User:Queros99/Cococubs

'Cococubs'

Cococubs were a set of 32 hollowcast, hand painted, lead figures of anthropomorphic creatures given away with Cadburys Bournville Cocoa from 1934 to 1939.

They were designed by a Commercial Artist and prolific illustrator of children's books, Ernest Aris

The free gifts were available just as Britain was coming out of a depression where few families had spare income to indulge their children with toys. The scheme was a huge success and within a few weeks of the campaign Cadburys ran out of the supplies of both the drinking chocolate and the Cococubs. It was only after a delay of two months that supplies were again on sale.

It has been hailed as “One of the cleverest publicity schemes of the year. It is difficult to over-estimate the sales value of such a scheme" .” The quotation comes from the Grocery Merchants Journal and proved to be quite prophetic as some 300,000 children subsequently joined the Cococub Club which issued a 'Newspaper', to members together with a badge and membership card. It terms of it's enduring appeal it must go down as one of the most succesful advertising schemes of all time.