Yorkie (chocolate bar) facts for kids
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| Owner | Nestlé |
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| Introduced | 1976 |
| Previous owners | Rowntree's |
Yorkie is a popular chocolate bar made by Nestlé. It was first created by a company called Rowntree's in York, England. That's where the name "Yorkie" comes from!
Contents
History of Yorkie
How Yorkie Started
In 1976, a person named Eric Nicoli from Rowntree's noticed there wasn't a very "manly" chocolate bar in the shops. So, they decided to create Yorkie. It was designed to be a bigger, chunkier chocolate bar. It was meant to compete with other popular chocolates like Cadbury Dairy Milk. Yorkie bars were made in York and Norwich until 1994.
Yorkie's Advertising Campaigns
For a long time, Yorkie was advertised mostly to boys and men. From when it first came out until 1992, a "Yorkie bar trucker" was a famous character in their TV ads. He was shown as a tough and strong person.
Another well-known ad was a big sign at York railway station. It said "Welcome to" and showed a picture of a Yorkie bar. So, it looked like it said "Welcome to York". Below that, it added, "Where the men are hunky and the chocolate's chunky".
In 2002, Yorkie had a new advertising campaign. They added the words "It's not for girls!" to the wrapper. They also had TV and print ads that used similar phrases. This campaign caused some discussion, and some people complained to the Advertising Standards Agency. However, the agency decided the complaints were not justified. But, a special event where free Yorkie bars were given only to men was stopped by councils in Liverpool and Birmingham.
In 2006, a special pink-wrapped Yorkie was released. This was a fun, ironic twist on the "not for girls" idea. This pink version was actually marketed towards women. By 2011, the "It's Not for Girls!" slogan was removed from the standard Yorkie bars.
Different Kinds of Yorkie
Besides the original milk chocolate bar, there have been several other kinds. These include a "raisin and biscuit" flavour and a "honeycomb" flavour. There's even Yorkie ice cream! A special version was also made for the Ministry of Defence to use in their ration packs. This special bar had its own slogan: "It's not for civvies".
How Yorkie Bar Sizes Changed
Yorkie bars originally had six chunks of chocolate. Each chunk had "Rowntree" written on it. They were wrapped in both foil and an outer paper wrapper and weighed about 58 grams. Later, the wrapping changed to a single plastic wrapper.
More recently, to help reduce costs, the number of chunks was changed to five. The word "Yorkie" was moulded into each chunk. The weight of the bar has also changed over the years. In 2002, Yorkie bars weighed 70 grams. By 2010, this was reduced to 64.5 grams. It was then reduced again to 61 grams in 2011, and then to 55 grams later that same year. In November 2014, it shrunk again to 46 grams. In January 2015, Raisin & Biscuit Yorkies in the United Kingdom were 44 grams. A special edition Yorkie Peanut was 43 grams. Even Yorkie King size bars have become smaller over time.
Yorkie Flavours
Here are some of the different flavours of Yorkie that have been available:
- Original (milk chocolate)
- Raisin & Biscuit
- Honeycomb
- Orange (a 'Limited Edition' that came out on May 10, 2021)
- Peanut (this flavour was stopped, then brought back as a 'Limited Edition' on October 13, 2014, but is now stopped again)
- Almond (discontinued)
- "The Nutter" (a mix of nuts – discontinued)
- Yorkie Biscuit and Brownie (a 'Limited Edition' that launched in 2025)
- Yorkie Blue Ice (had crunchy mint flavoured chips – discontinued)
- Yorkie Hot Stuff Hot Rum (a rum flavour Christmas limited edition)
- Biscuit (a biscuit made with Yorkie original chocolate) – discontinued in 2024
- Yorkie Pro (a protein chocolate with crispy pieces, designed to have more protein)
Other Information
Yorkie once sponsored the Stealth roller coaster at Thorpe Park, a popular theme park.
See also
