Magnum (ice cream) facts for kids
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| Owner | Unilever |
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| Introduced | 1989 |
| Tagline | True to pleasure |
Magnum is a popular brand of ice cream. It was first created in Denmark by a company called Frisko, which is now part of the big British company Unilever. You can find Magnum ice creams in many countries as part of Unilever's Heartbrand products. They come in different forms like ice cream bars on a stick, tubs, and small bites. In Greece, the name "Magnum" is owned by a different company, so Unilever sells its ice cream there under the name Magic.
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How Magnum Ice Cream Started
The idea for Magnum ice cream came from Mogens Vigh-Larsen in Aarhus, Denmark, in the late 1980s. He worked for Frisko, an ice cream maker. Production of Magnum started in the autumn of 1988.
The very first Magnum, now called Magnum Classic, was a thick bar of vanilla ice cream on a stick. It was covered in a special chocolate coating. It was tricky to create this chocolate because it had to stay good even at very cold temperatures, like -40 degrees Celsius. So, a new kind of chocolate was invented just for Magnum! The original Magnum bar weighed 86 grams and had a volume of 120 ml.
The factory in Aarhus where Magnum was first made has since been turned into apartments, shops, and a fitness center. It's now called "Friskohus," which means "The Frisko House." The Frisko brand is still used for ice cream in Denmark today.
Magnum also started selling ice cream cones in 1994 and ice cream sandwiches in 2002.
Did you know that the famous actor Roger Moore, who played James Bond, once said he came up with the idea for Magnum? However, the company Wall's says they don't know anything about this, calling it "a brilliant story."
In March 2024, Unilever announced that it plans to sell off its ice cream brands, including Magnum. This means Magnum will become part of a new, separate company by the end of 2025.
Different Kinds of Magnum
Since 1992, Magnum has added many new flavors. Some early additions included Magnum Almond, Double Chocolate, and White. In 2002, they even made a frozen yogurt version with raspberry swirl covered in milk chocolate.
Magnum also introduced "Moments," which were small, bite-sized ice cream treats with caramel, chocolate, or hazelnut centers. Later, they launched "mini" Magnums, "crunchy" ones (with almonds), and "light" versions.
In late 2002, Magnum Intense was released. This had a chocolate truffle center inside ice cream, all covered in chocolate. They also had a special limited edition series called "7 Deadly Sins," where each flavor was named after one of the seven deadly sins. After that, in 2005, another limited edition range came out, with flavors named after the five senses: Magnum Aroma, Magnum Touch, Magnum Sound, Magnum Taste, and Magnum Sight.
In Australia and New Zealand, where Magnum is sold under the "Streets" brand, a fun limited edition series called "The Sixties Nine" came out in 2003. These ice creams had names related to the 1960s, like John Lemon, Wood Choc, Jami Hendrix, ChocWork Orange, Peace ManGO, Cinnaman on the Moon, Cherry Guevara, Candy Warhol, and Guava Lamp. People who collected nine sticks could get a free Magnum T-shirt! The "ChocWork Orange" was so popular that it was sold as "Chocolate Orange" Magnum for a long time afterward.
In 2008, new Magnum types were released in the UK. These included Mayan Mystica, a chocolate ice cream mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey, and Magnum Minis in various flavors.
More recently, in 2020, Magnum introduced new flavors like Rose Ruby and Salted Caramel. These come in a tub with a chocolate layer on the outside that you can crack open.
Magnum Advertisements
Many famous people have appeared in Magnum advertisements. Actress Eva Longoria was a spokesperson for Magnum in 2008. Also in 2008, Josh Holloway, known from the TV show Lost, became the first male spokesperson for Magnum in Turkey. Actors Benicio del Toro and Caroline Correa starred in a TV commercial for Magnum Gold, which was directed by Bryan Singer.
In 2021, to celebrate 700 years since the death of the famous Italian poet Dante Alighieri, Magnum launched a new limited edition. It included three ice creams, each inspired by a part of Dante's famous poem, the Divine Comedy. To mark this special anniversary, Magnum also asked an Italian painter, Roberto Ferri, to create a painting called Il Bacio di Dante e Beatrice (The Kiss of Dante and Beatrice). This painting was shown in Rome.
Magnum Around the World
Magnum ice cream is sold in many different countries.
In 2009, Magnum Mini Moments were launched. They came in three types of chocolate: milk, white, and dark, with five different flavors like almond and truffle.
In China, the Magnum name is used, but there are fewer varieties. As of 2009, only vanilla, cappuccino, and crunchy flavors were available. Mint and double chocolate were introduced earlier but were later removed from the market.
In 2011, Magnum ice cream was launched in the United States and Canada. Six varieties were available: Double Caramel, Double Chocolate, Classic, Almond, White, and Dark.
In March 2012, Malaysia introduced a new flavor called Choco-Cappuccino.
In April 2013, Magnum ice cream was launched in India by Hindustan Unilever. It first appeared in Chennai and then expanded across the country the following year. In India, it's sold under the brand name Kwality Wall's (ice cream).
In 2014, the Philippines opened a special "make-your-own" Magnum dessert bar or cafe called Magnum Manila. It was located at SM Aura's Sky Park in Taguig.
Vegan Magnum
In 2018, Magnum released its first vegan ice creams. These were available in two flavors: Magnum Vegan Classic and Magnum Vegan Almond. They were first launched in Finland and Sweden, and then in the UK.
See also
In Spanish: Magnum (helado) para niños
