Chupa Chups () is a Spanish

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

found in over 150 countries. The brand was founded in 1958 by Enric Bernat, and is currently owned by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

- Dutch

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

Perfetti Van Melle. The name of the brand comes from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

verb '' chupar'', meaning "to suck". Similar confections are known as

lollipop A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker and sticky-pop. Lollipops are avail ...

s or suckers in English.

History

In the early 1950s, Enric Bernat founded the company Productos Bernat, which specialized in the production of

. Bernat began working for an apple jam factory called "''Granja Asturias"'' in 1954. By 1958, he controlled 100% of the capital of Granja Asturias and renamed the company ''Chupa Chups'' in 1961. He built the production machines and sold a striped

bonbon A bonbon, sometimes bon-bon, is a small chocolate confection. They are sometimes filled with liqueur or other sweet alcoholic drinks and sold wrapped in colored foil. Ingredients Through the Western world, bonbons are usually small candies but v ...

on a

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

en stick, but later it was changed to a plastic one. To ensure that competition in Spain was reduced, he purchased the Spanish patents for similar products in 1959. In 1967, the company opened the Sant Esteve Sesrovires factory in Barcelona. In 1977, the lollipops appeared in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. In the 1980s, it expanded to the United States, Germany, Italy, Russia and UK. Expansion to China and Mexico happened in the 1990s. In 1991, Bernat passed formal control of the company to his children Xavier, Ramón, Marcos, Marta and Nina. The Smint subsidiary brand/company was founded in 1994. In July 2006, the company as a whole was acquired by the

- Dutch group Perfetti Van Melle.

Marketing

The Chupa Chups logo was designed in 1969 by the

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

artist

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

. Its first

marketing campaign Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

was the logo with the slogan "''Es redondo y dura mucho, Chupa Chups''", which translates from

as "''It's round and long-lasting''". Later, celebrities like

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

were hired to advertise the product. In the 1973 television series ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'', actor

Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (; January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was a Greek-American actor. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama series '' Kojak'' (1973� ...

was featured consuming these lollipops. In the 1980s, as falling birth rates reduced the number of juvenile consumers, an anti-smoking slogan "Smoke Chupa Chups" was tried to attract adult consumers. The company's current anti-smoking slogan is "Stop smoking, start sucking", with their packages parodying cigarette pack designs. Some packages parody the mandatory black and white warning labels of the European Union with the notice "Sucking does not kill." In the 1990s, Chupa Chups began supplying

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

manager

Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016), internationally known as Johan Cruyff (), was a Dutch professional Association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. Regarded as one of the greatest ...

with lollipops. Cruyff would suck Chupa Chups on the touchline during matches, having been forced to give up smoking for health reasons. When Cruyff died in 2016, fans left lollipops at his memorial. Chupa Chups sponsored the 1992 video game '' Zool''. Their logo was featured prominently in the first level, "Sweet World". In 1995, Chupa Chups became the first candy sent to the Mir space station. In 1997, Chupa Chups launched a

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...

lollipop range with different packages each featuring a collectible Spice Girl sticker, toy microphones, and

bubblegum Bubble gum (or bubblegum) is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble. Composition In modern chewing gum, if natural rubber such as chicle is used, it must pass several purity and cleanliness tests. However, ...

packets that came with collectible Spice Girls temporary tattoos, as well as "Push Pops" and "Crazy Dips". Between 2000 and 2003, Chupa Chups was the main shirt sponsor of English football team

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

. Since 2010, Chupa Chups was the signature of the Marriott brand hotel Springhill Suites. Chupa Chups were available at the front desk of any Springhill Suites property for free to any guest, child or adult. As of August 2021, Marriott has begun stepping away from Chupa Chups as a signature item for Springhill Suites. Messer Chups is a

surf rock Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...

band from

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, Russia. In the group's name, "Messer" is taken from the German word for "knife" and "Chups" from Chupa Chups lollipops.

Products

Chupa Chups has a large product range, with their flagship lollipop being the most popular. * Lollipops ** Classic, 12 gram *** Cremosa (ice cream and yogurt flavors) ** Mini, 6 gram ** Filled Lollipops *** Magics (powder filled) *** Bubble Gum (with bubble gum center) *** Fruit-tella (flavors from nature) *** Chocolate (filled with chocolate) *** Cuore di Frutta ** 2Pop ** Sugar Free ** XXL ** Crazy Dips (explosion) ** Melody Whistle Pops * Bubble Gums ** Big Babol ** Cotton Bubblegum * Toys ** Spinning Faces ** Totem Markers ** Funky Labyrinths ** Balloon Cars * Gifts and Seasonal Gifts ** Mega Chups 750 gr ** Back Packs * Chupa + Surprise * License Products * Sparkling Drinks Chupa Chups has more than 100 flavours available worldwide, including sugar-free varieties. They are individually heat-sealed in the factory, and are best opened by twisting the base of the wrapper.

References

External links

Chupa Chups World (official site)
(Flash)

{{Salvador Dalí 1958 establishments in Spain Salvador Dalí Food and drink companies established in 1958 Lollipops Food and drink companies based in Barcelona Manufacturing companies based in Barcelona Perfetti Van Melle brands Spanish brands Spanish subsidiaries of foreign companies Confectionery companies