I Just Realised What 'Wagon Wheels' Stands For, And It's More Complicated Than I Thought
We’ve already shared at HuffPost UK what HobNobs, Bourbon biscuits, and Twix really stand for.
But what about Wagon Wheels? Surely they’re just called that because, well, their huge circular shape resembles that of an old-fashioned cart’s wheels?
Well, partly. But it turns out that, like Quality Street ― whose name was partly inspired by a play by the author of Peter Pan which was popular when the product was invented ― Wagon Wheels’ name came from a cultural trend, too.
Which was?
Wagon Wheels were invented in the ’40s by William Peschardt, who sold the patent to Garry Weston, son of British MP and food company owner Willard Garfield Weston.
The product came to market in 1948, first showing up at the Olympia Food Fair when Garry Weston introduced it as the “biggest chocolate biscuit bar.”
This came after complaints that the Canadian’s dad’s company, Associated British Food, wasn’t being “creative” enough.
At first, the sweet treat was made by placing marshmallow between two biscuits and covering the lot in chocolate ― they didn’t contain jam in the beginning.
They were made in Slough until the company moved production to South Wales.
Their original name was Weston’s Wagon Wheels, and the name was inspired by the then-popular Western cowboy movies ― particularly those featuring John Wayne.
Red River, a Western movie starring John Wayne, was the second-highest-grossing movie in the US and Canada the year Wagon Wheels came out.
Burton’s Biscuit now owns the brand, and their site says125 million Wagon Wheels are purchased a year (woah).
Huh!
I know!
By the way, despite some people’s theories that Burton’s has made Wagon Wheels smaller over the years, the company has spoken out against the allegations.
“They’ve never got smaller!! EVER – Our hands have just got bigger,” a spokesperson has said.
Hmmm...