The Wombles Chocolate Bars by Cadbury's
Many children of the 1970s will certainly remember The Wombles, and their message of environmental stewardship, presented in a charming and accessible way. There was also a range of The Wombles Dairy Milk chocolate bars by Cadbury's, who were keen to cash in on their popularity.
Each bar featured a different Womble character, with a different coloured wrapper for each one. Characters included Wellington (green wrapper), Tobermory (pink), Bungo (orange), Orinoco (blue and green), Tomsk (dark green), Uncle Bulgaria (yellow and orange), and Madam Cholet (deep blue).
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The Wombles made their debut in 1968, with the publication of Elisabeth Beresford's book, "The Wombles." Set in the idyllic Wimbledon Common in London, the tale introduced readers to a community of small, burrow-dwelling creatures. These pint-sized characters, with their distinctive pointy noses, used their resourcefulness and knack for recycling to clean up the litter left behind by humans, turning discarded items into useful inventions.
Beresford's tales were an instant hit with children, and they soon made their way to television screens across the UK.
As you can see, the wrapper supported the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, and asked the consumer to "Please put this wrapper in a bin!".
In 1973, The Wombles leaped onto British television screens in a stop-motion animated TV series. The show was an immediate sensation, capturing the hearts of both children and adults with its enchanting stories of Wombles like Great Uncle Bulgaria, Orinoco, and Madame Cholet. The series not only entertained, but also subtly conveyed an important message about the environment and the value of recycling, a concept that was ahead of its time.
There were actually two wrapper designs produced for each Womble, one featuring the whole body and another featuring just the upper torso.
The Wombles Crystal Jelly
Yes, so popular were the characters, that there was even a crystal jelly manufactured by Royal during the 1970s, bearing their name! Flavours available were Strawberry, Raspberry and Lemon.
I hope you have enjoyed viewing these nostalgic photos of The Wombles chocolate bars wrappers and jelly packaging from the 1970s.