Black Thunder (chocolate bar) facts for kids
.jpg)
A Black Thunder bar.
|
|
| Product type | Confection |
|---|---|
| Owner | Yuraku Confectionery Co., Ltd. |
| Country | Toyohashi, Japan |
| Introduced | 1994 |
| Website | Black Thunder website |
Black Thunder (ブラックサンダー, Burakku Sandā) is a popular chocolate bar from Japan. It's made by the Yuraku Confectionery Company (有楽製菓株式会社, Yūraku Seika Kabushiki gaisha). This tasty bar has a cocoa-flavored cookie mixed with crunchy Japanese rice puffs. All of this is covered in a layer of chocolate.
A single Black Thunder bar usually costs about ¥30 before tax. Its main slogan means "Delicious taste in a flash of lightning!" The story of how Yuraku Confectionery Company and its Black Thunder bar became so successful is often called a "rags to riches" story in Japan. It shows how a small idea can grow into something huge!
The idea for Black Thunder was to create a candy bar that was easy to sell. It needed to have three popular things and a good price. The name "Black Thunder" was partly inspired by Raijin, the Japanese god of thunder. The first Black Thunder bars were made in 1994 in a factory in Toyohashi. At first, they were mostly sold to university students in the Kantō region. Sales grew mainly because people told their friends about how good they were.
Starting in 2004, Black Thunder sales slowly increased thanks to different marketing deals. In 2008, the Yuraku Confectionery company even sponsored Japan's Men's Gymnastics team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. This helped many more people recognize the brand. Since 2008, Yuraku has created many different kinds of Black Thunder bars. These include the Big Thunder, Black Thunder Mini-bar, "White Black Thunder," and the Morning Thunder breakfast bar.
Contents
What's in a Black Thunder Bar?
.JPG)
The original idea for Black Thunder was to make a candy bar with three main things: a rich flavor, a satisfying texture, and a fair price. These qualities would make it easy to sell. The company also wanted it to appeal to everyone, including kids!
They created a bar with dark cocoa-flavored cookie pieces mixed with crunchy Japanese crisped rice. Then, it's all covered in dark milk chocolate. The bar is mostly flat on five sides, but the top has a bumpy surface, even with the chocolate on it.
When it came to naming the bar, they decided the word "black" was important. This was to show off the dark chocolate flavor. In Japan, "black" is often used for dark or bittersweet chocolate, like the popular Meiji Black chocolate bar. To make the product exciting, they named it after Raijin, the Japanese god of thunder.
Even though the name uses English words, "Black Thunder" (pronounced Burakku Sandah), the package also has the Japanese kanji for the product (黒い雷神kuroi raijin). This makes sure everyone understands the meaning. An early advertising slogan was "Delicious taste like a flash of lightning!"
How Black Thunder Became Famous
The Black Thunder bar was created to be a hit with many different people, including children. In 1994, a small factory in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, with only twenty employees, started making the bars. The first packages just said "Black Thunder" in English letters. Each bar cost 30 yen.
By 2000, sales weren't great, but the company decided to keep the product. They changed the package design and added the slogan: "Delicious taste in a flash of lightning!" In 2003, the package changed again to its current look. The English name was replaced with Japanese katakana letters. A new slogan was added for young women: "A big hit among young women!" During these early years, sales grew mostly because people told their friends about the bar.
At first, Black Thunder was only sold in 7-Eleven stores in the Kantō region. But soon, the company realized it could sell in more places. From 2004 to 2005, Black Thunder bars suddenly became very popular in the Kyushu region. By the summer of 2005, they were sold all over Japan. By the end of that year, over 900,000 bars had been sold! Black Thunder became the best-selling product for Yuraku Confectionery Company.
In 2006, the bars were sold online, which helped them become even more popular with university students. In just three years after selling online, ten times more Black Thunder bars were sold than in the first eleven years combined!
A big moment came in 2008 when Yuraku Confectionery sponsored Japan's Men's Gymnastics team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The team won a Silver Medal, and so did gymnast Kōhei Uchimura. After he talked about the product in the news, many more people recognized Black Thunder. From 2008 to 2009, sales jumped from under 50 million bars to an amazing 100 million! By 2010, 130 million bars were sold.
For the company's 25th anniversary in 2019, Yuraku introduced a mascot named Black Thunder Matt (ブラックサンダーMATT, Burakku Sandā Matto). This superhero android has Black Thunder bars for eyebrows and shoots them at hungry people!
Today, Black Thunder bars are made in four factories: Sapporo, Tokyo, Osaka, and the original factory in Toyohashi. From these factories, they are shipped to many convenience stores and discount stores across Japan. They are still sold in all university student co-operatives in the Kanto area.
Nutritional Information
Here's what's in a standard Black Thunder chocolate bar:
| One (1) bar | 6.5 x 3 x 1 cm |
|---|---|
| Energy | 115 kcal |
| Protein | 1.3 g |
| Lipids | 5.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14.1 g |
| Sodium | 71 mg |
Different Kinds of Black Thunder
Yuraku has made many different versions of the original Black Thunder bar. Some are for different groups of people, and some are made with other companies. Here are some of the most well-known ones. Some Black Thunder products are only available for a short time or in certain places.
Big Thunder
In 2008, Yuraku created the "Big Thunder" (ビッグサンダー, Biggu Sandā) candy bar. It's about twice as long and wide as the regular bar, but thinner. Its main slogan means "Big satisfaction for the glutton!!" The package also says things like "Deliciousness! Size! Double the lightning strike!"
Black Thunder Mini-bar
Since 2008, Black Thunder has also been sold as a "Mini-bar." These are about half the size of the regular bar and come in packages. They were made for families who want to buy more at a good price. While the regular Big Thunder bar is mostly sold in convenience stores, the Mini-bars are usually found in grocery stores.
Dear Girl Thunder
In 2009, Yuraku worked with a radio show to create the "Dear Girl Thunder" candy bar. This bar was advertised as "The Taste of First Love: Salt and Chocolate." In Japan, chocolate is often given for Valentine's Day, and salty foods are seen as more "grown-up." This flavor mix was meant to remind people of their "first love" – sweet but also a step towards growing up.
A limited number of Dear Girl Thunder bars sold out very quickly in July 2009. Later, in October 2010, they were sold in FamilyMart convenience stores. In 2011, a second version was sold in Animate stores, which sell things related to anime, manga, and video games. This made sure fans all over Japan could buy them.
White Black Thunder
In December 2010, Yuraku introduced "White Black Thunder" bars, called Shiroi Black Thunder (白いブラックサンダー Shiroi Burakku Sandā). These had the same cookie and rice puff inside, but they were covered in white chocolate. The package says "From Hokkaido," an area known for white chocolate. Its slogan means "Straight descent into deliciousness!" This version quickly became very popular.
Black Black Thunder
Black Black Thunder (黒のブラックサンダー, Kuro no Burakku Sandā) is a Black Thunder bar with extra dark chocolate. It also has chocolate chips mixed with three kinds of cacao.
Morning Thunder
The Morning Thunder bar (モーニングサンダー Mōningu Sandā) was launched in January 2011. It's meant to be a breakfast bar. It has a cinnamon-flavored cookie with peanuts and soy bean puffs. It also has extra protein and is covered in milk chocolate. The package says: "Protein and peanuts in a filling chocolate bar."
Morning Only Black Thunder
In 2019, a new version of Morning Thunder came out called "Morning Only Black Thunder" (朝専用ブラックサンダー, Asa sen'yō Burakku Sandā). This breakfast bar includes coffee powder, dark chocolate chips, and coconut pieces.
Black Thunder Next Gear
Black Thunder Next Gear (ブラックサンダーネクストギア, Burakku Sandā Nekusuto Gia) is a longer Black Thunder bar that contains almonds.
Other Fun Variations
Yuraku has released many other special Black Thunder products for limited times. Here are a few more:
- Black Thunder Giant Gold Powdered (ブラックサンダー大金粉, Burakku Sandā Daikinpun) - A huge, gold-sprinkled bar for Valentine's Day.
- Black Thunder Gold - Made with chocolate chips and coconut.
- Black Thunder Hōjicha Latte (ブラックサンダーほうじ茶ラテ, Burakku Sandā Hōjicha Rate)
- Black Thunder Manjū
- Black Thunder Matcha Azuki (ブラックサンダー抹茶あずき, Burakku Sandā Matcha Azuki)
- Black Thunder Monaka
- Black Thunder Namcola Flavor (ブラックサンダー ナムコーラ味, Burakku Sandā Namukōra-mi) - A cola-flavored bar, only found at Namco Amusement Japan.
- Black Thunder Volt (ブラックサンダーVOLT, Burakku Sandā Voruto) - A Black Thunder bar with almonds.
- Frugra Thunder (フルグラ®サンダー, Furugura Sandā) - A mix of Black Thunder and Calbee Frugra fruit granola cereal.
- Corn Potage Thunder (コーンポタージュサンダー, Kōn Potāju Sandā) - A mix of Black Thunder with corn potage flavor.
- Golden Black Thunder (黄金なブラックサンダー, Ogon na Burakku Sandā) - A Valentine's Day bar with French blonde chocolate and golden caramel.
- Kyoto Black Thunder (京都ブラックサンダー, Kyōto Burakku Sandā) - A Kyoto-only bar with uji matcha and sencha powders.
- Pink Black Thunder (ピンクなブラックサンダー, Pinku na Burakku Sandā) - Black Thunder with a strawberry coating.
- Raw Black Thunder (生ブラックサンダー, Nama Burakku Sandā) - A Valentine's Day box of three gold-dusted bars.
- Tokyo Black Thunder (東京ブラックサンダー, Tōkyō Burakku Sandā) - A Tokyo-only bar with brown sugar.
- Black Thunder Pretty Style Variations
- Black Thunder Pretty Style (ブラックサンダープリティスタイル, Burakku Sandā Puriti Sutairu) - A bite-sized version of Black Thunder.
- Black Thunder Pretty Style Caramel Flavor (ブラックサンダープリティスタイル味わいキャラメル, Burakku Sandā Puriti Sutairu Ajiwai Kyarameru)
- Black Thunder Pretty Style Tiramisu (ブラックサンダープリティスタイルティラミス, Burakku Sandā Puriti Sutairu Tiramisu)
- Sweets Thunder Pretty Style Shortcake Flavor (スイーツサンダープリティスタイル ショートケーキ味, Suītsu Sandā Puriti Sutairu Shōtokēki Aji) - White chocolate with freeze-dried strawberry flakes.
- Big Thunder variations
- Big Thunder Coconut
- Dark Big Thunder – Made with dark chocolate.
- Black Thunder Mini-bar variations
- Black Thunder Gold Mini-bar (ブラックサンダーゴールドミニバー, Burakku Sandā Gōrudo Minibā)
- Black Thunder Mini-bar Cacao 72% (ブラックサンダーミニバー カカオ72％, Burakku Sandā Minibā Kakao 72-Pāsento)
- Black Thunder Mini-bar Christmas (ブラックサンダーミニバークリスマス, Burakku Sandā Minibā Kurisumasu)
- Black Thunder Mini-bar Halloween (ブラックサンダーミニバーハロウィン, Burakku Sandā Minibā Harowin)
- Frugra Thunder Mini-bar (フルグラ®サンダーミニバー, Furugura Sandā Minibā)
- Melon Black Thunder Mini Size (メロ～ンなブラックサンダー ミニサイズ, Mero ~ n na Burakku Sandā Mini Saizu)
- Persimmon Seed Thunder Mini-bar (柿の種サンダーミニバー, Kaki no Tane Sandā Minibā)
- Toyohashi Black Thunder Mini-bar (豊橋ブラックサンダーミニバー, Toyohashi Burakku Sandā Minibā) - A Toyohashi-only version with train packaging.
- Mochi-mochi Black Thunder with flavors
- Black Thunder ice cream variations
- Black Thunder Ice (ブラックサンダーアイス, Burakku Sandā Aisu) - An ice cream bar made by Seria Roile.
- Black Thunder Choco Mint Ice (ブラックサンダーチョコミントアイス, Burakku Sandā Choko Minto Aisu) - A peppermint ice cream version.
- Other fun products
- Chibi Thunder ("Tiny Thunder") – Small pieces featuring special characters.
- Granola Thunder
- Ikeman Thunder - A Black Thunder bar with dried ramen.
- Kinako Thunder
- Yaki-Tōmorokoshi Thunder ("Roasted Corn" Thunder), released in 2019.
Other Cool Black Thunder Products
In 2009, Yuraku worked with Royal Foods Company to create Black Thunder ice cream bars and Black Thunder Monaka (which is like an ice cream sandwich). These were only sold in 7-Eleven stores.
In 2010, Black Thunder teamed up with Guacamole clothing designers. They made a line of swimwear for men and women, and men's underwear. Most of these items had black or gold lightning designs.
In 2011, a hardcover book was published about the history and fun facts of Black Thunder bars. It was called The Mystery of Black Thunder (謎のブラックサンダー Nazo no Burakku Sandā).
In 2017, Yuraku announced they were working with McDonald's Japan. The McFlurry Black Thunder was added to the McDonald's menu in Japan for a limited time, starting August 16, 2017.
