Polly Waffle

Polly Waffle is a 50 gram Australian chocolate bar. It is a waffle wafer tube filled with marshmallow and coated in compound chocolate. The confection had been introduced in 1947 by the Hoadley's Chocolate Company, then taken over by Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery in 1972. When Rowntree Mackintosh was acquired by Nestlé in 1988, the Swiss company continued producing Polly Waffles until it was discontinued in 2009.[1]

Polly Waffle
Product typeChocolate bar
OwnerMenz Confectionery
CountryAustralia
Introduced1947
Discontinued2009 (2009)[1]
Previous ownersHoadley's

In 2019, it was announced that Australian confectioner Robern Menz, since January 2022 rebranded Menz Confectionery, had signed an agreement with rights holder Nestlé to produce the Polly Waffle bars.[2] The launch of the product is due to occur in 2023.[3]

History

Abel Hoadley opened a jam factory in South Melbourne, Victoria, in 1889, trading as A. Hoadley & Company.[4] By 1895, business had expanded rapidly and Hoadley built a five-storey premises, the Rising Sun Preserving Works. He produced fruit preserves, including jams and jellies, candied fruit and peels, sauces, and confectionery, and employed a workforce as large as two hundred. By 1901, there were four preserving factories and a large confectionery works. Hoadley had acquired the firm of Dillon, Burrows & Co. and extended his products to vinegar, cocoa, and chocolate.

In 1910, the jam business was sold to Henry Jones Co-operative Ltd and in 1913, Hoadley's Chocolates Ltd was formed. The same year, Hoadley produced his first chocolate assortment. Hoadley's Chocolates made the first Polly Waffle bar in Melbourne in 1947. It was conceived by company accounts supervisor and family friend, Mayfield B. Anthony.

In 1972, Hoadley's Chocolates was acquired by Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery and became known as "Rowntree Hoadley Ltd". In 1988, Nestlé acquired Rowntree. The Rowntree chocolate brands were initially branded as Nestlé-Rowntree, until Nestlé dropped the 'Rowntree' name altogether.

During the 1970s, the advertising slogan for Polly Waffle was "mmm, crunch, aah!".

In mid-2009, a new recipe for Polly Waffle was released along with new packaging announcing the change. The new product was the same appearance as the older product, but contained a more sugary and brittle wafer. On 23 November 2009 Nestlé discontinued Polly Waffle after 62 years due to poor sales.[5]

In 2015, Melbourne-based company Chocolate Works released "The Great Aussie Waffle Log", a product specifically designed to mimic the Polly Waffle, in response to a social media campaign calling for the resurrection of the classic bar.[6][7]

In 2019, Adelaide confectioner Robern Menz signed a deal with Nestlé to produce the Polly Waffle, a year after purchasing the rights to produce the Violet Crumble, also from Nestlé.[2] The company said in 2020 that the chocolate bar would be back to stores in 2022,[8] but by January 2022 this date was pushed back to 2023.[3]

"Polly Waffle" is sometimes used by Australians as a euphemism for faeces.[9] In May 2014, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia described a government budget delivered by Treasurer Joe Hockey as "about as popular as a Polly Waffle floating in a public pool".[10]

A popular childhood prank involved throwing a Polly Waffle into a public swimming pool, to imitate faeces.[11]

It is also used to describe lies told by loquacious politicians,[12][13] since 'pollie' is Australian slang for 'politician' and 'waffle' means 'to speak or write vaguely and evasively'. "The pollie without the waffle" has been used as a slogan for election campaigns.

References
  1. Polly Waffle comeback fast-tracked due to the coronavirus crisis on 7News, 29 Apr 2020
  2. The Polly Waffle is coming back 10 years after it disappeared on FiveAA, 24 Jan 2019 (archived)
  3. Spence, Andrew (12 January 2022). "Menz drops original name in sweets rebrand". InDaily. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  4. Lack, John (12 May 1918). "Hoadley, Abel (1844–1918)". Hoadley, Abel (1844 - 1918) Biographical Entry - Australian Dictionary of Biography Online. Adb.online.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  5. Familari, Peter (24 November 2009). "Polly Waffle choc bar being axed after 62 years". Herald Sun. news.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 November 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  6. Sommerville, Troels (20 October 2015). "Dingley's Chocolate Works to release new version of the Polly Waffle". Herald Sun. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  7. Calligeros, Marissa (21 October 2015). "Polly Waffle set to return to shelves thanks to Melbourne company Chocolate Works". Goodfood.com.au, Fairfax Media. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  8. Violet Crumble drives Robern Menz sales but Polly Waffle fans must wait on IN Daily (Adelaide), 29 Jun 2020
  9. Donnison, Jon (11 June 2014). "The rise and fall of Australian slang". BBC News Magazine. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  10. Kelly, Mark (23 May 2014). "Toxic budget stirs up backbench jitters". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  11. Garvey, Cas (24 January 2019). "Public pool lifeguards across the nation brace for return of the Polly Waffle'". The Watsonia Bugle. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  12. Garvey, Cas (11 November 2017). "Understanding 'pollie waffle'". The Daily Mercury. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  13. Anderson, Stephanie (7 November 2014). "Pollie Waffle November 7: All you need to know from this week in politics". SBS News. Retrieved 24 January 2019.

Sources
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