The Colin Empire
Colin the Caterpillar is more than a cake. He is a British institution. Since his arrival in 1990, the simple combination of a chocolate sponge roll, milk chocolate coating, Smarties-style sweets, and a solid white chocolate face has become the default for office birthdays and children’s parties nationwide. The format is rigid. It does not change.
That stability has allowed for a vast expansion into other categories. The Colin brand is now a sprawling range of confectionery that goes far beyond the original cake. He is a franchise. The character’s familiar face appears on everything from fruit gums to party cups, creating a dedicated section in many M&S food halls.
From Cake to Confectionery
The core cake has only ever had one flavour profile: milk chocolate. The spin-off products, however, are a different story. The sweets range is particularly diverse, including Colin the Caterpillar Cola Gums, Cherry Gums, Fruit Gums, and a sour line with Sourtastic, Fruit Sours, and Sour Stomps. Alongside these are smaller baked goods, like Colin the Caterpillar Softies and Mini Colin the Caterpillar Cakes.
This new mockup imagines a change to the flagship product itself. The box art for a ‘Double Chocolate Fudge’ Colin proposes a darker, richer version of the classic. It shows a darker sponge and a deeper brown coating, moving the character away from simple milk chocolate for the first time. It is an interesting move. One that suggests a more adult palate.
What the real range looks like
The actual M&S Colin the Caterpillar range is extensive. It includes the original cake, Mini Cakes, Softies, and Speckles, alongside a huge variety of sweets: Cola Gums, Sourtastic, Fruit Gums, Sour Stomps, Cherry Gums, and Fruit Sours. A ‘Double Chocolate Fudge’ version would be the first flavour variant of the main cake itself, which has remained unchanged for over 30 years.
- 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 Sourtastic
- 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
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Colin the Caterpillar?
- Colin the Caterpillar is the signature character cake from Marks & Spencer, first launched in 1990. It’s a chocolate sponge roll decorated to look like a caterpillar and is a very popular choice for birthday parties in the UK.
- Are there other flavours of the main Colin the Caterpillar cake?
- No, the original, full-size Colin the Caterpillar cake has only ever been sold in its classic milk chocolate recipe. The wider brand includes many different flavoured sweets, such as cherry and cola gums, but not different cake flavours.
- Is the Double Chocolate Fudge Colin the Caterpillar cake real?
- No, this is a Snackfish. It’s a mockup created by the online page UK Snack Attack and is not a real M&S product sold in stores.
More like this
- M&S Bakery Adds Mars Bar Caramel Doughnuts to Its Line
- Oasis Summer Fruits Colin the Caterpillar Cake Mockup
- A Rubicon Mango Colin the Caterpillar Cake Mockup
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