Cadbury Yowie
Encyclopedia
Yowie was a brand of chocolate encased toy line, manufactured by Cadbury Australia
and based on the mythology surrounding the Australian Yowie
. Invented by Bryce Courtenay
and Geoff Pike, they were similar to Kinder Surprise
s in that they are basically a chocolate shell around a plastic capsule, with a toy inside. Unlike Kinder Surprises, the toy is usually an Australian or New Zealand animal.
There have been several series of Yowie toys; the first were animals, with limited edition Yowie pencil toppers in some of them. Later, Grumkin pencil toppers also appeared. In 2001 there was a departure from the usual kind of Yowies. In conjunction with an Australian Museum
exhibit called The Lost Kingdoms, new Yowies came out. Instead of endangered animals, these had extinct animals in them, along with the modern koala
and platypus
. The packaging also got overhauled. The wrappers of the Lost Kingdom Yowies could be distinguished by the sign and shovel being held in their paws.
The Yowies, according to the story, are protectors of the various environments of Gondwana. Their names were Rumble (desert
s, resembling a kangaroo
), Boof (rainforest
s and mountain
s, resembling a bandicoot
), Crag (swamp
s and mangrove
s, resembling a Rakali), Ditty (bushland
, resembling a wombat
), Nap (gum forest
s, resembling a koala) and Squish (river
s and waterways and possibly the ocean as well, resembling a platypus). The Yowies were ruled by Bunyip
who lived in a billabong.
The Yowies each had a respective enemy, called a Grumkin, representing the damage being done to it by careless humans. The Grumkins were: Munch (careless building, enemy of Rumble), Blob (pollution
, enemy of Crag), Ooz (also pollution, enemy of Squish), Spark (careless firelighting, enemy of Nap), Slob (litter, enemy of Ditty) and Chomp the Tiger Toothed Tree Chomper (deforestation, enemy of Boof).
In 1998 the second series was released, this time featuring 50 animals. It was discontinued in 1999 when the third series was released.
The third series of Yowies released in early 1999 was compromised of 50 figurines, and 6 limited edition Grumkins (Slob, Munch, Ooz, Spark, Chomp and Blob). This series remained the most common of all the series, extending into 2002, and then scattered releases until the series ended in 2005.
The fourth series of Yowies was released in late 1999. The series was the first to have "Yowie World" animals, in which animals from Africa or Asia were released. It remained the second-most popular series extending until 2005.
After the Yowie line added extinct dinosaurs in 2000, the fifth series of Yowie was released in 2001. The series had 30 figurines, and was often regarded as the rarest series,considering supplies seemed limited. It is the most highly sought-after series of all Yowies.
In 2004 Series B of the Forgotten Friends range was released, this time with 5 limited edition Glow in the dark Grumkins. Spark was left out as it was regarded a bad message to children.
In mid 2005 the Yowie was removed from sales in Australia and New Zealand. It was rumored that the Yowie's sales declined from 2001 onward.
Cadbury
-Businesses:*Cadbury Adams, the company's North American subsidiary*Cadbury Ireland, the company's Irish subsidiary*Cadbury UK, the company's UK subsidiary*Cadbury India, the company's Indian subsidiary*Cadbury New Zealand, the company's New Zealand subsidiary...
and based on the mythology surrounding the Australian Yowie
Yowie (cryptid)
Yowie is the term for an unidentified hominid reputed to lurk in the Australian wilderness. It is an Australian cryptid similar to the Himalayan Yeti and the North American Bigfoot....
. Invented by Bryce Courtenay
Bryce Courtenay
Arthur Bryce Courtenay AM is a South-African-born naturalized Australian novelist and one of Australia's most commercially successful authors.-Background and early years:...
and Geoff Pike, they were similar to Kinder Surprise
Kinder Surprise
Kinder Surprise, also known as a Kinder Egg or, in the original Italian, Kinder Sorpresa, is a confection manufactured by Italian company Ferrero. Originally intended for children, it has the form of a chocolate egg containing a small toy, often requiring assembly.-Overview:Kinder Surprise...
s in that they are basically a chocolate shell around a plastic capsule, with a toy inside. Unlike Kinder Surprises, the toy is usually an Australian or New Zealand animal.
There have been several series of Yowie toys; the first were animals, with limited edition Yowie pencil toppers in some of them. Later, Grumkin pencil toppers also appeared. In 2001 there was a departure from the usual kind of Yowies. In conjunction with an Australian Museum
Australian Museum
The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. It features collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, as well as mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology...
exhibit called The Lost Kingdoms, new Yowies came out. Instead of endangered animals, these had extinct animals in them, along with the modern koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
and platypus
Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
. The packaging also got overhauled. The wrappers of the Lost Kingdom Yowies could be distinguished by the sign and shovel being held in their paws.
The Yowies, according to the story, are protectors of the various environments of Gondwana. Their names were Rumble (desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
s, resembling a kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
), Boof (rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s and mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s, resembling a bandicoot
Bandicoot
Bandicoots are a group of about 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia.- Etymology :...
), Crag (swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s and mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s, resembling a Rakali), Ditty (bushland
Bushland
Bushland is any area in Australia that is predominantly indigenous flora and fauna.Bushland is the term commonly used by conservation protection groups and other environmental groups as a blanket term for natural vegetation, which may cover any kind of habitat from open shrubby country with few...
, resembling a wombat
Wombat
Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a short, stubby tail. They are adaptable in their habitat tolerances, and are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as...
), Nap (gum forest
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, defined by the World Wildlife Fund, characterized by dry summers and rainy winters. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near some seas, as near San Francisco, which have a sea of cool waters...
s, resembling a koala) and Squish (river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s and waterways and possibly the ocean as well, resembling a platypus). The Yowies were ruled by Bunyip
Bunyip
The bunyip, or kianpraty, is a large mythical creature from Aboriginal mythology, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes....
who lived in a billabong.
The Yowies each had a respective enemy, called a Grumkin, representing the damage being done to it by careless humans. The Grumkins were: Munch (careless building, enemy of Rumble), Blob (pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
, enemy of Crag), Ooz (also pollution, enemy of Squish), Spark (careless firelighting, enemy of Nap), Slob (litter, enemy of Ditty) and Chomp the Tiger Toothed Tree Chomper (deforestation, enemy of Boof).
Yowie Series
The first series of Yowies was released in 1997 with 50 animal figurines, and 6 limited-edition Yowie Men (Rumble, Boof, Crag, Squish, Nap & Ditty). The series was discontinued in late 1998, but resurfaced in 2005 from left-over factory editions.In 1998 the second series was released, this time featuring 50 animals. It was discontinued in 1999 when the third series was released.
The third series of Yowies released in early 1999 was compromised of 50 figurines, and 6 limited edition Grumkins (Slob, Munch, Ooz, Spark, Chomp and Blob). This series remained the most common of all the series, extending into 2002, and then scattered releases until the series ended in 2005.
The fourth series of Yowies was released in late 1999. The series was the first to have "Yowie World" animals, in which animals from Africa or Asia were released. It remained the second-most popular series extending until 2005.
After the Yowie line added extinct dinosaurs in 2000, the fifth series of Yowie was released in 2001. The series had 30 figurines, and was often regarded as the rarest series,considering supplies seemed limited. It is the most highly sought-after series of all Yowies.
Lost Kingdoms Series
The Lost Kingdoms series was launched in 2000, under the name "Yowie And The Lost Kingdoms". Series A, had 50 prehistoric figurines and 6 limited edition skulls. It was later replaced by Series B, released in 2001, which only had 30 figurines and 6 limited edition glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs. In 2002 the third and final series, Series C, was released, with 30 figurines and 6 limited edition dazzling dinosaurs.Adventure Series
The Adventure Series saw a turn towards the Kinder Surprise craze in 2001 when Series 1 was released. The series consisted of 5 animals, 5 Yowie men, 5 furniture pieces, 5 flora and 5 helpers. The series was updated in 2002 with a second release with 30 figurines, similar to the previous series, except more animals appeared in this series and the Yowie men and helpers were replaced with Grumkins and helpers.Forgotten Friends
In 2003 Yowie released their Forgotten Friends Series A, which compromised of 30 figurines, with 6 glow-in-the-dark yowie men. The series took another step for Yowie with the animals being from the not-too distant past (last 400 years)In 2004 Series B of the Forgotten Friends range was released, this time with 5 limited edition Glow in the dark Grumkins. Spark was left out as it was regarded a bad message to children.
In mid 2005 the Yowie was removed from sales in Australia and New Zealand. It was rumored that the Yowie's sales declined from 2001 onward.