Cadbury's Creme Egg
Encyclopedia
A Cadbury Creme Egg is a brand of chocolate
manufactured in the shape of an egg
. The product consists of a thick milk chocolate shell, housing a white and yellow fondant
filling which mimics the white and yolk of a real egg. Creme Eggs are the best-selling confectionery item between New Year's Day
and Easter
in the UK, with annual sales in excess of 200 million and a brand
value of approximately £50 million.
Creme Eggs are produced by Cadbury UK in the United Kingdom
and by Cadbury Adams in Canada. They are sold by Kraft Foods
in all markets except the USA, where The Hershey Company
has the local marketing rights. At the Bournville
factory in Birmingham
, UK they are manufactured at a rate of 1.5 million per day. The Creme Egg was also previously manufactured in New Zealand
but is now imported into New Zealand from the UK.
While filled eggs were first manufactured by the Cadbury Brothers in 1923, the Creme Egg in its current form was not introduced until 1963. Initially sold as "Fry's
Creme Eggs", they were rebranded as "Cadbury Creme Eggs" in 1971.
wrapping of the eggs was traditionally green, red, yellow and blue in colour in the United Kingdom
and Ireland
, though green was removed and purple replaced blue early in the 21st century. In the United States
, some green is incorporated into the design, which previously featured the product's mascot—the Creme Egg Chick.
drew attention to the fact that American market Cadbury Creme Eggs had decreased in size. American Creme Eggs now weigh 34g and contain 150 calories. Before 2006, the eggs marketed by Hershey were identical to the UK version, weighing 39g and containing 170 calories.
In 2010, the Canadian market version of the Cadbury Creme Egg was reduced in size to match the 34g United States version.
with the question "How do you eat yours?" and in New Zealand
with the slogan "Don't get caught with egg on your face". Australia and New Zealand have also used a variation of the UK question, using the slogan "How do you do it?"
Over the years, there have been several major Cadbury's Creme Egg campaigns.
In North America
, Creme Eggs are advertised on television
with a small white rabbit
called the Cadbury Bunny (alluding to the Easter Bunny
) who clucks like a chicken
. Ads for caramel eggs use a larger gold-coloured rabbit which also clucks, and chocolate eggs use a large brown rabbit which clucks in a deep voice. The advertisements use the slogan "Nobunny knows Easter better than him", spoken by TV personality Mason Adams
. The majority of rabbits used in the Cadbury commercials are Flemish Giant
s.
In the UK, around the year 2000, selected stores were provided stand alone paperboard
cutouts of something resembling a "love tester
." The shopper would press a button in the centre and a "spinner" (a series of LED
lights) would select at random a way of eating the Creme Egg, e.g. "with chips
". These were withdrawn within a year. There are also the "Creme Egg Cars" which are, as the name suggest, ovular vehicles painted to look like Creme Eggs. They are driven to various places to advertise the eggs but are based mainly at the Cadbury factory in Bournville
. Five "Creme Egg Cars" were built from Bedford Rascal
chassis. The mirrors are taken from a Citroën 2CV
.
For the 2009 season, advertising in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada consists of stopmotion adverts in the "Release the Goo" campaign which consists of a Creme Egg stripping itself of its wrapper and then breaking its own shell, usually with household appliances and equipment, while making various 'goo' sounds, and a 'relieved' noise when finally able to break its shell. The Cadbury's Creme Egg website featured games where the player had to prevent the egg from finding a way to release its goo.
A similar advertising campaign in 2010 featured animated Creme Eggs destroying themselves in large numbers, such as gathering together at a cinema before bombarding into each other to release all of the eggs' goo, and another which featured eggs being destroyed by mouse traps.
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
manufactured in the shape of an egg
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
. The product consists of a thick milk chocolate shell, housing a white and yellow fondant
Fondant
Fondant is one of several kinds of icing-like substance used to decorate or sculpt pastries. The word, in French, means "melting", coming from the same root as "foundry" in English....
filling which mimics the white and yolk of a real egg. Creme Eggs are the best-selling confectionery item between New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
and Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
in the UK, with annual sales in excess of 200 million and a brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
value of approximately £50 million.
Creme Eggs are produced by Cadbury UK in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and by Cadbury Adams in Canada. They are sold by Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
in all markets except the USA, where The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
has the local marketing rights. At the Bournville
Bournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...
factory in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, UK they are manufactured at a rate of 1.5 million per day. The Creme Egg was also previously manufactured in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
but is now imported into New Zealand from the UK.
While filled eggs were first manufactured by the Cadbury Brothers in 1923, the Creme Egg in its current form was not introduced until 1963. Initially sold as "Fry's
J. S. Fry & Sons
J. S. Fry & Sons, Ltd. was a British chocolate company owned by Joseph Storrs Fry and his family.This business moved through several names and hands before ending up as J. S. Fry & Sons.- History :*circa 1759 — Joseph Fry starts making chocolate...
Creme Eggs", they were rebranded as "Cadbury Creme Eggs" in 1971.
Product specification
Packaging
Creme eggs are usually sold individually but are also available in boxes of various sizes. The foilAluminium foil
Aluminium foil is aluminium prepared in thin metal leaves, with a thickness less than , thinner gauges down to are also commonly used. In the USA, foils are commonly gauged in mils. Standard household foil is typically thick and heavy duty household foil is typically .The foil is pliable, and...
wrapping of the eggs was traditionally green, red, yellow and blue in colour in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, though green was removed and purple replaced blue early in the 21st century. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, some green is incorporated into the design, which previously featured the product's mascot—the Creme Egg Chick.
Availability
Creme eggs are available annually between January 1 and Easter Day. In the 1980s Cadbury made Creme Eggs available year-round but sales dropped and they returned to seasonal availability.Reduction in size of American eggs
During an interview on the April 4th, 2007 episode of Late Night with Conan O' Brien, actor B. J. NovakB. J. Novak
Benjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
drew attention to the fact that American market Cadbury Creme Eggs had decreased in size. American Creme Eggs now weigh 34g and contain 150 calories. Before 2006, the eggs marketed by Hershey were identical to the UK version, weighing 39g and containing 170 calories.
In 2010, the Canadian market version of the Cadbury Creme Egg was reduced in size to match the 34g United States version.
Manufacture in New Zealand
Creme Eggs were manufactured in New Zealand at the Cadbury factory in Dunedin from 1983 to 2009. Recently Cadbury in New Zealand and Australia has gone through a restructuring process which has seen production of most Cadbury products previously produced in New Zealand now produced at Cadbury factories in Australia. The Dunedin plant has had a $69 Million upgrade to become a specialist factory, specialising in boxed products such as Cadbury Roses. The result of the changes means that Creme Eggs are no longer manufactured in New Zealand or Australia but instead imported from the United Kingdom. The change has also seen the range of Creme Eggs available for sale decreased. The size also dropped from 40g to 39g in this time. The response from New Zealanders has not been positive. Complaints have included the filling not being as runny as the New Zealand version. The result has also seen various Facebook groups started in protest to the changes.Manufacturing process
Cadbury Creme Eggs are manufactured as two half-egg chocolate shells, each of which is filled with a white fondant, then topped with a smaller amount of yellow fondant. Both halves are then quickly joined together and cooled, the chocolate bonding together in the process. The solid eggs are removed from the moulds and wrapped in foil.Varieties
Over the years, Cadbury has introduced a number of products related to the original Creme Egg, including:- Border Creme Eggs. The first variant, wrapped in various colours of tartan foil and containing chocolate fondant. Introduced as "Fry'sJ. S. Fry & SonsJ. S. Fry & Sons, Ltd. was a British chocolate company owned by Joseph Storrs Fry and his family.This business moved through several names and hands before ending up as J. S. Fry & Sons.- History :*circa 1759 — Joseph Fry starts making chocolate...
Border Creme Eggs" in 1970, rebranded as "Cadbury Border Creme Eggs" in 1974 and discontinued in 1981. - Mini Creme Eggs (bite-sized Creme Eggs)
- CaramelCaramelCaramel is a beige to dark-brown confection made by heating any of a variety of sugars. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custard and coffee....
Eggs (chocolate egg with a caramel filling). Launched in 1994. - Mini Caramel Eggs (bite-sized Caramel Eggs)
- Chocolate Creme Eggs (chocolate fondant filling)
- Orange Creme Eggs (Creme Eggs with a hint of orange flavour)
- 'Berry' Creme Eggs (magenta wrapper and pink fondant, sold circa 1997 in Australia)
- Mint Creme Eggs (green "yolk" and mint flavour chocolate)
- Dairy Milk with Creme Egg bars
- Creme Egg Fondant in a Narrow Cardboard Tube (limited edition)
- Creme Egg ice cream with a fondant sauce in milk chocolate
- Dream Eggs (New Zealand). White chocolateWhite chocolateWhite chocolate is a confectionery derivative of chocolate. It commonly consists of cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and salt, and is characterized by a pale yellow or ivory appearance...
with white chocolate fondant filling. Discontinued in 2010. - Cadbury McFlurry (British, Irish and Canadian McDonald'sMcDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
only) McFlurry soft serve mix with Creme Egg & chocolate filling. - Creme Egg TwistedCreme Egg TwistedThe Cadbury Creme Egg Twisted is a chocolate bar produced by Cadbury UK in the United Kingdom. It is a milk chocolate bar with a filling of Cadbury Creme Egg fondant. Introduced in 2008, it was a result of Cadbury researching that customers wanted the Creme Egg to be available all year, mainly...
(Britain, Ireland, Australia and Canada) Available all year round. It was introduced to Australia in 2010 but was quickly discontinued. - Holiday Ornament Creme Egg
- Mad About Chocolate Egg (Australia and New Zealand). Purple wrapper, milk chocolate with chocolate fudge filling. Discontinued in 2010.
- Peppermint Egg (New Zealand). Discontinued in 2010.
- Jaffa Egg (New Zealand) Dark chocolate with orange filling
- Marble Egg (New Zealand) Dairy Milk and Dream Chocolate swirled together
- Screme Eggs, for HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
market. White and green fondant filling with the same taste as the standard Creme Egg.
Advertising
In recent times, the Creme Egg has been marketed in the UK and IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
with the question "How do you eat yours?" and in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with the slogan "Don't get caught with egg on your face". Australia and New Zealand have also used a variation of the UK question, using the slogan "How do you do it?"
Over the years, there have been several major Cadbury's Creme Egg campaigns.
- "Shopkeeper" campaign of the 1970s in which a boy asks for 6000 Cadbury Creme Eggs.
- "Irresistibly" campaign showing characters prepared to do something unusual for a Creme Egg, similar to the "What would you do for a Klondike BarKlondike barKlondike is a brand name for a dessert generally consisting of a vanilla ice cream square coated with a thin layer of chocolate-flavored coating. The first recorded advertisement for the Klondike was on February 5, 1922 in the Youngstown Vindicator. They are generally wrapped with a silver-colored...
?" campaign in America. - 1985: The "How Do You Eat Yours?" campaign begins.
- 1985-1996: "Don't get caught with egg on your face" advertisement in New Zealand
- 1990-1993: The first television campaign to use the "How Do You Eat Yours?" theme, featuring the zodiacZodiacIn astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
signs. - 1994-1996: Spitting ImageSpitting ImageSpitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
characters continued "How Do You Eat Yours?" - 1997-1999: Matt LucasMatt LucasMatthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
, with the catchphrase "I've seen the future, and it's egg shaped!" - 2000-2003: The "Pointing Finger" campaign.
- 2004: The "Roadshow" finger campaign
- 2004-2007: The "How Do You Eat Yours?" campaign
- 2008: "Here Today, Goo Tomorrow" campaign
- 2009: "Release the Goo" campaign (New Zealand & Australia & Canada & UK)
- 2010: "You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone" campaign (UK)
- 2011: "Goo Dares Wins" campaign (UK)
- 2011: The "Get your goo on!" campaign (Australia)
In North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Creme Eggs are advertised on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
with a small white rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
called the Cadbury Bunny (alluding to the Easter Bunny
Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny or Easter Rabbit is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted with clothes...
) who clucks like a chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
. Ads for caramel eggs use a larger gold-coloured rabbit which also clucks, and chocolate eggs use a large brown rabbit which clucks in a deep voice. The advertisements use the slogan "Nobunny knows Easter better than him", spoken by TV personality Mason Adams
Mason Adams
Mason Adams was an American character actor and voice-over artist.-Early life:Adams was born in Brooklyn, New York. He earned an MA degree from the University of Michigan in Theatre Arts and Speech and also attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, studying theater arts...
. The majority of rabbits used in the Cadbury commercials are Flemish Giant
Flemish Giant
The Flemish Giant is a very old and popular breed of domestic rabbit, most famous for its large size compared to other rabbits.-History:The Flemish Giant is an old breed of domesticated rabbits, originating from the Flemish region. They have been bred as early as the 16th century around the city of...
s.
In the UK, around the year 2000, selected stores were provided stand alone paperboard
Paperboard
Paperboard is a thick paper based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker than paper. According to ISO standards, paperboard is a paper with a basis weight above 224 g/m2, but there are exceptions. Paperboard can be single...
cutouts of something resembling a "love tester
Love Tester
The Love Tester is a novelty toy made by Nintendo in 1969. Designed "for young ladies and men", the device tries to determine how much two persons love each other...
." The shopper would press a button in the centre and a "spinner" (a series of LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
lights) would select at random a way of eating the Creme Egg, e.g. "with chips
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
". These were withdrawn within a year. There are also the "Creme Egg Cars" which are, as the name suggest, ovular vehicles painted to look like Creme Eggs. They are driven to various places to advertise the eggs but are based mainly at the Cadbury factory in Bournville
Bournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...
. Five "Creme Egg Cars" were built from Bedford Rascal
Bedford Rascal
The Bedford Rascal , also built as the Suzuki Supercarry is a microvan that was developed as a joint venture between General Motors and Suzuki. It was sold under GM's British-based Bedford marque as well as in Suzuki form...
chassis. The mirrors are taken from a Citroën 2CV
Citroën 2CV
The Citroën 2CV |tax horsepower]]”) was an economy car produced by the French automaker Citroën between 1948 and 1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with uncompromisingly utilitarian unconventional looks, and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer...
.
For the 2009 season, advertising in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada consists of stopmotion adverts in the "Release the Goo" campaign which consists of a Creme Egg stripping itself of its wrapper and then breaking its own shell, usually with household appliances and equipment, while making various 'goo' sounds, and a 'relieved' noise when finally able to break its shell. The Cadbury's Creme Egg website featured games where the player had to prevent the egg from finding a way to release its goo.
A similar advertising campaign in 2010 featured animated Creme Eggs destroying themselves in large numbers, such as gathering together at a cinema before bombarding into each other to release all of the eggs' goo, and another which featured eggs being destroyed by mouse traps.
External links
- Cadbury UK
- Cadbury Chocolates from Hershey'sThe Hershey CompanyThe Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
website