Wispa facts for kids
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| Type | Confectionery |
|---|---|
| Owner | Mondelez International |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1981 |
| Related brands | List of Cadbury products |
| Tagline | Time Well Mis-spent |
The Wispa is a popular chocolate bar made by the British company Cadbury. It's special because it's made with "aerated" chocolate. This means it has lots of tiny bubbles inside, making it feel light and bubbly when you eat it.
The Wispa bar first came out in 1981 for a test in North East England. It was so popular that Cadbury launched it across the whole country in 1983. Many people saw it as a rival to another bubbly chocolate bar, the Aero.
In 2003, Cadbury decided to stop making the Wispa. They wanted to focus on their Cadbury Dairy Milk brand. So, the Wispa was changed and called "Dairy Milk Bubbly" instead. It also looked a bit different, more like a regular Dairy Milk bar.
But people really missed the Wispa! In 2007, many fans started online campaigns to bring it back. Because of this, Cadbury brought the Wispa bar back for a short time. It was so popular again that in October 2008, the Wispa permanently returned to shops in the UK and Ireland.
Contents
How Wispa is Made
Creating the Bubbles
The tiny bubbles in Wispa chocolate are made in a clever way. First, the chocolate is melted. Then, a gas, usually carbon dioxide or nitrogen, is mixed into the melted chocolate. This happens under high pressure.
When the pressure is high, tiny gas bubbles form inside the liquid chocolate. As the chocolate cools down, the pressure is lowered. This makes the gas pockets expand and get trapped inside the chocolate. Air is not used to make the bubbles. This is because air would make the chocolate go bad faster.
Wispa Advertising Campaigns
Early Advertisements
When the Wispa bar first launched in 1983, its advertisements were a bit of a mystery. They were called "teaser" ads. They simply asked, "Have you heard the latest Wispa?" They didn't even show that it was a chocolate bar!
Later Wispa ads featured famous actors. These actors included Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, and Victoria Wood. They would talk to the camera in front of a black background. Even characters from the TV show Dad's Army appeared in some of these early adverts.
Comeback Advertising
When Wispa came back in 2008, the advertising was very simple. Large posters outside just said, "It's back. Apparently." Smaller posters showed conversations about Wispa returning. They read things like, "Apparently, the Wispa thing is true. It's coming back. Finally. Brilliant."
In December 2009, Wispa even had a TV advert called "For the love of Wispa." This advert featured everyday people who were big fans of the chocolate bar. It showed cheerleaders, choirs, and grandparents celebrating Wispa's return.
For the return of Wispa Gold in 2009, Cadbury asked people to send in their own ideas for posters. They received over 7,000 ideas! More than 900 different posters were then displayed across Britain and Ireland.
Wrapper Changes
Over the years, the Wispa wrapper has changed a few times. In 2015, the blue wrapper was replaced with the traditional Cadbury purple color. The wrapper was redesigned again in 2016. This time, the Wispa logo was made to look like a balloon.
Wispa Products
Available Products
- Cadbury Wispa: This is the original bubbly milk chocolate bar. It was first launched in 1981. It was stopped in 2003 but came back in 2007 for a short time. It then returned permanently in 2008.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold: This bar has bubbly milk chocolate with a layer of caramel. It first came out in 1995. It was stopped in 2003 but returned temporarily in 2009. It has been available permanently since 2011.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold Duo: This is a Wispa Gold bar split into two halves. It was launched in 2020.
- Cadbury Wispa Duo: This is a regular Wispa bar split into two halves. It was launched in 2010, stopped in 2011, but came back in 2012.
- Cadbury Bitsa Wispa: These are small, bite-sized pieces of bubbly milk chocolate. They were launched in 2012.
- Cadbury Wispa Hot Chocolate: This is a hot and frothy chocolate drink. It was launched in 2013.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold Hot Chocolate: This is an instant hot chocolate with a caramel flavor. It was launched in 2014.
- Cadbury Wispa Biscuits: These are round biscuits with a layer of bubbly milk chocolate, all covered in milk chocolate. They were launched in August 2014.
- Cadbury Endless Wispa: This is a long pack of four Wispa bars. It has been available every Christmas since 2012.
- Cadbury Bitsa Wispa Sharing Tube: This is a tube filled with small bubbly milk chocolate pieces. It was launched for Christmas in 2014.
- Cadbury Wispa Easter Egg: This is a hollow milk chocolate egg that comes with Wispa bars. It was first launched in the 1980s. It was stopped in 2003 but came back in 2008. It is only available around Easter time. In 2015, the number of Wispa bars inside the egg was changed from four to two.
Discontinued Products
- Cadbury Wispa Orange: An orange-flavored bubbly milk chocolate bar. It was a special edition launched in 1994.
- Cadbury Wispa Mint: A bubbly milk chocolate bar with a mint layer. It was launched in 1995 and stopped in 2003.
- Cadbury Wispa Bite: A bubbly milk chocolate bar with caramel and biscuit layers. It was launched in 2000 and stopped in 2003.
- Cadbury Wispa Strawberry: A bubbly milk chocolate bar with a strawberry jam layer. It was launched in 1994 and stopped in 1999.
- Cadbury Wispaccino: A bubbly milk chocolate bar with a coffee-flavored caramel layer. It was launched in 1997 and stopped in 2003.
- Cadbury Wispa McFlurry: Vanilla ice cream with Wispa pieces and chocolate sauce. It was available at McDonald's in 2008, 2012, and 2023.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold McFlurry: Vanilla ice cream with Wispa pieces and caramel sauce. It was available in 2012 and 2023.
- Cadbury Wispa Ice Cream: Chocolate ice cream with Wispa pieces. It was launched in 2009 but stopped in 2012.
- Cadbury Wispa Ice Cream Bars: Chocolate ice cream bars with Wispa pieces, covered in milk chocolate. They were launched in 2009 but stopped in 2013.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold Easter Egg: A hollow milk chocolate egg with four Wispa Gold bars. It was launched in 1999, stopped in 2003, but returned temporarily in 2009.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold Hazelnut flavour: A bubbly milk chocolate bar with a soft hazelnut caramel center. It was a special edition launched in 2021 and stopped in 2022.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold Salted Caramel: A bubbly milk chocolate bar with a salted caramel layer. It was a special edition launched in 2022 and stopped in 2023.
Wispa in Australia
Australian Release
Around October or November 2016, Wispa chocolate bars became available in IGA stores in Australia. Also, in November 2016, mini Wispas were included in Cadbury Heroes chocolate boxes sold in Australia.
In April 2017, the 110g bags of Bitsa Wispa were released in Australia. Other bite-sized chocolate items were also launched at the same time.
Why Wispa Left and Came Back
The Discontinuation
In 2003, Cadbury decided to make all its chocolate bars part of the "Dairy Milk" family. This meant that many existing brands were changed to become "Dairy Milk" products. As part of this plan, the Wispa brand was stopped. It was replaced by a product called "Dairy Milk Bubbly."
The Relaunch Campaign
After Wispa was stopped in 2003, many people started online campaigns to bring it back. There were online petitions and groups on social media sites like Bebo, MySpace, and Facebook. At the Glastonbury Festival in 2007, some Wispa fans even held up a banner saying "Bring Back the Wispa."
Because of all this support, Cadbury announced in August 2007 that the bar would return. It was relaunched on October 8, 2007. At first, they only planned to make 23 million bars. But if sales were good, a permanent return was possible. The new Wispa looked very similar to the original bar.
On August 24, 2007, the very first box of the relaunched Wispas was put up for auction on eBay. Cadbury confirmed the auction was real, and the money went to a charity called Ghana for the Source. A 23-year-old from the Isle of Man won the auction with a bid of £195.
In February 2008, a woman named Rebecca Wells found an old, out-of-date Wispa bar in her sofa. She auctioned it on eBay for a charity called LAM Action. The bar raised £1,000 for the charity.
The Wispa bar officially returned for good in October 2008. Before its permanent return, a special Wispa McFlurry was available at McDonald's restaurants until September 30, 2008. A Wispa Easter Egg was also made available during Easter 2009.
On September 14, 2009, Wispa Gold was also brought back for a limited time. This happened after another big campaign on Facebook. Wispa Gold also became available in Australia again in January 2010.
On August 26, 2011, it was announced that Wispa Gold would return permanently in November. This was done to support team GB for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In April 2013, Cadbury launched Wispa Hot Chocolate. A Wispa Gold version of the hot chocolate was launched later. Cadbury also launched Wispa Biscuits.
Canadian Mirage Bar
In Canada, a very similar chocolate bar called the Mirage bar was released in 1983. It was made by Cadbury's rival, Rowntree's (now Nestlé). The Mirage bar is still available in Canada today.
