Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel / Cadbury's Caramel (Cadbury)
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As a particularly fetching animated bunny once said, "Take it easy with Cadbury's Caramel". Indeed, those Cadbury Caramel Bunny ads spawned a love for this bar that has stayed with me to this day. That said, just like with the Dairy Milk and Fruit & Nut bars, buying and eating the re-branded Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel is a mixture of emotions for me. On one hand, the artwork and, particularly, the plastic wrapper annoys me intensely given the lovely packaging that went before it; on the other hand, the chocolate still looks and tastes great.
Packaging:
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The bar retains the 'Caramel' text of old which combines the traditional Cadbury 'c' with a very fluid stylisation for the remaining letters. Together with the gentle curves of the design this conveys a relaxed, almost effeminate feel that harks back to the Caramel Bunny ads of old. Beyond that, the design sports a predominantly purple and yellow colour scheme with a clear division between the two hues to signify the Caramel and Dairy Milk parts of the branding. All in all, if this was a new bar from an up-and-coming company called Cadbury, I would probably be quite supportive saying it is a logical execution of the product that makes for a neat and tidy design. The only problem is, Cadbury is not new and I know how much better the product was and, indeed, still could be.
Yesteryear:
(Above image taken from third-party YouTube video)
What used to be called Cadbury's Caramel came in a yellow paper wrapper that was delicately folded around the contents and had the word 'Caramel' printed in big across the face of it. Like the paper sleeve and foil combo of Dairy Milk and Fruit & Nut at the time, Cadbury excelled in creating a design that looked just a bit more special than your everyday chocolate bar and, consequently, my young mind quickly put the product on a pedestal. However, in recent years Cadbury created the all-encompassing Dairy Milk brand, changed the 'Cadbury's Caramel' name accordingly and shipped in those bog-standard plastic wrappers. As a result, the product has ended up looking like just one of very many cheap and cheerful chocolate bars that you don't saviour but pick up in your lunch break to munch on.
Taste:
From the moment the chocolate is unveiled, Dairy Milk's classic sweet, milky notes fill the senses. Taking a bite, those smells translate to the taste buds and are complemented by the soft bite of chocolate and smooth richness of caramel. Thankfully, the sweetness of the caramel still doesn't overpower the chocolate with the milky notes countering it perfectly. Overall, I may not be too fond of the new wrapper but the chocolate is still on the money for me.
TV Advertising:
Featuring lovely hand-drawn animation, these ads had a certain relaxed and indulgent feel to them that had me and many others hook, line and sinker.
Have you considered...?
Today's product is free from hydrogenated fat and suitable for vegetarians.
History (as per the Wikipedia entry):
Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel (better known and still referred to by its former name Cadbury's Caramel or Cadbury Caramel) is a chocolate bar that is part of the Cadbury Dairy Milk brand and is made by Cadbury UK and Cadbury Ireland. The bar is sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The bar was first launched in 1976, originally called Cadbury's Caramel until 2003, when it was renamed. In early 2009 it was relaunched, with the Caramel name re-emphasised as the main on-pack brand, and the Dairy Milk brand reduced in size.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the Caramel bar was advertised via its own mascot, the Cadbury's Caramel Bunny (also known as simply the Caramel Bunny), who featured in a series of animated shorts, advising others to "take it easy" by eating a bar, all the while being ogled as a result of her beauty. The voice for the Caramel Bunny was provided by British actress Miriam Margolyes. The Caramel Bunny voice in Ireland was provided by Tara Flynn.
In 2009, the Caramel Bunny returned to advertise the return of the Caramel brand, being advertised on posters with the slogan: "still got it". In March 2009, a UK newspaper poll voted the Caramel Bunny the third sexiest cartoon character of all time, after Jessica Rabbit and Betty Boop. In October 2009, Giles Deacon designed a dress for her Cadbury's Dairy Milk Caramel Nibbles launch campaign.
Related TGBD Articles:
Cadbury's Fruit & Nut (Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut)
Web Links:
A Glass and a Half Full Productions (website for new Cadbury advertising campaign)
Kraft Foods Corporate Website (owner of Cadbury brand)
Fellow food bloggers:
It's All About Limited Edition