A Major Confectionery Crossover
Two of the UK’s most recognisable confectionery brands appear to collide in one design. The concept brings together Colin the Caterpillar, the perennial birthday party centrepiece from Marks & Spencer, and Freddo, Cadbury’s small chocolate frog that has served as a pocket money benchmark for decades.
The proposed product is a simple component swap. The familiar Swiss roll log, chocolate buttercream, and solid white chocolate face of the original Colin remain unchanged. The innovation is in the decoration. The usual multicoloured chocolate beans that line Colin’s back have been replaced entirely with Cadbury Freddo Faces, the button-sized spin-off from the main bar.
The Colin the Caterpillar Range
Colin is more than a single cake. M&S has expanded the character into a significant franchise that occupies shelf space well beyond the bakery aisle. The core product line includes the full-size cake and its counterpart, the box of Mini Colin the Caterpillar Cakes. But the brand extends much further into sugar confectionery.
The sweet range is extensive. It includes Colin the Caterpillar Softies, bags of Speckles, and a whole family of gums and jellies. Shoppers can find Colin the Caterpillar Cola Gums, Fruit Gums, Cherry Gums, and the sharper Sourtastic, Fruit Sours, and Sour Stomps variants. The branding also covers partyware like the Party Cups and the Party Time selection box, cementing Colin’s status as a complete event solution rather than just a standalone cake.
A Different Kind of Innovation
While M&S frequently releases special editions of Colin for holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, these are typically self-contained variations. They might involve a change of accessories, a different colour palette, or a new flavour profile for the sponge or buttercream. A collaboration with an external, competing brand like Cadbury would be a very different strategy.
This concept relies on the strength of two separate, well-established products. It’s not a flavour invention in the traditional sense, such as adding fruit or caramel. It’s a direct, physical crossover of two distinct chocolate items. The execution is straightforward, but the brand partnership it implies would be a major move for both M&S and Cadbury, joining two titans of the British high street.
What the real range looks like
The official M&S Colin the Caterpillar range is vast, including the original cake, Mini Colin Cakes, Softies, Speckles, and a huge selection of sweets like Cola Gums, Cherry Gums, and Sour Stomps. The Freddo Faces edition would be a rare co-branded product, sitting alongside the main celebration cake as a special edition rather than a new confectionery line.
- 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 are Colin the Caterpillar and Freddo?
- Colin the Caterpillar is the signature celebration cake from UK retailer Marks & Spencer, first launched in 1990. Freddo is a popular frog-shaped chocolate bar made by Cadbury.
- What are Cadbury Freddo Faces?
- Freddo Faces are a spin-off product from the main Freddo bar. They are small, button-shaped milk chocolates, each embossed with the character’s face.
- Is the Freddo Faces Colin the Caterpillar cake real?
- No, it is a Snackfish. It is a mockup created by the design page UK Snack Attack and is not a real product sold in M&S or anywhere else.
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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