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The Kit Kat candy bar was introduced to the public in 1935 and has been a favorite of chocolate lovers ever since. It is distributed in the United States by The Hershey Company and everywhere else by Nestlé.
While you might know enough about the tasty treat to know you wouldn’t mind one right now, you might be unaware of these fun facts about the Kit Kat candy bar. 17.6 billion Kit Kat fingers are eaten across the world every year — the equivalent of 9,979 pieces every second.
- The largest single retail outlet for Kit Kat is Dubai Duty Free, which sells over 2,200 pounds per day.
- The Kit Kat name first appeared on a boxed assortment of chocolates that Rowntree’s made during the 1920s (they trademarked the name in 1911). The Assortment was named after an 18th century Whig literary club and had a picture of its proprietor, Christopher Catling (Kit Cat) printed on the box. In 1931, the firm decided to focus on a handful of strong brands and the Kit Cat assortment was a casualty of the decision.
- Due to a wartime milk shortages in 1942, Kit Kat temporarily changed its recipe and was sold as a plain chocolate variant in special blue wrapping.
- In 1958 the ‘Have break, have a Kit Kat’ advertising slogan was introduced to the public.
- The 1989 Panda Kit Kat advertisement featured in Channel 4’s “100 Greatest Adverts” poll in 2000.
- Japan produces over 40 different flavours of Kit Kat, including Wasabi, Strawberry Cheesecake, Lemon, Vinegar, Cucumber, Ginger Ale, Soy Sauce, Creme Brûlée, Green Tea, Sake, and Banana.
- The Chinese version of Kit Kat is sold in a plastic bag due to the humid weather in the region.
- Every five minutes enough Kit Kats are manufactured worldwide to overshadow the Eiffel Tower. A year’s global production would stretch around the London Underground more than 350 times.
- Kit Kat is now produced in 15 countries: USA, UK, Egypt, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Algeria, South Africa, Germany, Japan, China, Malaysia, India, Turkey, Venezuela, Spain, Mexico and Bulgaria.
- The Melbourne Central Shopping Centre in Melbourne, Australia, has a Kit Kat specialty shop that allows customers to use touch screens to craft their own Kit Kat from a selection of chocolates and ingredients which are then created for them on site while they wait.
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