Toblerone Fans Stunned by Unnoticed Detail on Packaging: 'Blew My Mind'

Chocolate fans are reacting with shock after an eagle-eyed candy lover made a surprising discovery about Toblerone.

First created in Switzerland back in 1908 by chocolatier Theodor Tobler and his cousin Emil Baumann, Toblerone may be over 100 years old but fans are still finding previously unnoticed details about the sweet treat.

The latest was showcased in a viral tweet from actor Steven Cree, who reacted with shock after discovering a bear hidden within the mountain that is featured on the chocolate bar's iconic triangular packaging.

Cree shared a mocked-up image that included a snapshot of another tweet from user upstephanie alongside the Toblerone wrapper. "My son had his first Toblerone today," the tweet read. "'What's the bear for?' Me: 'What bear?"

The discovery was evidently a major surprise to Cree, who shared the image and wrote "Blew my mind" alongside it. He clearly was not alone in expressing some shock at the reveal, with the tweet receiving over 12,000 retweets and more than 168,000 likes.

VetJuly was among them, writing: "I've never noticed that bear before! I've been eating Toblerone for over 20 years!"

Those sentiments were echoed by Erin_s21, who commented: "I was today years old when I learned there's a bear on the packaging."

FairAusPol was of a similar mind, responding: "Wow, been a Toblerone lover for decades, never noticed the bear!"

A display of Toblerone triangular chocolate.
Toblerone is seen on display during the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival in 2014. Fans have discovered something new in the popular chocolate's packaging. Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for NYCWFF

Some were aware of the bear's presence, however.

Pats_LD said: "My Swedish Hubby's favourite chocolate is Toblerone. He told me the bear is part of the logo because it originated in Bern, Switzerland, the City of Bears."

Midori_marmotte replied: "Correct. Or to be precise, the Tobler family of chocolatiers (started around 1860) is from Bern, and they kept their ties with the city, even when Tobler was later merged with Suchard."

The final word came from the official Toblerone account, which told one Twitter user: "The bear in the Toblerone 'mountain' is actually a reference to the birthplace of the yummy chocolate treat. You see, the city of Bern happens to have a bear—a rather menacing looking black one—in the municipal coat of arms. The Toblerone bear is somewhat less ferocious."

According to Toblerone's website, the chocolate's name is a play on Tobler's surname and the Italian word for honey and almond nougat, torrone.

Insider reports that the triangular shape of the chocolate is a tribute to the dancers in the Folies Bergères cabaret music hall in Paris around the time of Toblerone's creation. But the company's website says it was inspired by Tobler's mountainous Swiss homeland and, more specifically, the Matterhorn.

David Mills, head of external communications at Toblerone's parent company Mondelez, told Newsweek: "We redesigned the pack in 2000, moving the blue and white Tobler logo to the back of pack and replacing it with the Matterhorn mountain, which was one of Theodore Tobler's sources of inspiration when he created Toblerone.

"Within the Matterhorn is a bear, which is the symbol of the city of Bern, and where Toblerone is produced."

The discussion around the Toblerone bear prompted other Twitter users to share similar discoveries within company logos both old and new.

One user highlighted the secret cyclist in the Tour De France logo:

Another pointed out FedEx's secret arrow:

There was this hidden detail in the Amazon logo:

The Toyota logo has a fascinating story behind it:

The Bronx Zoo has an Easter egg some might have overlooked:

Then there was this sweet treat from Baskin-Robbins:

The Fair Trade logo's hidden person was highlighted:

This KFC nugget may not have been intentional, but it was definitely hilarious:

This isn't the first time Toblerone has generated debate on social media. Previously, a woman said we have all been eating the honey and nougat chocolate the wrong way.

Update 11/24/22 5:42 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Mondelez.

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more

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