Bertie Beetle facts for kids
A Bertie Beetle showbag
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| Type | Chocolate bar |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Australia |
| Created by | Hoadley's Chocolates |
| Invented | 1963 |
| Main ingredients | Chocolate, honeycomb |
| Variations | Lady Beetle |
Bertie Beetle is a small, fun chocolate bar made by Nestlé. It looks like a friendly beetle and is covered in chocolate. Inside, you'll find small, crunchy pieces of honeycomb. This sweet treat was first made in Australia. It was a clever way to use up extra honeycomb from making other chocolates. For many years, you could mostly find Bertie Beetles in special bags called showbags at Australian shows.
Contents
The Story of Bertie Beetle
Bertie Beetle was first made in 1963 by a company called Hoadley's Chocolates. Later, another company, Rowntree's, took over Hoadley's. Then, in 1988, Nestlé bought the company.
How Bertie Beetle Started
Bertie Beetle was created to compete with another popular chocolate, the Freddo Frog. When it first came out, you could buy Bertie Beetles in shops. Famous Australian football player Ron Barassi even appeared in its early advertisements!
Where to Find Bertie Beetles Today
After a while, Bertie Beetles were mostly sold only at big shows and exhibitions. This was usually as part of a showbag. In 2007, you could briefly find Bertie Beetle multi-packs in supermarkets. They were part of Nestlé's Willy Wonka brand. Bertie Beetles returned to some sweet shops in 2018. In 2019, Peters Ice Cream even launched a Bertie Beetle ice cream!
Bertie Beetle Showbags
Bertie Beetles are most famous for being in the classic Bertie Beetle showbag. These bags are sold at many shows across Australia.
The Classic Showbag
The Bertie Beetle showbag first appeared in 1963. Back then, it was part of a bigger Hoadley's Chocolate Showbag. Bertie Beetle got its very own showbag in 1965. As of 2022, the showbag usually includes a few Bertie Beetles and other sweets like Red Ripperz. For many years, this showbag cost just A$2. The price went up to $3 in 2006, then back to $2 in 2007. In 2022, it went up to $3 again.
Why Showbags Are So Popular
The Bertie Beetle showbag is one of the most popular showbags ever! At the 2017 Brisbane Ekka show, over 250,000 Bertie Beetle showbags were sold. Once, the showbag was briefly taken off sale. But people loved it so much that Nestlé brought it back because of all the requests. In 2023, there were some problems making enough showbags. This meant fewer were available at shows in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne. The showbag was even removed from the 2023 Perth Royal Show.
Different Kinds of Showbags
Over the years, many different Bertie Beetle showbags have been offered. These bags usually have more items and cost more money.
- In 2003, the Bertie Beetle Bonanza showbag celebrated 40 years of Bertie Beetle. It came with many chocolates and a cooler bag or basketball.
- In 2006, there were four types: a small red bag, a medium blue bag, a large gold bag, and a '1-2-3' bag that included all three.
- In 2009, you could find Bertie Beetle Blue, Gold, and Platinum bags. There was also the Bonanza bag and a Triple Deal bag.
- For its 50th anniversary in 2013, a special edition showbag was released. It had 50 Bertie Beetle chocolates and a mask.
- In 2019, the Bertie Beetle Retro Showbag was introduced. It came with a paper bag, chocolates, and a choice of a bucket hat, socks, a collector's tin, or mugs.
- In 2021, the most expensive Bertie Beetle showbag cost $18.
Buying Bertie Beetles Online
Since 2016, you can also buy Bertie Beetle showbags and other products online.
- The Bertie Beetle Biggest Showbag included 80 chocolates.
- The Bertie Beetle Bounty Box had 150 chocolates in a gift box.
- The Bertie Beetle Bulk Bundle was a carton of 250 chocolates.
- The Bertie Beetle Huge Haul contained 350 chocolates!
What's Inside Bertie Beetle?
Each Bertie Beetle bar usually weighs about 10 grams. The main ingredients are Sugar, Vegetable Fat, Milk Solids, and Toffee Pieces. The toffee pieces are made from Sugar, Glucose Syrup (from wheat), Vegetable Fat, and Sodium Bicarbonate. It also contains Cocoa, Emulsifier (Soy Lecithin), Salt, and Flavourings.
