Nestl[acute{e}] Rides Wonka into Toy Candy

Brandweek, July 3, 2000 by Mike Beirne

Nestl[acute{e}] will jump into the growing toy candy arena via its Willy Wonka unit with stackable packaging for Mini-Gobstoppers and MiniShock Tarts, and separately bow new Gobstoppers ads from Dailey & Associates, L.A., that play off the tagline, "What will he think of next."

Plastic dispensers, made by Fantazzmo Fun Stuff, Schaumburg, III., likely will be shaped like trains sporting 3-D letters and eight different colors. The containers, which can be connected to form letters, a Wonka train and other contraptions, will hit shelves in September at 99 cents.

The Gobstoppers TV spot, which does not mention the toy dispenser, joins the animated roster of Nerds, Shock Tarts and Chewy Runts ads which show Willy in his purple hat guiding a tour through his candy factory in his Wonkamobile. Budget was not disclosed, but measured media spending by Wonka totaled $4.4 million last year, per Competitive Media Reporting.

Aside from seasonal packaging and Wonder Ball, which originally had plastic Disney characters inside a chocolate ball but now offers shapes made of SweeTarts and stickers, the dispensers are Nestl[acute{e}]'s biggest foray into interactive candy. The Fantazzmo partnership will yield more Wonka dispensers and toy snacks.

Wonka this month rolls a 50-cent, two-cell Nerds dispenser with new flavors--wildberry on one side and a watermelon-fruit punch combo on the other. Tangy Taffy merges with Laffy Taffy as the repositioned Stretchy and Tangy Laffy Taffy featuring 10 fruit combination flavors marked by wacky monsters on pack. Previous Tangy flavors like Looney Jerry were discontinued last year following complaints that they stigmatized mental illness.