Honey Monster set for comeback

Much-loved icon of the Seventies the Honey Monster is to return to television screens after the Sugar Puffs cereal brand was acquired today.

The honey-coloured monster – best known for promoting Sugar Puffs with the catchphrase “Tell them about the honey, mummy” – disappeared from living rooms after the brand was sold as part of the Quaker family to PepsiCo in 2001.

But following a deal worth between £25m (€36.6m) and £30m (€44m), Sugar Puffs has joined Big Bear, the owner of Fox’s confectionery, in a move that will lead to renewed marketing of the brand.

Advertising veteran John Webster, who was also responsible for the Smash Martians and George the Hofmeister bear, invented the Honey Monster in the Seventies “to advertise to mums in a way that kids would enjoy”.

The Honey Monster’s long-time foil was Henry McGee, comic actor and star of the Benny Hill Show, who died in January.

Paul Wilkinson, co-chairman of Big Bear, said that although Sugar Puffs continued to have loyal consumers, it would look to introduce the brand to people who may never have seen the Honey Monster, as well as bring back those who ate Sugar Puffs as children.

Its biggest consumers are currently men over 45, while it also has a strong presence in Scandinavia.

“The Honey Monster is the advocate for the golden sweet taste of honey,” Mr Wilkinson said.

Sugar Puffs was launched in 1954 and it currently ranked 10th in the £1.3bn (€1.9bn) ready-to-eat breakfast cereal market.

Mr Wilkinson said the firm would look at introducing a cereal bar and added that it had better nutritional value than Coco Pops, Frosties and Shreddies which currently beat it on sales for the children’s segment.

Under today’s deal, Big Bear also acquired Harvest Cereal Bar brands from Quaker.

Big Bear was set up in 2003 to acquire Fox’s confectionery from Northern Foods. Its strategy is to acquire, then build, under-invested heritage brands.

The company said the products would continue to be produced at a factory in Southall, west London.