Smarties in anniversary party mood

The colourful chocolate treat first arrived in stores in 1937 under the name Smarties having been renamed from its previous incarnation of Chocolate Beans.

They were made at the Nestle factory in York until production moved abroad in September 2006.

The brand has undergone several changes during the decades but now sells 50 million tubes a year in the UK alone.

The history of Smarties includes its first television advert in 1956 which had the strapline “Sweetest, treatest, best to eatest”.

Shortly afterwards the brand changed the coffee, orange and dark chocolate centres that formed part of the mix to milk chocolate.

The blue Smarties were introduced in 1988, initially as a limited edition but they became a permanent colour because of their popularity.

A Nestle spokesman said that in 2005 Smarties became one of the first children’s confectionery brands to move away from artificial colours in response to concerns about additives in children’s foods.

He added: “The Smarties tubes have always been an iconic part of the brand’s heritage.”