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Kcal 88 Fat 4.8g Fat(sats) 3.0g Carbs 9.0g (per mascot)We are going to start off this week with a short chocolate review and a mini rant :D As you may have gathered from both the title and the photos, the focus of today's post is on these new Cadbury Mascots chocolates. Cadbury are one of London's official partners for the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games, so suffice to say I think we can all expect a barrage of these sort of products heading our way between now and next year. So far we have had to endure the rather tiresome Spots vs Stripes campaign, which in my opinion has failed to stimulate any great excitement despite significant investment (See HERE). Hoping to do a little better, these Cadbury Mascots are the first official Olympic offering from Cadbury - lets see what I made of them.
These 'aerated milk chocolate Mascots' come in packs of two that weigh around 32.0g each. Fundamentally the whole product concept is just the Cadbury Wishes remoulded and repackaged with an Olympic theme obviously applied. In regards to the quality of the presentation and packaging, everything was the usual Cadbury high standard with the matted foil wrapper well designed and decorated with it's kiddie friendly Mascot pictures. Speaking of the Mascots themselves they were well sized and the detail of each mould was impressive and attractive.
To get to what I'm sure you guys are well aware with haste I can confirm that the bubbly Cadbury Milk chocolate was exactly as expected with it quickly creating a sound chocolatey taste that was firmly rooted in sweet sugar, milk and cocoa. The bubbly texture at the centre of each mascot of course added interest in terms of mouth feel, however the Dairy Milk thickness wasn't quite there as one would expect given the usage of their secondary recipe. All-in-all I guess I would say these were just really middle of the road Cadbury offering - nothing to get overly excite about, neither nothing to turn your nose up at either. If you like Cadbury chocolate then you will like these - simple as!
7.6 out of 10
.... but hold it there!!! I've got a bone to pick ...
Funnily enough it's not with Cadbury! No, it's with the idiots who designed our friends here Wenlock and Mandeville. I mean come on! Who in their right mind sanctioned these characters as the official mascots!? The names are confusing and they look like ... well I best not say. I just cannot believe for one minute that these 'things' are going to be the face of our Olympic Games. The idea is to choose something the kids will love - take a look at this link HERE and tell me that not every single one of those mascots are a hundred times more adorable and loveable than Wenlock & Mandeville. Apologies for the rant, but it kills me that someone will have been paid a ridiculous amount of money to come up with these. If you want to really start me off then get me talking about the 2012 Olympic Logo :D Any opinions from you ChocolateMission readers?
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60 comments:
If these are the extent of the cadbury plans for the olympics then colour me very very disapointed. I can't for one minute imagine this has to be it. You got to be thinking they are going to go to town by the time the games come around.
I wouldn't worry people I would of thought these mascots are just the start of a wealth of things to come. No company would be stupid enough to spend that much on the advertising sponsorship and then just make just the one basic product. Theres going to be plenty more to come that im sure of.
p.s.
This was the BBC take on things before they made up these two things http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7456330.stm
The Beijing mascots weren't memorable but they were at the least kid friendly.
Oooooh needs some cadbury milk choc now nom nom nom <3 <3
Im with you on this one jim. I thought the characters were stupid the first time I saw them but even more so now. I just tried recalling their names without peeking at the review again and I can't for the life of me remember them ....... wenlock and mednville?
Lol if we cant even remember their names there has to be no hope at all for small children doing so.
----
What a silly set of creatures!? they made here. What are they even supposed to be? They look like strange metal alien things. They just aren't very appealing at all.
Jim whats going on? No Hotel Chocolat for two weeks now? I hope you intend to bring them back next week please.
Great post today Jim. I know these didn't do much for you but somehow you've still managed to make them look tasty with those tasty photos you do.
Grrrrr this is sooooooo lazy of Cadburys. Honestly could they not even do something just a little different for once. Sorry but it's just so boring to see them do these stupid aerated things all the time.
I almost fear writing this because I disagree with you Jim. I think people will get used to and be all to aware of what/who they are before everything starts. It would have been easy for them just to create another stupid looking bear/animal or something equally as boring that. I think its good they went outside the box with these.
Cadbury FAIL
British Olympics FAIL
My view on the W&M (shortened because I cant remember what they are called lol) situation is that they are fair enough. They are obscure and silly to the extreme but one might suspect that they are so much like that it could perversely work out in their favour. I think there is potential that they are so silly looking they could stick in peoples mind more than say another more generic human or animal. They could be the surprise sucess of the games I think.
Dx
I've given up expecting anything other than boring new products from cadbury now. I just don't understand why they don't recognise people are clambering for something different from what they normally get.
Is it such a big problem for them if they make something that people aren't that taken by if its just a limited edition. Opportunities like this are the best time to test the waters don't you think.
I could write reams and reams about how uninspired and lacking in imagination these are but I don't know who I would be kidding ..... I will still buy them at some point so Cadbury/Kraft will ultimately still get what they want.
Darn them and their dastardly chocolatey ways.
The real issue here isnt the characters but the chocolates they have done for them imo.
If the chocs were half exciting and not just plain ol cadbury milk then no one would give two woots what the damn things were called etc Well i kno I wouldnt.
They have to keep these plain guys because they want them to have the broadest appeal poss.
The olympics is for everyone so it kinda makes sense that they go for a chocolate bar that it going to appeal to 90% of people albeit just a milk chocolate one. Its boring yeh but I see where they are coming from.
Would it of hurt to throw just a little caramel or white chocoalte in the mix here? No is the answer .... no it wouldnlt. I was silly even hoping for it though.
No one need say more than they just suck lol ... sorry ... thats the crux of the matter. They just suck.
You know I'm not a great fan of cadburys milk chocolate anyways so these being mediocre aren't going to upset be the slightest.
My appreciation of chocolate has changed so much since finding this site. I used to be a person who are choc everyday but now its more about having it less often but better quality. In a week I would much rather have one day of Hotel Chocolat than 5 days where I have galaxy.
Zzzzzzzzz well theres a surprise Cadbury making yet another lazy lazy effort. Can one blame them when they have this to work with though lol!? Worst mascots evvvver.
Lol I was wondering at what point you were going to pass remark on the logo. If you ask me that is a far bigger issue than these characters. I STILL don't know what thats supposed to be or what its supposed to mean!??!?? Anyone!?
Dont get stressed out about these being bland peeps. There isn't a chance on this planet that this is the entrie lot that cadburys are going to do for London 12.
If it is I wil give you all a million pounds.
I think they're kinda cute myself =) I like odd things like that tho.
You shouldn't have started the week off so negatively Jimbo. Mondays are depressing enough lol.
A cool idea they could have done is used these as a test bed for a potential wispa mint return. If they had made the centre parts mint flavoured then they could of seen how they sold etc.
Thats just a pie in the sky suggestion of course, They never would have done something that useful for themselves ;)
They are more interesting than just another boring bear but that doesn't for one minute mean they are suitable :-)
It is good they tried to go for something different but yes I think they did get it a little wrong with these. It wouldnt surprise me at all to see them bring in some other figures alongside these ones because they aren't going to hit the mark with people I wouldn't of thought.
When will they learn we are just bored of things like this :( :( :( :( :(
All i can say is Cadbury are lucky you take such yummy looking photos. Your piccie has got me thinking of buying them just to settle my wispa craving
Its not just Mars Uk who are rubbish with the new products guys. Cadburys are every bit as guilty of making a rubbish one here yet again.
London 2012 is going to be amazing. These aren't an accurate reflection lol.
I don't know what I think is worse here ........ the fact cadbury have brought out another rubbish new choccie or the characters themselves. I wont worry myself too much about it, they just aren't worthy of my time.
Hey hun. I agree entirely about these silly figures they look so silly. You just know these were created by a bunch of back slapping marketing whizzes who know nothing about kids and what they want. Can you even create cuddly toys and the like for these!? I dont think its just chocolate where these are going to fail to impress people.
Do we know if they talk or what/where they are from? Lol why have they chosen to come to earth for the Olympics? I'm taking this all too seriously arent I.
Rxxx
Hey, at least they aren't persisting with all that spots and stripes nonsense. Man that got so tiresome so fast, so just be thankful that it seems to have had a stop put to it.
It wasn't that many years ago we didn't even have a wispa bar. Nowadays they can't get away from
anything aerated.
Chocolate with holes in is sure popular with them now lol.
I wish they had attempted to do something better that these but it doesn't suprise me in the slightest that they are what they are.
Hey J
What did you make of the footie this weekend? I thought man u were very lucky to get that draw in the end. Pool were equally lucky to beat wolves, we were rubbish in the 2nd half again :(
Ive always thought the mascots sucked. Its a tragedy that some people have been paid money to design them. If they were done by kids you could understand it.
Cheers
N
Jim you weren't half as harsh on cadbury as i thought you might be for these. I thought we might see you explode when I first heard what they had done with them. I know you dont like companies just pumping any old rubbish out there.
I would have given these a 6/10. The chocolate was ok but even the aerated bit in the middle doesn't amount to much because they are so small.
Lol trust us to come up with the worst olympic mascots of all time. Well done olympic commitee you really pulled it out the bag there guys. Such Epic amounts of fail.
@David This is a funny article about this all
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1279736/London-2012-Olympic-mascots-Meet-Wenlock-Mandeville.html
LMAO it says the Olympic logo cost 400k to design. Mental.
I'm going to have my say here. I don't like them, but at the same time I can put up with them. I think they could have been worse like some annoying little animals or something, yet at the same time I think they could have made them proper aliens or something that had landed on earth and had landed in the middle of the olympic games by accident. Just think of what they could have done with that idea at the opening ceremony etc. They could of had a mock up space ship crash into the stadium and everything. I guess they still could if they establish them as aliens quickly, at the moment they just seem like they are big chunks of metal lol.
Chillax everyone this is just the start of it all. This will all look very silly closer to the day when we wont be able to get away from it all. The fact you are all doubting that this is going to be what happens is a naive to the max on your parts.
Prediction: by the time London is upon us we wont even remember these. The first of hundreds people. Mark my words.
So they just took a lot unsold wishes stars ..... melted them down ...... shaped them into these randomly disgusting shapes ..... and gave them a pretty new wrapper.
Do you know what ..none of this is surprising lets be honest.
Jim those silly creatures are ridic I agree with you.
Does anyone remember how they come up with them? was it like they gave kids the chance to come up with them with a competition or something?
You're right about the Mascots.. Id not even heard of them until these Cadbury ones appeared.. says it all doesnt it! Horrible names, horrible looking lol.
As fot the chocolate version, they are abit different to the Wishes in that the Wishes had a truffle bit aswell, these dont. These seem ok, but not bery exciting.
Hi All,
There has been some nice view points offered in regards to both these chocolates and mascots today.
I've had a read of them all and the sentiment I'm getting is a none to positive one.
Keep all the views coming in and I will further comment on my thoughts when some more of you guys have had a say.
DAVID - Interesting link thanks.
ANON - HC reviews return next week.
MATT - Well you certainly managed to provide us all with the bluntest opinion out of them all haha :D
RACHEL - Sadly I have no answers for any of your questions there. I doubt the creators of these characters know themselves :D
ALAN - Speaking of Cadbury Wishes I saw them back in store for the first time in a while this weekend. Merchandising them side-by-side would be interesting, it would be a hard sell in to the retailer from a Cadbury point of view.
Thanks for the comments / views everyone. Like I said I will consolidate my extended thoughts and post them later this week.
JIM
@Daisy I love how you provide us with the half glass full view on everything. I unfortunately cant say im with you on it but at least someone here is attemptin to look at this with some positivity. As much as I like the majority of ppls views on here I think we can be such a miserable and damning lot sometimes.
The thing that most annoys me about these silly characters is the fact that someone is going to have thought they have done a really good job with them. They would have been paid a silly amount of money to come up with two characters that couldn't be less appropriate for what was needed.
One almost thinks they read the brief wrong and these people thought they were creating two characters with the silliest names possible and least amount of appeal. Thats the only explanation I can think of anyway.
Well neither Cadburys or the British Olympic Association have covered themselves with glory here.
I think a lot of people are piling on the dramatics here. Its just the first of many very silly chocolates we will no doubt be getting from cadburys in the next year. Lets face it, its way too early to be writing off cadburys olympic contribution just yet. Just be patient and wait for Christmas to be over. I think after then they will be clicking everything in to gear.
Well speaking as someone whos never had a Cadbury Wishes star I guess i was never going to find these as boring as some of the rest of you. I can see how you think they are crappy if they are just the same thing remoulded. Thats not a 'fresh' thinking sort of approach.
They just make everything aerated now to save money dont they. Typical big company trickyness.
This is all begging out for a JCM 'design you own olympics chocolate bar'.
Go on J, you must have some sort of chocolate to give to us.
We really don't need to worry about these being the olympic chocolates from Cadburys. As some of the guys and gals have said already these mascots are going to be the first of hundreds to come in the next year or so. Just be patient there is ages until the games.
They could have done something simple like make one white chocolate and one milk chocolate. Anything other than this plain two milk chocolate mould would have been acceptable to me. The fact is they just went down the boring route yet again :(
Has no one here heard of the phrase if you haven't got anything nice to say don't say it!?
If you haven't take note. Its so boring having to sift through all the negativity, its just chocolate for christs sake. Stop taking everything so seriously.
These look terrible. I won't be buying any for the simple reason they don't use Dairy Milk. I mean, you would think they could use their special chocolate considering these are supposed to be for a special occasion.
@Anthony - well, we are British! ;)
@Dimi funny that saying also just occurred to me...but I can't keep quiet this time lol! I love the Olympics so I wish these 'iconic' characters were a little more mainstream, with shapes I could recognize & remember, and names I'd heard of. I just wonder who their test market for these was, they must've had one? I do want to try that chocolate though, I've never eaten a cyclops animal(?) shape before and that picture is intriguing.
@Graeme so it's not just me!! thanks I feel better now :D it only hit me last week the logo looks like a 2, 0, 1 & 2. And I'm still not positive I'm right.
PS These were a lot of fun to eat, I can't lie ;)
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