Cornetto (frozen dessert) facts for kids
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| Owner | Unilever |
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| Introduced | 1959 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
Cornetto is a famous brand of ice cream cone dessert. It started in Italy and means 'little horn'. Today, a large company called Unilever owns and makes Cornetto. Unilever is from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Cornetto ice creams are part of the Heartbrand family of products. This means they are known by different names around the world. For example, they are called Algida in Italy. In the UK and Pakistan, they are known as Wall's. In the Republic of Ireland, they are HB. You might find them as Frigo in Spain or Kwality Wall's in India. There are many kinds of Cornetto. Some are made with milk, and others use vegetable fats.
Contents
History of Cornetto
For a long time, it was hard to sell ice cream in cones. The ice cream would make the cone soggy before people could eat it. This made the cone soft and not very tasty.
In 1959, an Italian ice cream maker named Spica solved this problem. Spica was based in Naples. They found a way to protect the inside of the waffle cone. They used a special coating of oil, sugar, and chocolate. This coating kept the cone from getting soggy.
In 1976, Unilever bought the idea from Spica. Unilever then started selling Cornetto in Italy under the Algida brand. They also sold it in other countries through their different companies. These included Wall's in the UK and Pakistan. They also sold it as HB in Ireland, Frigo in Spain, and Kwality Wall's in India. Cornetto cones come in many sizes across Europe. Some are small, like 28-ml Miniatures. Others are big, like 260-ml King Cones. The most popular sizes are usually 90-ml and 125-ml.
On March 19, 2024, Unilever announced a big change. They said they would sell off their ice cream brands. This included popular names like Ben & Jerry's, Cornetto, Magnum, Talenti, and Wall's. Unilever also planned to reduce about 7,500 jobs. This move was to make Unilever a simpler and more focused company. The sale of the ice cream brands is expected to be finished by the end of 2025.
Cornetto Flavors
Cornetto comes in many different flavors. Some popular ones are Strawberry, Mint Chocolate, and Nut. There's also Lemon and Whippy, which is a yogurt flavor with chewy chocolate. Sometimes, special Valentine's Day flavors appear.
Cornetto Soft is another type. This is soft ice cream that vendors make on the spot. They use an ice cream dispenser. Cornetto Soft comes in flavors like chocolate chip, cookie dough, and vanilla. Other Cornetto flavors are made in factories and come in packages. There is also Cornetto Enigma. This one has cookies and cream, raspberry, and double chocolate flavors.
In 2013, Unilever also brought out Cornetto chocolate candy in the UK. This was made through a special agreement with Kinnerton Confectionery.
In India, Hindustan Unilever makes Cornettos using vegetable fat. Because of Indian law, these cannot be called "ice cream."
Advertising Campaigns
The 'O sole mio' Song
Cornetto became very popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Brazil. This was thanks to some very successful advertisements. These ads used the famous Italian song "'O sole mio". The ads showed the song being sung in different Italian places. The words of the song were changed to be about Cornetto.
Here are some of the changed lyrics:
- Just one Cornetto,
- give it to me,
- delicious ice cream, of Italy,
- creamy vanilla and choco dream,
- Give me Cornetto,
- from Wall's ice cream.
(This version was used in the UK)
- give it to me,
- a big ol' nut and chocolate dream,
- HB Cornetto
- spells the best ice cream.
(This version was used in Ireland)
- Dame un Cornetto
- Molto crocante
- E più cremoso
- É da Gelato.
- Cornetto é da própria Itália.
- Ti voglio tanto,
- Corneeeeetto mio!
(This version was used in Brazil)
In Britain and Ireland, these ads played for 10 years. This was during the 1980s and 1990s. The song was supposedly sung by Renato Pagliari. He was known for a song with his group Renée and Renato. However, Renato's son, Remo, says this is not true. The song was credited to "Count Giovanni Di Regina." It was produced by Jonathan King, who even released it as a single. In 2000, a TV channel called Channel 4 had a poll. The Wall's Cornetto ad was ranked 23rd in their list of "The 100 Greatest TV Ads". The song came back in 2006. This time, people in Central London sang it. These included people walking, drivers, office workers, and marathon runners.
After Cornetto launched in the UK in 1976, people often made fun of the song. They would sing different words like: 'Just one Cornetto, Give it to me, Not bloomin' likely, They're 30p !' This was because many people thought Cornetto was very expensive compared to other ice creams back then.
Philippines 20 Pesos Campaign
In the Philippines, a campaign called "sarap ng 20 Pesos" started in 2009. This means "delicious 20 pesos." The ads used humor. They focused on how affordable Cornetto was. The skits showed things you could not buy with 20 pesos. Then, they suggested you should buy a Cornetto instead. The slogans for this campaign were "Mag-Cornetto ka na lang" (meaning "Just have a Cornetto instead") and "Hanggang saan aabot ang 20 pesos mo?" (meaning "How far will your 20 pesos take you?").
By May 2011, 30 different storylines for these ads had been made. In 2019, the suggested price for Cornetto became 25 pesos. However, in 2023, the price went back to 20 pesos again.
One of the TV ads from this campaign was called "Tugs." It won an award called "Adobo Ad of the Year" in 2010. People voted for it online.
See also
In Spanish: Cornetto (helado) para niños
- Streets – an Australian ice cream brand
- Drumstick & Extreme – similar ice cream cones made by Nestlé
- Nutty Buddy – a similar cone once made by Sweetheart Foods
- Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy – a series of films by Edgar Wright that briefly shows the ice cream
