Chappies facts for kids
Framed Chappie "Did You Know" wrapper.
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| Type | Bubblegum |
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| Owner | Cadbury (1989), Mondelez International |
| Country | South Africa |
| Introduced | late-1940s |
| Markets | South Africa, Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Tagline | Unwrap an Adventure |
Chappies is a super popular brand of bubblegum that started in South Africa in the late 1940s. It's famous for the fun "Did You Know?" facts printed inside every wrapper. Because of these facts, Chappies has been South Africa's top-selling bubblegum for over 50 years! About 2.5 billion pieces are sold every year.
Contents
What is Chappies?
Chappies bubblegum was created by Arthur Ginsberg. He worked for a sweet company in Johannesburg called Chapelat Sweet Factory. The name "Chappies" comes from "Chapelat."
Chappies was made to compete with another popular bubblegum called Wicks. Chappies was cheaper, offering two pieces for the price of one Wicks gum. By the late 1970s, Chappies was sold in Zambia, the Congo, and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). It held a huge 90% of the local market!
Chappies first came in five fruity flavors: lemon, orange, strawberry, cherry, and pineapple. Today, you can find flavors like spearmint, assorted fruit, watermelon, grape, and cool cherry. In 1989, the Chappies brand was sold to Cadbury, which is now part of Mondelēz International.
Why is Chappies so Popular?
Chappies is so well-known that its name sometimes means "bubblegum" itself! This happened because shopkeepers often gave Chappies as change instead of coins. Also, everyone loved the "Did You Know?" facts.
The original Chappies wrapper has always been yellow with red and blue stripes. This striped wrapper, the bright square pieces of gum, the logo, and the cartoon chipmunk character are all part of the Chappies brand. These iconic designs have even been used in special collaborations with other brands and even in a music video!
Fun Facts and Marketing
Chappies "Did You Know?" Facts
The "Did You Know?" facts were first added to make the bubblegum more exciting for kids. The very first facts came from a popular radio quiz show called "Test The Team." Later, Chappies asked smart people from Wits University to create new lists of interesting facts. They came up with an amazing 5,000 facts!
A Fresh New Look
In 2008, Chappies got a new look! A marketing company helped redesign the packaging. They also updated the Chappies Chipmunk mascot. He was made to look younger and no longer needed his walking cane. He still looked familiar, though!
You Can Submit Facts!
In 2012, Chappies gave fans a chance to send in their own "Did You Know?" facts. Over 50,000 facts were submitted online! After checking them, 170 new facts were chosen. These facts, along with cool drawings, were printed on millions of Chappies wrappers. The people whose facts were chosen received a year's supply of Chappies and a special framed wrapper with their fact on it!
Edible Street Art
Chappies also launched a super cool project called "Edible Street Art." They turned six facts submitted by fans into huge artworks. These artworks were made out of thousands of real Chappies bubblegum pieces! The biggest mural used 177,681 pieces of Chappies and took 15 hours to build. But with help from the public, it only took 15 minutes to take apart and eat!
