Crunchie facts for kids
Crunchie is a yummy chocolate bar with a special crunchy centre! This centre is made of honeycomb toffee, which is also known as "sponge toffee" in Canada or "hokey pokey" in New Zealand.
Crunchie bars are made by Cadbury today. But they were first created in the UK by a company called J. S. Fry & Sons way back in 1929. It's been a popular treat for a long time!
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Different Kinds of Crunchie
Crunchie bars come in different sizes. You can find small "snack size" bars or bigger "king size" ones. The most common size is a single bar, which is about 2.5 cm wide, 18 cm long, and 2 cm thick.
Fun Flavors and Treats
Over the years, Cadbury has made some exciting limited-edition Crunchie bars in the UK. These special bars had different flavors mixed into the chocolate.
- In the late 1990s, there was a lemonade flavored bar and a Tango Orange flavored bar.
- For New Year's Eve 1999, they even made a champagne-flavored Crunchie!
- In South Africa, you could find a white chocolate Crunchie in a blue wrapper for a while.
Just like other popular chocolate brands, Crunchie also comes in other forms. You can find Crunchie ice cream bars and even cheesecake in some countries. These treats have little pieces of the crunchy honeycomb in them.
In 2006, a special "Crunchie Blast" bar was launched. This one had "popping candy" inside, which made it fizz in your mouth! It wasn't around for long, but you can still find a "Crunchie Blast" ice cream. This ice cream is shaped like a Magnum (ice cream) bar and has honeycomb ice cream with popping candy, all covered in milk chocolate.
In 2010, Cadbury's also created "Crunchie Rocks." This was a mix of chocolate, cornflake pieces, and bits of Crunchie.
Where Crunchies are Made
Until 2010, Crunchie bars were made in a factory in Keynsham, Somerset, in the UK. After that, the production moved to a new Cadbury factory in Skarbimierz, Poland. If you look at the wrapper, it usually says "Made in the EU" instead of a specific country.
Similar Sweets Around the World
Did you know there are other sweets similar to Crunchie?
- Violet Crumble is a very similar chocolate bar that was first made in Australia in 1913. It's still made there today.
- In the United States, a similar product is called sponge candy. It can be found with or without a chocolate coating.
Where to Find Crunchie Bars
Crunchie bars are very popular and easy to find in many countries. These include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India.
They are also imported and sold in other places like Cyprus, Hong Kong, Malta, Nigeria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. You might even find them in the United States, though they are less common there.
How Crunchie Bars are Made
Making the crunchy honeycomb centre for a Crunchie bar is quite interesting! First, the honeycomb toffee is made in big flat pieces. Then, these large pieces need to be cut into bar shapes.
Instead of using a normal knife, which would break the honeycomb, they use a special method. They use a very strong, focused jet of oil to cut the honeycomb! Water would dissolve the honeycomb, but oil keeps it solid and helps make neat, sharp edges. In Canada, they sometimes use spinning saws instead.
After the honeycomb is cut, it's covered in chocolate, cooled down, and then wrapped up and ready to be enjoyed!
Advertising Fun
Crunchie bars have had some memorable advertisements over the years!
In Australia and New Zealand, there was a famous TV ad called the "Crunchie Train Robbery." This ad was so popular that it ran for over 20 years without changing! It even won many awards.
In Ireland and the United Kingdom, Crunchie has been advertised since the 1980s with the catchy slogan, "Get that Friday feeling." Before that, the slogan was "Crunchie makes exciting biting." In 1991, Cadbury used the song "I'm So Excited" by The Pointer Sisters in their TV ads. This campaign was also very long-running, lasting until 2008!
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