Break Yourself Off A Piece Of These 12 Facts About Kit Kats

by N/A, 9 years ago | 5 min read

Your favorite Halloween candy has an interesting history.

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1. The name has been around since the 17th century.

London's Kit Cat Club was often frequented by Whig party supports and literary types. The owner specialized in making meat pies which he called "kit cats."

2. Roundtree trademarked the names â€œKit Katâ€ and â€œKit Catâ€ in 1911, but released a box of chocolate wafers in 1937.

3. It was meant to be a perfect complement to a boxed lunch.

Rowntree chose the compact shape of the bar so that it would fit easily into lunch boxes.Â

4. It was also marketed as a light snack to go along with tea.

5. They're made by Hershey's and Nestle.

Nestle bought Rowntreeâ€™s in 1988, which put in in charge of Kit Kat's global brand, but Hershey's had a previous licensing agreement with Rowntree's, so the company manufacturer's the candy in the U.S.Â

6. After a milk shortage during WWII, manufacturer's began making the candy with dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate and used blue wrappers to signify the change.

7. The "break" concept has been around since 1958.

Changes in manufacturing caused the candy to make a distinctive snap sound when two pieces were broken apart. Ad executives wanted to pair that with the idea of taking a tea break and the branding we know today was born.Â

8. There are lots of exciting varieties around the world.

You can pick up white chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate varieties in most places, but there are also seasonal options. If you travel abroad you'll find a cheesecake flavor, a Kit Kat Drumstick ice cream cone in the Philippines, and Kit Kats wrapped in pizza dough at Pizza Huts in the Middle East. Â

9. The size of the bars is different in every country. In the Middle East, it matches the length of local currency and in Australia and New Zealand a 12-piece block is sold for sharing.

10. The jingle has been proven to be extremely catchy.

A study conducted at the University of Cincinnati found the "Gimme a Break" jingle to be one of many common "earworms," or things people can't seem to get out of their heads.Â

11. Japan has a variety of flavors including green tea, yubari, miso and soy sauce.

12. You'll also find a bakeable version in Japan.

Japan released bakeable Kit Kat bars. The bars are covered in dough and come in cheesecake and pudding flavors. They can be found in some ethnic food aisles in the U.S.