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Mr. Big (chocolate bar)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mr. Big is the largest sized chocolate bar produced by Cadbury in Canada,[1] hence the name. The standard bar is made of a layered vanilla wafer biscuit coated in caramel, and rice crisps; covered in a chocolate coating.[1] The bar is the length of two "standard"-sized bars – around 20 centimetres (8 inches) long.[2][3] Additional varieties include Mr. Chew Big, Mr. Big Fudge, and Mr. Big with Maple.

History

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The bar was first produced in Canada by Neilson in 1979.[4] The bar is common in Canada, but is also available in Hungary, Poland, and some areas of the United States.

A Canadian advertising campaign in the 1970s included the tagline "Mr. Big: so big they call him Mister".

The product launched in the U.S. in 1995, and the launch included an advertising campaign with the basketball player Shaquille O'Neal.[5][6][7] A miniature Mr. Big chocolate bar is manufactured and marketed for the Halloween season.[1]

In 1996, Neilson sold their candy division, including the rights to make the Mr Big bar, to Cadbury.[8]

Brand name

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The Mr. Big brand name was originally owned by Nestlé and licensed by William Neilson (now Cadbury). This created a situation where the trademark of one of Neilson's largest brands was owned by its largest competitor. Neilson then bought the rights to the name Mr. Big for confectionery.

Ice cream

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Mr. Big was the only Cadbury chocolate bar to have an ice cream variant made by Nestlé until 2019. It was discontinued in May 2002 in the UK due to poor sales. An ice cream bar version produced by Nestlé is available in Canada, although other Cadbury ice cream products were previously made by Breyers.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Martineau, Chantal (October 13, 2010). "Canadian Candy: 11 Sweets You Can't Get this Side of the Border". Village Voice. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  2. ^ Tovrov, Daniel (2 September 2011). "5 Best Candy Bars You've Never Heard Of". International Business Times. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Cadbury Products". Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Price spiral hits chocolate sales". newspapers.com. Montreal Star Newspaper. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  5. ^ Carr, D. (2003). Candymaking in Canada. Dundurn. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-4597-1269-0. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  6. ^ "Shaq Snaqs include Mr. Big bar". Advertising Age. October 25, 1995. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  7. ^ "The Shaquille Story". newspapers.com. Miami Herald Newspaper. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Cadbury Schweppes swallows Neilson". newspapers.com. Vancouver Sun Newspaper. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
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