That Darn Kat! Trivia Quiz

Answer: 'Have a break, have a KitKat.'

In May 1957 Donald Gilles, an employee at the JWT advertising company in London, England, thought up the new tagline for the chocolate bar. In 1958, the tagline was used for the first time during a commercial break on the British TV comedy show "The Elevenses".

The commercial appeared at the 11 am tea break that was common amongst factory workers. The slogan was designed to remind people to take a break from stressful situations through comedy. Since this first commercial appearance in 1958, the tagline 'Have a break, have a KitKat' has never changed, and has been adopted in other countries such as Canada and the US.

Answer: 4

The original Kit Kat chocolate bar was created in York, England. The company had a suggestion box where employees could put recommendations for new products. One day, an employee suggested that a chocolate bar should be created as a snack that "a man could take to work in his pack" (lunchbox).

The company liked the idea and created the unique four-fingered bar. It was first sold in September, 1935 under the name "Chocolate Crisp" at a price of a twopence (2d). This version of the bar was initially sold in London and around southern England.

Answer: A person

In the early 18th century, a London club with Whig members and strong political and literary ties would regularly meet for conversation and relaxation with their associates. Meetings were initially held at a tavern in Shire Lane that was owned by a man named Christopher (Kit) Catt.

He was known for selling mutton pies called "Kit-Kats" that were named after him and became the snack that was served at the meetings. The club became known as the "Kit-Cat Club", and many historians suggest that this name came from the owner of the tavern who served the pies that were called by the same name.

The confectionery company that developed the chocolate bar in the early 1900s trademarked the name "Kit Kat" for their own snack in 1911, but didn't start using it for their four-fingered chocolate snack until the 1940s.

Answer: Rowntree's

Rowntree's initially used the brand "Kit Cat" for a line of boxed chocolates in the 1930s. That brand of boxed chocolates was discontinued in the early 1930s. Rowntree's then developed the "Chocolate Crisp" bar in 1937. This was the four-fingered bar that remains familiar into the 21st century.

The company changed the name of the bar to the "Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp" in 1937. After WWII, the name simply became "Kit Kat".

Answer: It was made with dark chocolate.

When the KitKat bar was first introduced as the Chocolate Crisp, it was wrapped in a red wrapper, and was made with milk chocolate. The wrapper colour has remained constant except during the war years when the it was temporarily changed to a blue one.

This was because milk shortages during WWII caused the company to begin using dark chocolate for their Kit Kat bars instead of the traditional milk chocolate, and they wanted a different colour wrapper as a result. Once the war was over and milk shortages were no longer an issue, the chocolate shifted back to the familiar milk chocolate variety, and the wrapper shifted to its traditional red colour.

Answer: 1940s

The Kit Kat bar was developed in England, and sold throughout the UK until the mid-1940s when it was exported to, and sold in, other countries. The first five countries outside of the UK to gain access to the four-fingered bar were Canada, South Africa, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

By the 1970s, the sale of Kit Kat bars had expanded to many other countries, including Germany, the US, and Japan. In 1988, the Swiss chocolate company Nestlé acquired Rowntree's and further expanded the distribution of the Kit Kat bar to other countries, including Malaysia, India and China. By 2000, Kit Kat bars were sold in eastern and central Europe, along with Russia, Turkey, and Venezuela.

In 2010, Nestlé announced that the Kit Kat bar was now "sold in more countries than any other chocolate brand".

Answer: Orange

In 1996, Kit Kat Orange was introduced in Britain. The bar was still its familiar four-fingered shape, but the chocolate had a light orange flavouring added. This flavour variant was extremely popular, so the company then released other flavour variants.

These included mint and caramel. In 1999, Kit Kat Chunky was introduced. Although not a flavour variant, it was a change from the traditional four-fingered shape to one long, thicker finger.

Answer: Introduced special editions of the bar

Low carb diets became popular in the early 2000s. This led to a slump in chocolate sales at Nestlé and most other chocolate companies. In response, Nestlé introduced limited editions of the Kit Kat bar that were only available for a few months at a time.

These were designed to garner the interest of consumers who wished to try them before the disappeared from shelves. Dark chocolate was seen as a healthier option than milk chocolate at this time, so Nestlé introduced "Kit Kat Fine Dark" in the UK in 2006.

There was also a limited edition "Kit Kat Dark" introduced in the US at this time. Since then, two-finger Kit Kats with all-natural flavouring, and even a vegan Kit Kat bar have been introduced (the "KitKat V").

Answer: They are seen as a sign of good luck.

Many varieties of Kit Kat bars have existed over the years, but none more so than in Japan. Since 2000, Nestlé has introduced over 300 flavours of the bar there, including hot sauce, soy sauce, wasabi, apple cider vinegar, zunda, Ice cream, milk tea, and cough drop.

The Kit Kat bar is so popular in Japan because it is seen as a sign of good luck. This is likely because the name "Kit Kat" sounds like the Japanese phrase "Kitto Katsu". This roughly translates to "surely win" in English.

Answer: No

As a rule, Kit Kat bars do not contain nuts. In fact, some are made in nut-free factories. However, some are made in factories where other chocolate bars that contain nuts are made. For those with allergies, it is important to read the labels on the bars. If they are made in a peanut-free facility, the label will indicate that it is peanut free.

However if it was made in a facility that processes candy that contains peanuts, the label will state "may contain nuts". It is important for those with nut allergies to read the labels to be sure.