Freddo Frog
Encyclopedia
Freddo is a brand of chocolate bar currently manufactured by Cadbury
. It was invented in 1930 by Harry Melbourne, an 18 year old moulder employed by MacRobertson's
; an Australian confectionery company. It is sold in Australia
, New Zealand
, Ireland
, the United Kingdom
and Zimbabwe
.
Each chocolate is shaped like a cartoon frog, standing up and dressed. Though primarily available as solid milk fingers, certain versions of the product have a cream or caramel centered flavouring. These include Dairy Milk
, white chocolate
, rice crisp, strawberry
, peppermint
, "Rainbow Crunch" and "Milky Top" (the top half being white chocolate and the bottom milk chocolate, in the style of Cadbury's "Top Deck" products).
In 1930, the MacRobertson's chocolate company were looking to add a new product to their children's range. Initial designs for chocolate mouse were rejected, as Harry Melbourne felt that women and children were afraid of mice and would dislike the product. It was instead decided to produce a chocolate frog, branded as "Freddo Frog". There were four varieties available: milk chocolate, white chocolate, half milk/half white, and milk chocolate with peanuts.
Freddo Frogs became part of the Cadbury product range in 1967, when MacRobertson's were sold to Cadbury. In Australia, Freddo Frogs are manufactured in Ringwood, Victoria
and Hobart
. Since the success of Freddo, an alternative chocolate named Caramello Koala
, also made by Cadbury, has been created. Caramello Koala is the only flavour in which the chocolate is not shaped like "Freddo", but shaped like a Koala instead.
Freddo bars were released onto the UK market in 1973 and withdrawn in 1979. After 15 years they were re-launched. In the UK, a caramel filled version is also sold, with a yellow wrapper. This was formerly known as the Taz bar, featuring the Looney Tunes character
. They disappeared for several years before returning under the Freddo image.
In June 2006, a scare over possible Salmonella
contamination in some Cadbury products in the UK led to the recall of around a million Cadbury chocolate bars, including the standard Freddo. As a result of the contamination Cadbury was fined £1M, and ordered to pay an additional £152,000 in costs.
In 2009, the Freddo chocolate was redesigned in the United Kingdom, featuring a new, glossier Freddo design, and a replacement Dairy Milk logo. The Caramel Freddo also got the redesign. The same year saw the launch of an online animated series, The Adventures of Freddo and the Time Machine, expanding Freddo's character in short narrative stories supported by Flash games. The first series met with enough success to launch a second in 2010, The Adventures of Freddo and the Mystery of Slater Island.
Freddo bars have suffered severely with inflation, the price of the bars has risen 100% from 10p to 20p in the UK over 5 years. There have been many campaigns for the return of the Taz Bar which had a different caramel than that of the newer redesigned Freddo caramel.
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...
. It was invented in 1930 by Harry Melbourne, an 18 year old moulder employed by MacRobertson's
MacRobertson's
MacRobertson's, officially the MacRobertson's Steam Confectionery Works, was the name of a company that produced chocolates and various other confectionery in Australia. The company was founded in 1880 by Sir Macpherson Robertson and takes its name from a combination of his first and last name...
; an Australian confectionery company. It is sold in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
Each chocolate is shaped like a cartoon frog, standing up and dressed. Though primarily available as solid milk fingers, certain versions of the product have a cream or caramel centered flavouring. These include Dairy Milk
Dairy Milk
Dairy Milk is a brand of milk chocolate currently manufactured by Cadbury; except in the United States where it is made by The Hershey Company. It was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1905 and now consists of a number of products...
, white chocolate
White chocolate
White chocolate is a confectionery derivative of chocolate. It commonly consists of cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and salt, and is characterized by a pale yellow or ivory appearance...
, rice crisp, strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
, peppermint
Peppermint
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
, "Rainbow Crunch" and "Milky Top" (the top half being white chocolate and the bottom milk chocolate, in the style of Cadbury's "Top Deck" products).
History
Freddo Frogs became part of the Cadbury product range in 1967, when MacRobertson's were sold to Cadbury. In Australia, Freddo Frogs are manufactured in Ringwood, Victoria
Ringwood, Victoria
Ringwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maroondah. At the 2006 Census, Ringwood had a population of 15,185....
and Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
. Since the success of Freddo, an alternative chocolate named Caramello Koala
Caramello Koala
Caramello Koala is a brand of chocolate bar currently manufactured by Cadbury Australia. It consists of a chocolate cartoon shaped koala with a caramel center, similar to that of a Freddo, albeit a fully chocolate bar.The chocolate bar is sold in two sizes: the more common 20 gram size and the...
, also made by Cadbury, has been created. Caramello Koala is the only flavour in which the chocolate is not shaped like "Freddo", but shaped like a Koala instead.
Freddo bars were released onto the UK market in 1973 and withdrawn in 1979. After 15 years they were re-launched. In the UK, a caramel filled version is also sold, with a yellow wrapper. This was formerly known as the Taz bar, featuring the Looney Tunes character
Tasmanian Devil (Looney Tunes)
The Tasmanian Devil, often referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. The character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros...
. They disappeared for several years before returning under the Freddo image.
In June 2006, a scare over possible Salmonella
Salmonella
Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria with diameters around 0.7 to 1.5 µm, lengths from 2 to 5 µm, and flagella which grade in all directions . They are chemoorganotrophs, obtaining their energy from oxidation and reduction...
contamination in some Cadbury products in the UK led to the recall of around a million Cadbury chocolate bars, including the standard Freddo. As a result of the contamination Cadbury was fined £1M, and ordered to pay an additional £152,000 in costs.
In 2009, the Freddo chocolate was redesigned in the United Kingdom, featuring a new, glossier Freddo design, and a replacement Dairy Milk logo. The Caramel Freddo also got the redesign. The same year saw the launch of an online animated series, The Adventures of Freddo and the Time Machine, expanding Freddo's character in short narrative stories supported by Flash games. The first series met with enough success to launch a second in 2010, The Adventures of Freddo and the Mystery of Slater Island.
Freddo bars have suffered severely with inflation, the price of the bars has risen 100% from 10p to 20p in the UK over 5 years. There have been many campaigns for the return of the Taz Bar which had a different caramel than that of the newer redesigned Freddo caramel.