a new consumer-facing identity in a category where softness, absorbency, strength, and household familiarity are central purchase considerations. Over time, Royale expanded beyond its original tissue products into additional paper-based household formats, including paper towels and napkins. The brand changed ownership in August 1991, when it was sold to Procter & Gamble. Royale remained part of Procter & Gamble's portfolio until 2001. That year, Irving Tissue purchased Procter & Gamble's Weston Road plant in Toronto, Ontario, together with the rights to the Royale brand. Irving Tissue has since operated Royale as part of its Canadian tissue and household paper-products business. Royale's most distinctive brand asset is the Royale Kittens, a pair of white Persian kittens used to communicate the softness of the products. The longest-running television campaign featuring the kittens ran from 1973 to 1984 and showed them playing on a white shag rug and unwinding rolls of bathroom tissue. The characters continued to appear in television, print, and online marketing after that campaign ended. In 2010, a Facebook community page was created in the name of the Royale Kittens, extending the advertising property into social media. Another remembered piece of Royale advertising was “The Nose,” a commercial featuring Canadian professional hockey player Eddie Shack. Together, the kitten campaigns and other advertising helped give Royale a recognizable emotional identity beyond functional tissue-product claims. Today, Royale is best understood as a Canadian household paper brand rather than as a standalone corporation. Its portfolio is centered on routine household consumption, while its communications emphasize softness, comfort, familiarity, and family-oriented usage. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate corporate listing, a standalone headquarters, or a complete current product catalog for the brand. The brand's current ownership and manufacturing relationship are tied to Irving Tissue.
History
Royale's history is connected to the development of Canadian tissue manufacturing and distribution. In 1929, National Cellulose Company, headquartered in New York, opened its first Canadian office in downtown Toronto after ending its relationship with a Canadian distributor. In 1936, Toronto businessman William S. Gibson and a group of investors bought the Canadian operation and established Dominion Cellulose. Dominion Cellulose continued selling Facelle tissue products in Canada. In 1961, the business was sold to Canadian International Paper Company and became known as the Facelle Company. Two years later, in 1963, the company created the Royale brand. The first Royale products were three-ply facial tissue and two-ply bathroom tissue, establishing the brand in the facial- and bathroom-tissue categories. Royale developed a recognizable consumer identity through advertising as its product range broadened. The brand's best-known symbols are the Royale Kittens, two white Persian kittens presented as visual representations of softness. A major television campaign ran from 1973 through 1984, showing the kittens playing on a white shag rug and unwinding bathroom-tissue rolls. The characters remained part of Royale communications in television, print, and later Internet marketing. A separate campaign, “The Nose,” featured Canadian professional hockey player Eddie Shack and became another remembered piece of the brand's advertising history. Ownership changed in August 1991, when Royale was sold to Procter & Gamble. It stayed within Procter & Gamble's portfolio for approximately a decade. In 2001, Irving Tissue acquired Procter & Gamble's Weston Road manufacturing plant in Toronto, Ontario, as well as the rights to the Royale brand. This transaction connected Royale with Irving Tissue's Canadian manufacturing and tissue-products operations. Royale subsequently remained a consumer household paper brand associated with Canada. Its category presence includes facial tissue, bathroom tissue, paper towels, and paper napkins. The brand's marketing heritage relies heavily on emotional recognition and sensory associations, especially softness and comfort, rather than on a corporate identity separate from its owner. The available reference material does not provide a complete chronology of product variants, current leadership, financial performance, or international operations, so those areas cannot be documented reliably here.
- 2001
Irving Tissue acquires the brand
[1]Irving Tissue acquired the Royale rights and Procter & Gamble's Weston Road plant in Toronto.
- 1991
Procter & Gamble acquires Royale
[1]Procter & Gamble purchased the Royale brand in August 1991.
- 1973
Royale Kittens television campaign begins
[1]The brand began its long-running television advertising campaign featuring white Persian kittens.
- 1963
Royale launches in Canada
[1]The Facelle Company launched Royale with three-ply facial tissue and two-ply bathroom tissue.
- 1961
Business transferred to Canadian International Paper
[1]Dominion Cellulose was sold to Canadian International Paper Company and renamed the Facelle Company.
- 1936
Dominion Cellulose is formed
[1]William S. Gibson and other investors acquired the Canadian operation and formed Dominion Cellulose.
- 1929
National Cellulose establishes a Canadian office
[1]National Cellulose Company opened its first Canadian office in downtown Toronto after ending its relationship with a Canadian distributor.
Products and positioning
A familiar Canadian household paper brand positioned around softness, comfort, dependable everyday use, and family-friendly brand recognition.
Household paper · 1963
Facial tissue
Facial tissue was part of Royale's original 1963 launch portfolio, which introduced a three-ply format. The category represents the brand's use in personal care, comfort, and routine household settings.
Household paper · 1963
Bathroom tissue
Bathroom tissue was the second product in Royale's original launch, initially offered in a two-ply format. The category became closely associated with the Royale Kittens advertising campaign and remains central to the brand's identity.
Household paper
Paper towels
Paper towels are part of Royale's broader household paper-products range. Available reference material identifies the category but does not provide a detailed chronology of formats, variants, or launch dates.
Household paper
Paper napkins
Paper napkins extend Royale's offering into tabletop and food-service household use. The available reference material confirms the category but does not document specific products or launch dates.
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Royale Kittens Facebook community
Canada
Royale extended the Kittens advertising property into social media through an official Facebook community page created in the characters' name.
- 1973Royale Kittens
Canada
Royale introduced a long-running television campaign featuring two white Persian kittens playing on a white shag rug and unwinding rolls of bathroom tissue. The kittens were designed to express product softness and became the brand's most recognizable advertising property.
Outcome. The campaign ran through 1984, and the Royale Kittens continued to appear in later television, print, Internet, and social-media marketing.
- The Nose
Canada
Royale's “The Nose” advertising spot featured Canadian professional hockey player Eddie Shack. It is cited as one of the brand's memorable campaigns, although the available reference does not specify its launch date or complete media plan.
Brand decisions
2001
Irving Tissue purchase of Royale rightsM&ABackground
Procter & Gamble sold its Weston Road plant in Toronto together with rights connected to the Royale brand.
Action taken
Irving Tissue acquired the Toronto plant and the rights to Royale.
Aftermath
Royale became part of Irving Tissue's Canadian tissue-products business and continued as a household paper brand.
1991
Sale of Royale to Procter & GambleM&ABackground
The Royale brand changed ownership after decades of development within the Canadian tissue business.
Action taken
Procter & Gamble acquired Royale in August 1991.
Aftermath
Royale remained under Procter & Gamble until Irving Tissue acquired the brand rights in 2001.
1963
Launch of the Royale brandProduct launchBackground
The Facelle Company had been selling tissue products in Canada under the Facelle name after the earlier formation of Dominion Cellulose and subsequent ownership changes.
Action taken
The company introduced Royale with three-ply facial tissue and two-ply bathroom tissue.
Aftermath
Royale became the company's consumer-facing household paper brand and later expanded into additional paper-product categories.
Recent events
- 2010
Royale Kittens community presence expands to Facebook[1]
Campaign
An official Facebook community page was created using the Royale Kittens advertising characters.
- 2001
Irving Tissue acquires Royale rights and Toronto plant[1]
M&A
Irving Tissue purchased Procter & Gamble's Weston Road plant in Toronto and obtained the rights to the Royale brand.
- 1991
Royale brand sold to Procter & Gamble[1]
M&A
In August 1991, Procter & Gamble acquired the Royale brand from its then-owner.
- 1963
Facelle Company launches the Royale brand[1]
Product launch
The Facelle Company introduced Royale in Canada with three-ply facial tissue and two-ply bathroom tissue.
Sources1 sources
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