Rolo Candy: History, Packaging & Varieties

Snack History Nostalgia Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Rolo is a bar of cone-shaped caramel-filled chocolate that comes in a package shaped like a “roll”, and each piece of candy is stacked on top of the other in the package. Rolos are truncated where each stacking piece of candy connects via their top and bottom; this allows the consumer to break off a piece of candy from the piece it is connected to in the stack so that each piece of candy can be eaten separately.

Rolo candies are shaped like a cone, but some view them as frustum-shaped they are brown in color, small, and have brown-golden colored caramel inside the chocolate outer shell. It is a fairly dense candy, with each piece having a bit of weight in the hand regardless of the candy’s small size, or perhaps due to it. It is believed by some that Rolo candy was introduced December 21, 1937, though trademark filing for Rolo candy puts its first use date at 1937/12/15. The company that invented Rolo is Mackintosh’s, which was later named Rowntree-Mackintosh, with the company listed in its first trademark filing as John Mackintosh & Sons, Ltd.

History And Information

Rolo is a chocolate candy that is filled with caramel, the package is in the shape of a roll. Each of the several pieces of candy inside the package is stacked top-to-bottom and is truncated to allow each price to be broken off and eaten individually. Rolo is said to have been invented on December 21, 1937, although the trademark filing for candy that uses the word Rolo puts its first use date at 1937/12/15.

However, these dates do not always describe the true date that products were first sold. Rolo was invented by the company Mackintosh’s, who later had its name changed to Rowntree-Mackintosh. The company name on the trademark information for the word Rolo was John Mackintosh & Sons, Ltd. The lasted listed owner of the trademark for at least the aforementioned version of the word Rolo is Société des Produits Nestlé S.A, which translates roughly to Products Company Nestle S.a. Corporation. Another trademark filing for a different version of the word Rolo has the owner listed as Societe des Produits Nestle S.A. SOCIÉTÉ ANONYME.

The history begins with another candy called Mackintosh’s Toffee. That product started when a man named Mackintosh opened up his sweets shop in Halifax, Yorkshire, England in 1890, and came up with the product Mackintosh’s Toffee, aiming to get the firmness just right. The candy is similar to Mackintosh’s Toffee with a chocolate coating on it.

The name comes from how the package’s novel design is shaped like a roll. As Rowntree-Mackintosh produced Rolos outside the United States, in 1956 the New England Confectionery Company acquired a license to produce Rolos within the United States. In 1969, the license for US Manufacturing of Rolos was acquired by The Hershey Company. In 1998, the Nestlé company acquired Rowntree and its brands, including Rolo.

In 1980 they began to use the slogan “Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?”; Although the use of this phrase was ended due to what was viewed as changes in people’s perceptions about relationships. The brand reduced the number of Rolos from 11 to 10, prompting some individuals online to use jokes referring to the company “taking the last Rolo”, and similar jokes of that variety.

The brand has engaged in numerous advertising campaigns to promote the product; In 1996 the Rolo ad “Elephant” won the Grand Prix in the section Film Lions at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. In the ad an elephant gets fooled by a young boy and decades later takes revenge, referring to the saying “elephants never forget”.

Rolo has produced several versions and spin-offs to the original variety. Some of these include both Mini Rolos and Big Rolos, both made very similar to the original variety. Some spin-offs are Caramel Frozen Dessert Sandwiches, Biscuits, and branded Ice Cream Cones. Other types include the Sharing Block, a hybrid between a Rolo and a more traditional candy bar you might find with something like a Hershey’s bar. The Rolo brand refers to its packages as “tubes”, and also sells them in 3 pack and 4 pack bags.

The Year Rolo Was Invented

Rolo was invented in the year 1937. Some say its exact date is December 21, 1937, though trademark filing for Rolo candy puts its first use date at 1937/12/15.

The Company That Invented Rolo

The company that invented Rolo is Mackintosh. The company was opened in Halifax, Yorkshire, England in 1890. Mackintosh’s merged with their rival Rowntree to form Rowntree Mackintosh, which merged with Nestlé in 1988.

The Company That Makes Rolos

Rolos is produced by Nestle outside the United States, and by the Hershey Company within the United States. Hershey produces famous candy products such as Twizzlers and York Peppermint Patties (that it also has a license to produce). Nestle has been known for producing many famous candy products itself, such as the Crunch Bar, which it since has sold to another company.

In 1998, the Nestlé company acquired Rowntree and its brands, including Rolo. Trademark information shows the owner of the word Rolo in regards to candy as Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. The aforementioned company is listed as engaging in the manufacturing of chocolate and cocoa products. The company was founded in 1936 and is based in Vevey, Switzerland. The company operates as a subsidiary of Nestlé S.A.

Slogans

The most well-known slogan used by Rolo candy is “Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?” this slogan was used from 1980 to about 2003, where it was dropped due to changing perspectives about relationships.

Logo

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients.

• Glucose syrup
• Sugar
• Modified milk ingredients
• Cocoa butter
• Cocoa mass
• Modified palm and palm kernel oils
• Sunflower lecithin
• Salt
• Natural flavours
• Sodium carbonate
• May contain wheat

Nutrition

Serving Size: Servings Per Container 1	8 package	% Daily Value*
Amount per serving
Calories	220
Total Fat	10g	13%
Saturated Fat	7g	37%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	75mg	3%
Total Carbohydrates	33g	12%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Total Sugars	30g
Added Sugar	28g	57%
Protein	2g
Vitamin D	0.3mcg	0%
Calcium	70.0mg	6%
Iron	0.6mg	4%
Potassium	120.0mg	2%

• The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Spin Off Products

Here are some Spin-off products for the brand

• Snack dessert bars -Nestle
• Ice Cream – Dreyer’s/Edy’s
• Ice Cream – Nestle
• Ice Cream “Jampacked” – Nestle
• Peanut Butter Ice cream” Jampacked” -Nestle
• Frozen Dairy Sandwiches-Nestle
• Frozen Dessert-Nestle
• Ice cream cones – Nestle
• Ice cream bar – both full size and mini – Nestle
• Drumstick – Nestle
• Blizzard (Dairy Queen blizzard of the month)
• Mcflurry- Mcdonalds
• Milkshake -Nestle
• Mousse -Nestle
• Pudding-Nestle
• Pudding Dark- Nestle
• Nesquik Syrup – Nestle
• Cookies – Nestle
• Busiquit -Nestle
• Hot Chocolate -Nestle
• Chocolate Egg-Nestle
• Chocolate Egg mini -Nestle
• Ice Cream Eggs-Nestle
• Doughnuts- Nestle
• Cake – Nestle

Advertising And Marketing

The advertising style for Rolo seems to evolve with the times. In a classic 1980’s commercial featuring an animated couple, the woman was depicted to be so in love that she gave her boyfriend her last Rolo. The advertisement coined the phrase, ” Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?” This slogan lasted until 2003 when Nestle surveyed consumers deciding they were more attracted to humor than romance when it came to relationships.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_14WbDd3Zng

Hand-drawn Animated advertisements remained Rolo’s signature until 1990. In 1996 a Dutch Rolo advertisement “Elephant” won the film Grand Prix at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. The ad displays an elephant being fooled by a young boy and taking revenge decades later.

Rolo has no clear target audience. Since the rebrand in 1990, there have been uses of humor in commercials such as ads titled, ” Rolling out of control,” or “Office Hottie.” The Brand has also attempted a “smoother” approach with ads such as, “Departures” and ” Office.” Both advertisements feature sensual Jazz music and describe Rolo as “rich chewy caramel rolled up in smooth milk chocolate.” They also include voice-overs featuring a deep masculine voice.

Packaging Style

The signature packaging style for Rolo is dark brown with hues of light-brown, mimicking the candy’s chocolate and caramel make-up. The name is always written in red letters, usually at the center of the package. In the logo, the letters R and L are connected through cursive writing while the O’s sit just above the links.

For the traditional candy, the package is long and round, adapting to the size of the stacked candy. The packaging differs with special flavors such as the Peanut Butter filled Rolo. For this product, green coloring is included. Before Nestle acquired the brand from Hershey, the packaging was dark-brown with light-brown symmetrical dots, and the word Rolo was spelled without cursive writing.

Pictures

Commercials

FAQ