Anyone who grew up in the 80's and 90's remembers those TV adverts with Chewie the Chewitsaurus. Turns out he still likes to Chew it, Chew it and even got his own app on Facebook. That's part of parent company Cloetta's celebration for the 50th anniversary of Chewits, the cuboid-like chewable sweet, which is being celebrated this year.
It sounds crazy, but the original Chewits were launched in the UK in 1965, after being created in 1963 by J Arthur Holland. Fun fact: the soft, chewable sweet was first called Chewzits, but the creator decided to change its name after two years.
Cloetta, the company that manufactures and sells Chewits, has launched the Facebook app "Chewie on the Loose" and plans to have competitions and giveaways later this year to mark the anniversary. The sweets have also made their way to other markets and are now sold in the Baltics, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Finland, and Malta.
"It has been wonderful seeing the Chewits brand develop into the very successful brand it is today," Cloetta UK commercial director Stuart Lane says in a statement. The company claims to have over 94% brand awareness in the UK and has just launched special edition packs with a retro feel. The Blackcurrant Stick pack is limited and offers a "groovy retro packaging" inspired in the 60's.
There's also a Retro Multipack, with Strawberry, Blackcurrant and Fruit Salad flavours.
Aside from the special edition, regular Chewits come in eight flavours and are (strangely or not) still a hit even with adults - taking a look at the brand's Social media will tell you just that. It has 11,300 followers on Twitter and close to half a million fans on Facebook.
Activity on its website also shows how much people link this product to their childhood, sometimes asking for bizarre flavours like cheese or for the return of previous limited editions, like Ice Cream.
As for the Facebook app, it is inspired in adverts from the 70's, in which the "Monster Muncher" munched through iconic monuments, such as the Taj Mahal and the Empire State Building. The user can direct their havoc-wreaking rampages wherever they choose to.
