A Purple Partnership
Two British institutions, one purple box. This design proposes a flavour crossover between the Marks & Spencer birthday staple, Colin the Caterpillar, and the classic blackcurrant drink, Ribena. The familiar Colin packaging is rendered in Ribena’s signature purple, showing a sponge roll with a purple-hued filling and matching decorative sprinkles. Colin’s white chocolate face remains, but he now sports purple feet.
The caption that accompanied the image was simply “Ribena Blackcurrant Colin the Caterpillar? YES PLEASE!” This is a simple proposition. It merges a cake format known for chocolate and vanilla with one of the most recognisable fruit flavours in the UK market. The idea doesn’t seem wildly implausible, given how many variations both brands have seen over the years.
The Colin Empire
The Colin the Caterpillar range is far more than just the original chocolate log cake. It has expanded into a vast ecosystem of spin-offs that take the brand name well beyond the cake aisle. The confectionery line alone is extensive. It covers everything from Colin the Caterpillar Softies and Cola Gums to Fruit Gums and Sour Stomps.
The brand also includes M&S Colin the Caterpillar Speckles, which are essentially bags of the chocolate drops that decorate the main cake, and dedicated fruit variants like Cherry Gums and Fruit Sours. For parties, there are Mini Colin the Caterpillar Cakes, Party Cups, and even branded Paper Plates. The sheer breadth of the range shows a brand willing to experiment with new formats. A new flavour is never off the table.
What the real range looks like
The current M&S Colin the Caterpillar range includes the original cake, Mini Cakes, plus a wide variety of confectionery like Softies, Cola Gums, Fruit Gums, Cherry Gums and Sour Stomps. A Ribena blackcurrant version would be the first cake to directly incorporate the branding of a soft drink, placing it in a new category of flavour crossover for the core product.
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Cake
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Softies
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Speckles
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Cola Gums
- M S Mini Colin the Caterpillar Cakes
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Fruit Gums
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Party Cups
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Party Time
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Sour Stomps
- M S Colin the Caterpillar Cherry Gums
Frequently asked questions
- What flavour is the original Colin the Caterpillar cake?
- The classic M&S Colin the Caterpillar is a chocolate sponge roll filled with chocolate buttercream, covered in a milk chocolate shell and decorated with chocolate sprinkles and a solid white chocolate face.
- Does Ribena make food products?
- Ribena is primarily known for its blackcurrant cordial and ready-to-drink cartons. While the brand has been used in other products like ice lollies and confectionery under licence, it is not a baker and does not produce its own cakes.
- Is the Ribena Blackcurrant Colin the Caterpillar cake real?
- No, this product is not real. It is a Snackfish — a fictional product concept. The image is a mockup created by the online design page UK Snack Attack and is not available for purchase anywhere.
More like this
- The M&S White Chocolate & Raspberry Doughnuts Mockup
- M&S Maoam Stripes Doughnuts: A Bakery Crossover Idea
- M&S Adds Jelly Babies Doughnuts to Its Bakery Line
You have been Snackfished!
Snackfish :
[sn-a-ck-fish] verb
A snack that lies about its legitimacy as an official product online for internet clout and attention. Most commonly fabricated in Adobe Photoshop or using the unofficial Snackfish AI