Smarties > Reviews (41)

“Red and yellow and pink and green, orange and purple and bluuuuuue, I can sing the rainbow, sing the rainbow, sing the rainbow………and EAT ‘EM TOO!!!!”

Ah the songs we sing as youngsters…. or not so youngsters as this case is, my young daughter looking on at me, her face contorted into a look of disgust and disbelief as I stuff the little blighters in me gub and giggle whole heartedly to myself that life really can’t get any better!

Yes, at the ripe old age of nineteen I have rediscovered the joys and wonders of Nestles ‘Smarties’-and check out my cheeky chocolaty multicoloured grin at the discovery of this hidden suppressed treasure.

From the onset Smarties promise to deliver. Screaming out at you through the mundane world of Mars Bars and Fry’s Chocolate creams are these irresistible sugar coated chocolate delights. The packaging is bright, cheery and utterly appealing - a blue box/tube/packet speckled with those delightful little tweeties, all colours of the rainbow (and brown ones too, but brown doesn’t get a place in the song – but check Nestle fighting against the discriminations of the ages and including all colours …hehe) dancing around, jumping back and forth, laughing at you, teasing you. Big bold letters state their name loud and proud across the centre. It’s a visual delight and sets itself aside from the rest of the competition. It’s a BIG bit of fun amongst a dull and gloomy world of chocolate heaven.

I strongly believe that Smarties are done an injustice. They seem, beyond the age of about nine, to have no real place in society. Sniff. Discriminated against because they cling on to a bright and beautiful world and can not maintain seriousness long enough to ‘fit in’ with the society we have created. Peer pressure for the little ones to grow up fast has often left these tasty treats on the shelf whilst they opt for the more ‘sophisticated’, the more socially acceptable, chocolate treat of say, a Galaxy. With the incredible urge to be old before their time Smarties stop appealing. Not because when we hit twelve and the dreaded adolescence our pallets enjoy them less, but because their ‘childish’ packaging does not create the ‘right impression’ amongst the youth of today’s peers. Similarly it seems a tube of multicoloured fantasticness has no place hanging out of the pockets of today’s young entrepreneurs. If we are what we eat what does it imply? It isn’t serious enough perhaps? It creates the wrong impression? A DairyMilk with its sexy, sleek packaging presents a better one? Perhaps! Perhaps! Who could have thought the chocolate world could be so political eh? But this does not eliminate Smarties from the competition and does not mean that Smarties should not be taken seriously. Far from it! In a world that yearns to grow up too quickly and then looks back and mourns the loss of its youth, Nestle, with their invention of the eternally optimistic and youthful Smarties, should be given a hearty clap on the back.

So how have they survived the test of time?

How, if society has put them on the back shelf, have they remained forefront in the minds of some? Because ladies and gentlemen, they rock! Pure and simple! Quality, against all odds, will survive, and when we add ingenious ideas to modernise and freshen the face of Smarties we realise they, like the old adverts said, really do have all the answers… and something for everyone.

For the icklest of hands and mouths let me present mini Smarties. If a tube of sugarcoated delights is too much for your precious little ones appetite then these little mites are perfect. Tiny but still scrumptious these come in little triangular packs for a measely 15p and are guaranteed to keep your lil’ one smiling quiet multicoloured grins for a good while. Easy for tiny paws to clasp, smaller so less deliciousMESS, and still maintaining the cheeky chirpiness that IS smarties these are great for special treats. (I personally always have a packet of these in my bag, fantastic for bribery!).

For those slightly older, slightly hungrier, or slightly against the idea of change – comes the traditional and famous Smarties tubes. No need to go on, we should know by now the contents get a big thumbs up from this Daysleeper. These come in at 38p at my local store, but upon ravaging half the packet I’d bought for my daughter I realised that though pricey the quantity was deceiving: there being many more smarties jam packed into the tube than I had first imagined. To my daughters delight some still remained after I had had my chocolate hit, and one can steal a few on the sly without others noticing. Loving it!

Finally comes the long awaited and incredibly Americanalised idea. When something is good what do we do? We make it BIGGER!!! GIANT Smarties – to satisfy all appetites, chocolate cravings and midlife crises. Mmmm, mmmm, and more mmmmmm’s. More chocolately deliciousness and less sugar coated than the previous two these are the grown ups smarties! Carried in a classy, yet still boisterous packaging, it fits in better to the grown up world, yet allows us to revel in our childhood memories. Immense!

Not only are they truly scrumptious, to add a little tinkle of magic they went and made them more amazing. Genius, PU-URE genius it was that decided to make the orange ones chocolate orange flavour. This sparkle of difference in an already delicious packet just spoils the consumer (namely ME! so no complaints) but makes the experience even more fantastically enjoyable. They look after us, every so often having limited editions (white chocolate smarties, football colours, find a white one win a trillion million pounds) to keep our interests, look after human natures desires for change. Ah yes, only smarties have the answer, all the answers, EVERY answers!!! mwahahahahaha!

I should probably stop, a thousand words on Smarties – are you still there reader?? I have just realised that my ‘passion’ for these sweets is bordering on obsessive and I should probably inform someone before it becomes harmful to my mental state (could be a reaction to the E numbers in the colourings – but the darkside of smarties I wish not to discuss, nuh-uh, another day, when the medication has worked and I feel physically stronger!) So I shall leave you with my multicoloured smile and my blatant enthusiasm for this wonderous burst of light in our mundane world. SMARTIES!!!

(In conclusion? Yeh I think they get my vote!)