Chewits is the

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

of a cuboid-shaped, soft chewy

sweets Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English, New Zealand English), is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, i ...

manufactured by

Cloetta Cloetta is a Swedish confectionery and nuts company. The company manufactures and sells local confectionery brands on its main markets Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany and the UK. The company has 8 factories in five co ...

History

The sweets were first produced in 1963 as "Chewzits", manufactured by J Arthur Holland in

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

. In 1965, Hollands were acquired by

James Goldsmith Sir James Michael Goldsmith (26 February 1933 – 18 July 1997) was a French-British financier, tycoon''Billionaire: The Life and Times of Sir James Goldsmith'' by Ivan Fallon and politician who was a member of the Goldsmith family. His cont ...

and amalgamated into

Cavenham Foods Cavenham Foods was one of the United Kingdom's largest food processing businesses. History The company was founded by Sir James Goldsmith in 1965 when he bought up a series of bakeries. In 1971 Cavenham acquired the Bovril Company but then sold ...

along with Parkinson's of Doncaster and Carsons & Goodies of Bristol and several other confectionery companies, and the name was changed to "Chewits". After the closing of the factory in 2006 manufacture was moved to

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. Chewits has greatly expanded its line of flavours, however the original flavours consisted of Strawberry, Blackcurrant, Orange and Banana. Over the years more exotic flavours such as Ice Cream, Cola, Rhubarb & Custard, and Blue Mint were introduced as limited edition flavours. In 2000Sweet Success
accessed July 14, 2011 sour flavours, Sour flavours
accessed July 14, 2011 Apple and Tutti Frutti were launched, other fizzy and hot flavours were available for a limited time. New Chewits pack designs, formats and flavours were launched in 2009. Currently Chewits core flavour range includes Strawberry, Blackcurrant, Fruit Salad, Lemon Xtreme, Cola , Blue Raspberry , and Cherry, .Chewits products
accessed July 14, 2011 Ice Cream Chewits, originally released in 1989, were re-introduced in 2009 following an online petition"Bring back ice cream chewits"
on Bebo, accessed September 30, 2009 and demand expressed on Facebook and Bebo.

Television advertising

Chewits were first advertised on television in 1976. The original advertisements featured Chewie the Chewitsaurus, a Godzilla-resembling mascot on the hunt for something chewy to eat. The first ad featuring Chewie threatening New York was made by French Gold Abbott and created by John Clive and Ian Whapshot. The first ad was so successful the sequel was delayed. Chewie chomps and tramples humorously local and well-known international landmarks such as

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of B ...

Bus Depot, a London block of flats, London Bridge, the

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

, the

Leaning Tower of Pisa The Leaning Tower of Pisa ( it, torre pendente di Pisa), or simply, the Tower of Pisa (''torre di Pisa'' ), is the ''campanile'', or freestanding bell tower, of Pisa Cathedral. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unst ...

, and the Empire State Building. Chewie could only be quelled by a pack of Chewits. A spin-off computer game, ''The Muncher'', was released for the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

in 1988. The original adverts used claymation special effects, similar in style to those made famous in the movies of

Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Mi ...

. They also included a voiceover style reminiscent of a 1950s radio serial. A subsequent advertisement, originally aired in 1995, plays on the over-the-top advertising style of the post-war era. To the tune of bright 1950s era orchestration, a salesy narrator exhorts viewers to try a variety of chewy consumer items in the essential guide to a chewier chew. The ad shows Chewie sampling items such as

Wellington boots The Wellington boot was originally a type of leather boot adapted from Hessian boots, a style of military riding boot. They were worn and popularised by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The "Wellington" boot became a staple of p ...

, a rubber boat and a rubber plant in order to be ready for the chewiest of chews - Chewits. In the late 1990s, Chewits experimented with ads showing multiple newscasting dinosaur puppets. The catchphrase advice at the close of each 'broadcast' was to "do it before you chew it". This style of ads was relatively short-lived for Chewits. With a change of advertising agencies, the puppets were replaced by colourful 2D animations. Chewie the Chewitsaurus was re-introduced in two popular adverts from this time. In the first, which aired in 1999, Chewie roller skates on two buses through a busy city scene. The second, which went out a year later in 2001, shows Chewie waterskiing at a popular seaside resort. The ads included a rendition of the 1994 hit song 'I like to move it' by

Reel 2 Real Reel 2 Real was an American hip house musical project that had seven top 10 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1990s. Biography The project's core member was producer and DJ Erick Morillo from New York City, who spent a por ...

, with the chorus, "I like to Chewit Chewit." In 2003, after a further shift in advertising agencies, a new ad was aired showing a wide range of animals auditioning to be the new face of Chewits. The ad announced the return of the iconic dinosaur Chewie mascot, now dubbed 'Chewie the Chewitsaurus'. In 2009, Chewits introduced the new Chewie the Chewitsaurus look, showing a contemporary, computer-game-style slick design. Chewie the Chewitsaurus features on all Chewits packaging and sponsorship activity. In late 2019, a new design was introduced for Chewie, with a mottled paint effect on the colours, and more exaggerated mouth and teeth.

Social media

In 2009, Chewits launched a social media campaign with the new-look Chewie the Chewitsaurus. The Facebook page “Chewie the Chewitsaurus Facebook”
accessed July 14, 2011 titled “Chewie the Chewitsaurus” and has established over 400,000 ‘likes’ in its lifetime. Copyrighting on the Facebook page is derived from, and reminiscent of the 1950s radio serial narrator style from the previous TV advertising campaigns.

Former advertising slogans

* "Chewits, even chewier than a 15-storey block of flats" * "No fruit chew chews chewier" * "Chew for victory" * "Chews flash" * "Do it before you Chewit" * "Chew Chewits coz' Chewits do it" * "He likes to Chewit" * "For monster chewers only" * "There's no escaping the chew hit" * "Chewier than Barrow-in-Furness bus station" * “Chew it like Newport County Football club”

Current advertising slogans

* "Born to be chewie" * "Unleash the taste adventure" * "Can you handle it?" * "For xtreme chewers only"

Promotion and sponsorship

Chewits have been involved in a range of promotional activity over the years including the Chewits log flume at Pleasureland in Southport. More recently, Chewits have sponsored several sport and activity-related programmes for children in the UK. Chewits Sports Courses, in partnership with children's coaching organisatio
Premier Sport
run daily during school holidays and provide sporting activity courses to approximately 125,000 children in the UK. The sponsorship is supported by sporting ambassadors

Lawrence Dallaglio Lorenzo Bruno Nero Dallaglio (born 10 August 1972), known as Lawrence Dallaglio, is an English retired rugby union player, former captain of England, and 2016 inductee of the World Rugby Hall of Fame. He played as a flanker or number eight ...

Duncan Goodhew Duncan Alexander Goodhew, (born 27 May 1957) is an English former competitive swimmer. After swimming competitively in America as a collegian at North Carolina State University, he was an Olympic swimmer for Great Britain and won Olympic gold a ...

and

Paul Sculthorpe Paul Sculthorpe MBE (born 22 September 1977) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a or forward in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for England and Great Britain at international level, as well as representing ...

. Chewits began sponsoring the Lancashire County Cricket's junior membership club, the Lancashire Thunderbolts, in February 2009. In 2009, Chewits launched a programme to help young sporting hopefuls ahead of the London Olympics in 2012. The Chewits Young Sporting Ambassador programme provides financial support and coaching to sponsored athletes. In 2011, Chewits partnered with Team Extreme“Team Extreme”
accessed July 14, 2011 and held an extreme sports road show to promote the Xtreme range of products.

Dietary restrictions

Chewits contain no hydrogenated fats. Chewits products contain no artificial colourings. With the exception of Strawberry, Ice cream and Xtreme Sour Tutti Frutti, Chewits products are free from artificial flavourings. Chewits subscribes to the Betreatwise program, a UK program that encourages people to think about the treats they eat as a part of a healthy and well balanced diet, and to use the Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) on the back of packs for nutritional guidance. Most flavours of Chewits are approved (but not supervised) for those who keep kosher, as per the London Beth Din's list. Chewits are also suitable for vegetarians.

Current products

* Blackcurrant, Fruit Salad, Strawberry and Cola individual packs * Fruit Multipack * Xtreme Sour Apple * Xtreme Tutti Frutti