Polo (confectionery) facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Owner | Nestlé |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1948 |
| Markets | EMEA Southeast Asia South Asia |
| Previous owners | Rowntree's |
| Tagline | "The mint with the hole" |
Polo is a popular brand of breath mints. Their most famous feature is the hole right in the middle! The classic peppermint Polo was created by George Harris. It was first made in the United Kingdom in 1948. This happened at the Rowntree's Factory in York. Many different flavors came out after that. The name "Polo" might come from the word "polar." This hints at the cool, fresh taste of the mint. Today, Nestlé sells Polo mints. You usually find them in a pack of 23 mints. Each pack weighs about 34 grams.
Contents
The Story of Polo Mints
Polo mints were first made by a company called Rowntree's. They started making them after their special permission to make another mint, called Life Savers, ended. Soon after, Polo Fruits were also created. People say the name "Polo" comes from "polar." This is because it sounds cool and fresh, just like the mints taste!
Different Kinds of Polo Mints
Over the years, Rowntree and Nestlé have made many different types of Polo mints. Some of these have been very popular. Others were not as successful. But the original Polo mint is still the most loved!
- Spearmint Polos: These mints have a strong spearmint flavor. They used to have tiny turquoise dots. Now, they are just white.
- Fruit Polos: These are hard candies with different fruit flavors. You get strawberry, blackcurrant, orange, lemon, and lime all in one tube!
- Polo Gummies: These are soft, chewy candies. They are shaped like a Polo mint but are fruity and gummy.
- Sugar Free Polos: This version of the original Polo has no sugar. It uses a sweetener called sorbitol.
- Mini Polos: These are tiny Polos, about half a centimeter wide. They have a very strong minty taste. They also came in an orange flavor.
- Paan Flavored Polos: Since 2020, these special Polos have been available in India. They have a unique paan flavor.
- Mint O Fruit: These are sold in Indonesia and some stores in the United Kingdom. They come in flavors like Raspberry Mint and Lime Mint. Their slogan is "Think Plong! Masih Ada Bolong!"
Before Nestlé took over, Rowntree also tried some other Polo flavors in the 1980s:
- Lemon and Orange Polos: These were similar to the citrus flavors Nestlé made later.
- Tropical Fruit Polos: These included flavors like banana, melon, and coconut.
What Does a Polo Mint Look Like?
A standard Polo mint is about 19 millimeters wide. It is about 4 millimeters thick. The hole in the middle is about 8 millimeters wide. The original Polo is white. It has the word 'POLO' pressed into it twice on one side. That's why its famous slogan is "The Mint with the Hole"!
The main ingredients in a Polo mint are sugar, glucose syrup, and mint oils. They also contain modified starch and stearic acid.
How Polo Mints Are Packaged
Polo mints usually come in packs of 23 mints. Each pack is about 10 centimeters tall. The tube of mints is wrapped tightly in aluminum foil. A colorful paper wrapper goes around the foil. This wrapper is green and blue for the original mints. It has the word 'POLO' on it. The 'O's in 'Polo' look like the mints themselves! Spearmint Polos have a turquoise wrapper. Extra Strong Polos come in a black wrapper.
Polo Mints and Trademarks
A trademark is like a special sign or name that belongs to a company. It helps people know which products come from which company. When new rules for trademarks came out in the United Kingdom, Nestlé wanted to trademark the shape of the Polo mint. They wanted to protect the white, round mint with a hole.
However, other candy companies, like Kraft Foods and Mars UK, disagreed. They said the shape wasn't special enough. Nestlé was allowed to trademark the shape. But they had to be very specific about it. The trademark only covers mint-flavored candies with the exact size and shape of a Polo mint.
Other companies also tried to trademark their own round candies with holes. Nestlé tried to stop them, but the court said no. The court decided that customers could easily tell the difference between a Polo and other mints. This is because Polo mints have their name clearly pressed onto them.
Polo Mint Advertisements
Polo mints have had many fun advertisements over the years! In the 1980s, a famous voice actor named Peter Sallis did the voiceovers for their TV ads. When the spearmint Polo came out, a new campaign featured the voice of Danny John-Jules. He used a voice similar to his character "Cat" from the TV show Red Dwarf.
In 1995, Polo launched a big advertising campaign. It was made by Aardman Animations, who are famous for their claymation. These ads showed animated Polos on a factory line. In one ad, a scared Polo without a hole tried to escape! But the hole-punching machine caught it. Polo also tried other ways to advertise. In 1998, they worked with PolyGram to release a music album called Cool Grooves. It became quite popular in the UK.
Polo Mints and Horses
Did you know that horses love the taste of peppermint? Because of this, peppermint candies, including Polo mints, are often given to horses as treats! At a book launch event in 2016 for author Jilly Cooper's novel Mount!, guests were even given Polo mints to feed to a white horse that was there!
See also
