Picnic
Picnic is a Cadbury chocolate bar combining milk chocolate, peanuts, nougat, caramel, biscuit and puffed rice.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Picnic is a chocolate-bar brand associated with Cadbury and originally developed by MacRobertson's, the Australian confectionery company. The first Picnic bar was released in Australia in 1950 and was subsequently introduced in Great Britain by Fry during the 1950s. Its defining format is a deliberately irregular, lumpy bar covered in milk chocolate and built around a layered, textured centre. Depending on the market, the product combines chewy nougat, caramel, biscuit, puffed rice and peanuts; several national recipes also include raisins. This mixture gives the bar a contrasting eating experience, combining chewiness, crunch and a range of sweet and nutty flavours rather than presenting itself as a smooth, uniform chocolate bar. The brand became part of the Cadbury portfolio when Cadbury acquired MacRobertson Chocolates in 1967. MacRobertson's had been an established Australian confectionery maker founded in 1880, and its acquisition provided Cadbury with a significant manufacturing base in Australia as well as a group of locally familiar brands. Picnic was therefore retained as an identifiable product brand while benefiting from Cadbury's manufacturing and distribution network. Its Australian history remains central to the brand, although versions have also been sold in Europe, India, New Zealand and parts of Eastern Europe. Picnic's proposition has traditionally emphasized abundance and indulgence. Australian advertising in the 1970s used the line "More like a banquet than a picnic," presenting the bar as unusually substantial and ingredient-rich. Later campaigns leaned into its unconventional appearance and playful character. A British television commercial from the early 1990s featured an animatronic singing camel named Calvin and used a parody music-video format to dramatize the bar's chewy and gooey ingredients. The campaign was also shown in translated form in Russia and Ukraine. In the early 2000s, the brand used the tagline "Deliciously ugly," turning the bar's uneven shape into a point of distinction rather than a defect. The recipe and assortment have varied by market. The British, German, Irish and Indian versions described in reference material contain raisins in addition to the core chocolate, nut, biscuit, caramel and nougat structure, while the Australasian version is distinguished by a different ingredient profile. Limited or regional extensions have included Honeycomb, Hedgehog, Rocky Road, Almond, Fruit and Nut, and Russian walnut variants. These products allowed the brand to experiment with local tastes while retaining the name and recognizable multi-texture format. The standard Australian bar has also undergone documented portion changes. Its stated weight was reduced from 50 grams to 48.4 grams in April 2009, and then to 46 grams in August 2014, accompanied by a visible reduction in width while the older-style wrapper remained in use. Such changes place Picnic within the broader packaged-confectionery practice of adjusting product size while preserving familiar branding and pack presentation. Picnic remains an active chocolate-bar brand sold in multiple markets, with its identity built around a generous, irregular appearance and a combination of chocolate, nuts, caramel, nougat and crisp or biscuit elements.
History
Picnic originated in Australia as a MacRobertson's confectionery product and was first released in 1950. Its original identity was based on a combination of milk chocolate and a substantial, irregular centre rather than a conventional solid or cream-filled bar. The product incorporated chewy nougat and caramel together with biscuit, puffed rice and peanuts. This gave it a visibly uneven shape and a mixture of soft, crisp and crunchy textures. During the 1950s, the brand was also released in Great Britain by Fry, extending its presence beyond its Australian origin. A major ownership and distribution turning point came in 1967, when Cadbury acquired MacRobertson Chocolates. MacRobertson's had been founded in 1880 and was a significant Australian confectionery manufacturer. The acquisition added established Australian brands to Cadbury's portfolio and gave Cadbury another major manufacturing base on the Australian mainland at Ringwood in Melbourne, Victoria. Picnic continued as a distinct branded bar within the Cadbury confectionery range, alongside other MacRobertson's-associated products such as Old Gold, Cherry Ripe and Freddo Frog. The brand developed different recipes and assortments in different national markets. The versions described for Britain, Germany, Ireland and India contain raisins alongside the core chocolate, nut, nougat, caramel and biscuit components. The Australasian product is differentiated from those versions by its ingredient profile. In New Zealand and Australia, limited or regional variants included almond, honeycomb, hedgehog, rocky road and fruit-and-nut formats. Russia later offered both the classic peanut-and-raisin version and a walnut variant. These changes illustrate the brand's use of local or seasonal flavour extensions without abandoning the basic Picnic name and multi-texture concept. Advertising has been an important part of Picnic's identity. In Australia during the 1970s, the slogan "More like a banquet than a picnic" presented the bar as unusually filling and lavish. In the United Kingdom during the early 1990s, a television campaign featured an animatronic camel called Calvin singing a parody of Alvin Stardust's "My Coo Ca Choo." The commercial used captions and music-video conventions to describe the bar's ingredients and repeatedly emphasized chewing and gooeyness. Versions of the advertisement also aired in Russia and Ukraine with translated factual captions. In the early 2000s, the line "Deliciously ugly" made the product's irregular appearance a central part of its positioning. The Australian standard product experienced two documented size reductions. In April 2009, the stated weight changed from 50 grams to 48.4 grams. In August 2014, it was reduced again to 46 grams, and the bar became visibly narrower even though the older-size wrapper was retained. These changes altered the physical serving size while preserving the recognizable packaging and brand presentation. Picnic remains an active Cadbury chocolate-bar brand sold in a number of international markets, with its heritage, product architecture and advertising continuing to revolve around an abundant-looking, uneven bar made from multiple sweet and crunchy components.
- 2018
Russian walnut variant retained in the range
[1]A walnut Picnic variant in Russia moved from limited-edition status into the permanent assortment.
- 2014
Australian bar weight reduced to 46 grams
[1]The standard Australian bar was reduced to 46 grams and became visibly narrower.
- 2009
Australian bar weight reduced to 48.4 grams
[1]The standard Australian Picnic bar was reduced from 50 grams to 48.4 grams.
- 1990
Calvin camel television campaign
[1]A British television advertisement featured an animatronic camel named Calvin and a music-video parody focused on the bar's ingredients.
- 1970
Australian banquet advertising
[1]The Australian brand used the slogan "More like a banquet than a picnic" during the 1970s.
- 1967
Cadbury acquires MacRobertson Chocolates
[1]Cadbury's acquisition brought Picnic and other established MacRobertson's confectionery brands into the Cadbury portfolio.
- 1950
First Picnic bar released in Australia
[1]MacRobertson's launched the original Picnic chocolate bar in Australia.
- 1950
British release by Fry
[1]The Picnic bar was also introduced in Great Britain by Fry during the 1950s.
Products and positioning
An indulgent, playful and texturally diverse chocolate bar positioned around abundance, irregular appearance and a combination of chocolate, nuts, caramel, nougat, biscuit and crisp inclusions.
Chocolate bar · 1950
Picnic
The core Picnic bar is an irregularly shaped confection covered in milk chocolate. Its centre combines chewy nougat and caramel with biscuit, puffed rice and peanuts, creating a mixture of soft, chewy and crunchy textures. Recipes vary by market: British, German, Irish and Indian versions described in reference material also contain raisins, while the Australasian formulation differs. The product's lumpy appearance and many-component construction are central to its identity.
Limited-edition chocolate bar
Picnic Honeycomb
An Australian limited-edition extension of Picnic incorporating honeycomb pieces into the standard multi-texture chocolate-bar format. It preserves the brand's emphasis on irregular inclusions and added crunch while giving the product a distinct honeycomb flavour and texture.
Limited-edition chocolate bar
Picnic Hedgehog
An Australian limited-edition variant adding biscuit pieces to the Picnic format. The variant builds on the core bar's existing contrast between caramel, nougat, chocolate and crunchy inclusions.
Limited-edition chocolate bar
Picnic Rocky Road
An Australian limited-edition version combining the Picnic concept with mini marshmallows and gumdrops. It extends the brand into a softer, confectionery-heavy flavour profile while retaining the recognizable chocolate-bar format.
Variant chocolate bar · 2010
Almond Picnic
An almond-based Picnic variant first made available in New Zealand in 2010. It was subsequently sold in Australia under the name Roast Almond Feast, adapting the familiar Picnic structure to a roasted almond flavour profile.
Variant chocolate bar · 2011
Fruit and Nut Picnic
An Australian fruit-and-nut extension released in 2011. The variant develops the brand's established use of nuts and sweet inclusions by adding a fruit-oriented flavour direction.
Regional variant chocolate bar
Russian walnut Picnic
A Russian variant using walnuts instead of the classic peanut emphasis. It was initially presented as a limited edition and later became part of the permanent Russian assortment.
Marketing campaigns
- 2000Deliciously ugly
United Kingdom · Other markets
The early-2000s positioning used "Deliciously ugly" to turn Picnic's lumpy, irregular appearance into a memorable brand advantage.
- 1990Calvin the singing camel
United Kingdom · Russia · Ukraine
A British television commercial featured an animatronic camel called Calvin performing a parody of "My Coo Ca Choo." Captions described the bar's ingredients while the lyrics emphasized chewing and gooeyness; translated versions also aired in Russia and Ukraine.
- 1970More like a banquet than a picnic
Australia
The campaign used the contrast between a modest picnic and a lavish banquet to communicate the bar's substantial size and abundance of ingredients.
Brand decisions
2014
Reduce the standard Australian bar weight to 46 gramsOtherBackground
The product had already undergone a weight reduction in 2009, while its familiar wrapper format remained in use.
Action taken
Cadbury reduced the standard Australian bar to 46 grams and narrowed its physical width.
2009
Reduce the standard Australian bar weight to 48.4 gramsOtherBackground
The standard Australian Picnic bar had previously been presented as a 50-gram product.
Action taken
Cadbury changed the stated weight to 48.4 grams.
Recent events
- 2018
Picnic variants expand across regional markets[1]
Product generation · Product launch
Russia was reported as offering a classic peanut-and-raisin version and a walnut version, initially introduced as a limited edition and later retained in the range.
- 2014
Cadbury reduces the standard Australian Picnic bar to 46 grams[1]
Pricing · Other
The standard Australian bar was reduced to 46 grams, with a noticeable reduction in width while the older wrapper format was retained.
- 2009
Cadbury reduces the standard Australian Picnic bar from 50 grams to 48.4 grams[1]
Pricing · Other
The stated weight of the standard Australian Picnic bar was reduced from 50 grams to 48.4 grams.
Sources3 sources
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