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 |
Wispa is a popular chocolate bar made by the British company Cadbury. What makes Wispa special is its unique bubbly texture, created by tiny air bubbles inside the chocolate. It was first introduced in 1981 as a test in North East England. Because it was so popular, it was launched across the country in 1983. Many people saw it as a rival to Rowntree's Aero bar, which also has bubbles.
In 2003, Cadbury decided to stop making the Wispa bar. They changed it and called it "Dairy Milk Bubbly" instead. This new version was shaped more like other "Dairy Milk" chocolates.
But people really missed Wispa! In 2007, thanks to a big online campaign by fans, the Wispa bar was brought back for a short time. It was so popular during this limited return that in October 2008, Wispa came back permanently to shops in the UK and Ireland.
Contents
How Wispa's Bubbles Are Made
Have you ever wondered how Wispa gets its tiny bubbles? It's a clever process! First, the chocolate is melted. Then, a gas like carbon dioxide or nitrogen is mixed into the liquid chocolate under high pressure. This makes tiny gas bubbles form inside.
As the chocolate cools down, the pressure is lowered. This causes the gas bubbles to expand and get trapped inside the chocolate, giving Wispa its famous bubbly texture. Air isn't used because it would make the chocolate go bad faster.
Wispa Advertisements
When Wispa first launched in 1983, its advertisements were a bit mysterious. They used the phrase "Have you heard the latest Wispa?" but didn't even show that it was a chocolate bar! Famous actors like Paul Eddington and Victoria Wood appeared in these early ads.
When Wispa came back in 2008, the ads were all about its return. Large posters simply said, "It's back. Apparently." Smaller posters showed conversations about Wispa coming back, like "Apparently, the Wispa thing is true. It's coming back. Finally. Brilliant." In 2009, a TV advert called "For the love of Wispa" featured real people who loved the chocolate bar.
In 2015, the Wispa chocolate bar wrapper got a new look. It changed from its original blue color to the traditional Cadbury purple. The wrapper was updated again in 2016, with the Wispa logo looking like a balloon.
Wispa Products
Over the years, Cadbury has made many different Wispa products. Some are still available, while others were only around for a short time.
Available Wispa Products
- Cadbury Wispa: This is the original bubbly milk chocolate bar. It was launched in 1981, stopped in 2003, and then brought back permanently in 2008.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold: This bar has bubbly milk chocolate with a layer of caramel. It first came out in 1995, was stopped in 2003, and then returned permanently in 2011.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold Hazelnut flavour: A special edition bubbly chocolate bar with a soft hazelnut caramel center, launched in 2021.
- Cadbury Wispa Gold Salted Caramel: Another special edition with a salted caramel layer, launched in 2022.
- Cadbury Wispa Duo: This is a Wispa bar split into two halves. It was launched in 2010, stopped briefly, and then relaunched in 2012.
- Cadbury Bitsa Wispa: These are small, bite-sized pieces of bubbly milk chocolate, launched in 2012.
- Cadbury Wispa Hot Chocolate: A warm, frothy chocolate drink, launched in 2013.
- Cadbury Wispa Biscuits: Round biscuits with a layer of bubbly milk chocolate, covered in milk chocolate. These came out in 2014.
- Cadbury Wispa Easter Egg: A hollow milk chocolate egg that comes with Wispa bars inside. It's available only at Easter.
Discontinued Wispa Products
- Cadbury Wispa Orange: An orange-flavored bubbly chocolate bar that was a limited edition in 1994.
- Cadbury Wispa Mint: A bubbly chocolate bar with a mint layer, available from 1995 to 2003.
- Cadbury Wispa Bite: This bar had bubbly chocolate with caramel and a biscuit layer. It was sold from 2000 to 2003.
- Cadbury Wispa Strawberry: A bubbly chocolate bar with a strawberry jam layer, available from 1994 to 1999.
- Cadbury Wispaccino: A bubbly chocolate bar with a coffee-flavored caramel layer, sold from 1997 to 2003.
- Cadbury Wispa McFlurry: Vanilla ice cream mixed with Wispa pieces and chocolate sauce, available at McDonald's at different times.
- Cadbury Wispa Ice Cream: Chocolate ice cream with Wispa pieces, sold from 2009 to 2012.
Wispa in Australia
In late 2016, Wispa chocolate bars became available in IGA stores in Australia. Later, in April 2017, bags of Bitsa Wispa were also released there.
Why Wispa Came Back
After Wispa was stopped in 2003, many fans started online campaigns and petitions to bring it back. People even held banners saying "Bring Back the Wispa" at music festivals!
In August 2007, because of all this fan support, Cadbury announced that Wispa would return for a limited time. They planned to make 23 million bars. If sales were good, it could come back for good. The new Wispa looked very similar to the original bar. Some people wondered if Cadbury had planned the "fan campaign" all along, but it certainly showed how much people loved Wispa!
The very first box of the relaunched Wispas was even auctioned on eBay for charity. A 23-year-old from the Isle of Man won it for £195!
In February 2008, someone found an old, out-of-date Wispa bar in a sofa and auctioned it for charity. It raised £1,000!
Finally, in October 2008, Wispa returned permanently to shops. Before its permanent return, you could even get a special Wispa McFlurry at McDonald's for a limited time.
In 2009, Wispa Gold also made a comeback for a limited period, again after a big campaign on Facebook. It proved so popular that in August 2011, Cadbury announced that Wispa Gold would return permanently in November, just in time to support team GB for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
