CHERRY QUENCH:- Lyons Maid : THE DRINK ON A STICK - CHERRY SODA FLAVOUR ICE LOLLY 1981 Wrapper.
Exploring the contents of chiller cabinets from years gone by!
In the 60s, 70s and 80s, purveyors of ice cold snackage successfully prised pocket money from the nation's children by firstly linking their lollies to well known characters from film and TV. Later on, this marketing gimmick would blossom into branded icy treats, a wild world where characters as diverse as the Daleks, King Kong, Bananaman, and the Mister Men would get their own lines of ice lollies. However these kinds of tie-in deals cost money and could be something of a risky proposition, for the favour and fashions of the playground are fickle. And as makers realised down the years if you can make something that is bright, colourful and sounds cool, you can create a playground sensation.
Back in the 60s and 70s, no one had coined the term "viral marketing", but the concept that some products could magically capture the public's imagination was already well understood. And in the world of the ice lolly, if you could create a playground craze for your frozen wares, you were quids in. And hence many makers of lollies and assorted sweeties discovered that the right wrapper and the right name could outsell the biggest branded tie-ins.
At first many lollies had just had names derived from their flavours - the all-time classics being the Orange Maid and the Mini Milk - but soon lollies with more inventive names started to appear such as Wiz, Rev, Woppa, and Mivvi.
But the classics always did well and from Lyons Maid following on from the original Orange Quench (released in May 1970 at 10d - iced lolly for children), Cola Smash (released in April 1973 - Cola water ice and priced at 2p), and the Lemonade Quench (released in March 1978 - Lemonade water ice on a stick for young children priced 5p), in May 1981 came a range of 'Quenchers' - ice collies on stick (Cola, Cherry and Cider).
Lyons Maid were as big a name in '70s Britain as Pot Noodle and Wimpy's. Lyons, who first started making ice cream in 1894 for a very seasonal British market, shipped their product across the country by train. By 1954, after World War II and the banning of ice cream production due to rationing the popularity of ice cream continued to grow, bolstered by the introduction of the frozen ice lolly and Lyons Maid developed its business, expanding and buying up smaller regional companies, increasing their market share and reach.
Many of Lyons Maid's (J. Lyons & Co.) products, especially the more popular lines, were repackaged from time to time to meet the changing catering needs and growing home freezer ownership. A large number of products were targeted at children, these so-called hand-held confections started to appear after the Second World War and progressively became more sophisticated. By the 1970s this market represented about half of the total ice cream sales. Take-home desserts also became more popular as the tendency to make puddings fell off.
The Lyons ice cream subsidiaries of Bertorelli, Tonibell and Midland Counties Ice Cream manufactured and marketed their own products. Bertorelli specialised in high quality catering ice creams to hotels etc. Tonibell sold from travelling vans and Midland Counties Ice Cream made similar products to Lyons. In fact all the ice cream companies copied each other so as not to lose market share.
An early description of ice-cream manufacture at J. Lyons & Co. can be found in 'The First Food Empire, A History of J. Lyons & Co.'.
An original 1981 full colour ice lolly wrapper with great illustrated 'fizzing' artwork, logos (including Lyons Maid 3 children logo) and details to the front, repeated on the reverse.
I have owned this wrapper from new (in 1981) & it has been in storage ever since and never displayed, so is in good condition.
At the time of listing I cannot see any more of these original UK wrappers available for sale worldwide (and none sold anytime recently - if any still even exist!) - grab an extremely rare good condition bargain.
[Please no low-ball offers - if you are not prepared to come anywhere near the 'Buy It Now' price. These wrappers are extremely rare and never come up for sale, and have been priced competitively to sell already, thank you].
Perfect for all Cherry Quench, vintage Lyons Maid or classic 1980s confectionery fans & collectors.
Produced in the UK in 1981 by Lyons Maid Limited, Glacier House, Brook Green, London W6 7BT. Ingredients (as visible): Citric acid, flavouring [not included obviously!].
(Will be sent in a cardboard box envelope by courier with extra protection for a safe delivery - or in comparable materials depending on number of items ordered. NB: If you wish to purchase more than one wrapper at a time, please add them to your basket and request an invoice prior to paying. I cannot combine postage on multiple orders after payment has been made or shipping on Global Shipping Programme orders due to eBay policies, thank you).
The approximate (complete and flat as shown) sizes are:- Width 2.3" (5.9cm) x Height (Portrait) 5.8" (14.8cm).