Cecil the Caterpillar (Lighthouse)

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Verdict: Most of our testers agreed on the averageness of this caterpillar cake. There was nothing wrong with it, but it failed to wow anyone, especially compared with some of the others. Best way to cut a caterpillar cake In April 2021, Marks & Spencer (M&S) launched a legal action against Aldi’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar, claiming infringement of its Colin the Caterpillar trademark (BBC, 2021). M&S further lodged an intellectual property claim with the UK High Court and demanded that Aldi remove Cuthbert from sale and agree not to sell anything similar in the future. My Hero Colin - A smaller, redesigned version of Colin the Caterpillar, decorated blue cape and a superhero mask, released in 2023 for Father's Day [23] M&S to launch limited edition popping candy Colin cake to celebrate Colin the Caterpillar's 25th birthday". Metro. 24 August 2015 . Retrieved 22 September 2015.

Overall, 85% of participants were unable to correctly identify Colin the Caterpillar. The cake most frequently misidentified as Colin was Sainsbury’s Wiggles (21%), followed by Aldi’s Cuthbert (19%). Troy-Pryde, Jadie (8 April 2021). "Colin the Caterpillar cake jars are now a thing and we're heading to M&S immediately". Marie Claire UK . Retrieved 27 April 2021. Our results contrast with other studies in the literature. In a comparison study by the DailyMail, Colin was found to have the highest rating out of seven caterpillar cakes (Pearson-Jones, 2021); however, the sample size of reviewers was not reported and the study had an open-label design, indicating a high likelihood of bias. In another small study by the Huffington Post, in which Colin was compared with Clyde, Cecil, Curly and Wiggles, Cecil from Waitrose received the top rating, with a perfect balance between sweet and bitter chocolate, soft sponge and degree of filling (Whitbread, 2019). However, this study also did not report the number of participants and whether they were blinded as to the cake brands. Morrow, Daniel (1 May 2021). "Scots chippy serves up deep fried Colin the Caterpillar after M&S cake row". Daily Record . Retrieved 5 May 2021. To make the face and feet you can use white chocolate moulds or create face and feet shapes by shaping white chocolate on greaseproof paper. Smarties make good eyes and you could pipe a dark chocolate smile.The age distribution and gender of the 42 participants are shown in Table 1. We found that 29% had never eaten a caterpillar cake before, 29% had eaten it between one and three times, 12% had eaten it between four and six times, 2% had eaten it between seven and nine times and 29% had eaten it more than ten times in their life. These numbers were not specific to a particular brand. M&S in legal claim against Aldi over Colin the Caterpillar trademark". Sky News. 15 April 2021 . Retrieved 15 April 2021. The authors believe that this is the only published study on whether Colin the Caterpillar can be correctly identified over other imitators, and that it is the best-designed study to date to assess which caterpillar cake tastes the best. As Colin was found to be indistinguishable from the other caterpillars by the majority of participants in a double-blind study, the litigation, which was stated to protect Colin’s unique reputation for freshness, quality and taste, appears to be unfounded. Disclosures In 2020, Marks & Spencer marked the cake's 30th anniversary by declaring Colin's Birthday, Wednesday 26 August, as National Colin the Caterpillar Day. [7] Variations [ edit ] This study is limited by the fact that, on the day of the study, none of the investigators were able to source Waitrose’s Cecil the Caterpillar from any stores; therefore, this brand had to be excluded. However, the authors do not believe that this would have changed the outcome of the study. Conclusions

There’s the Euros, Wimbledon, The Grammys and The BRITS, but no competition or awards ceremony has kept us on the edge of our seats quite like the battle of the Colin the Caterpillar cakes. From Charlie to Cecil and Clyde, Wiggles to Morris, the expansive range of Caterpillar cakes on the market can be somewhat overwhelming, hence where we step in, shouldering the burden on the mission to crown one caterpillar and one caterpillar only the winner of the ultimate prize- top of the birthday party shopping list. Last year saw the news dominated by many events, but one story that kept us captivated at every turn was the war of the M&S Colin vs Aldi’s Cuthbert caterpillar, and whilst unfortunately we couldn’t get our paws on an IRL Cuthbert to try (he’s been somewhat MIA ever since), we instead put 5 other Colin and Colin-doppelgängers to a blind taste test (fairs fair and all) to settle this war once and for all. Strap yourselves in people, it’s a wild ride… Troy-Pryde, Jadie (22 March 2021). "Colin the Caterpillar Easter eggs are here and thank you M&S". Marie Claire UK . Retrieved 27 April 2021.

Wiggles the Caterpillar from Sainsbury’s

Chabo, Elena (2 March 2021). "M&S launches new 'Flower Power' Connie the Caterpillar cake for Mother's Day". Good Housekeeping UK . Retrieved 27 April 2021.

Chandler, Victoria (28 August 2018). "Colin the Caterpillar has had a makeover". Good Housekeeping UK . Retrieved 3 September 2020.Such profitable innovation was always going to attract copycaterpillars. The question we should be asking is not how M&S chanced on a caterpillar as the perfect shape for a cake, but why cakes were ever made in other shapes. However, we found that you could prevent the chocolate shell from shattering if you use a very sharp knife. We got the best results when drawing the knife across the cake while pressing down with even pressure. Each time your fingers should be moved further apart and your "what have you been doing" should get louder. In reaction to the media generated around the court case Papa's Fish and Chips, a fish and chip shop in Cleethorpes, began selling deep-fried Mini Colin the Caterpillar cakes. Profits from the sales were used to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. [32] [33] Emanuel's, a fish and chip shop in East Kilbride, later gained media attention for selling a full-sized Colin the Caterpillar cake that had been deep-fried in batter. [34] [35] See also [ edit ]