Did you know that there is a bear in the logo of Swiss chocolate brand Toblerone? Neither did Twitter user Stephanie when her son had his first bar of Toblerone and asked his mother, “What’s the bear for?”
Her post on his observation has since gone viral.
As it turns out, the confection of nougat and milk was created by Theodore Tobler in 1908 in the Swiss city of Bern – a city associated with bears. Bern’s seal and coat of arms have had a bear on it since the 13th century.
The mountain behind the bear in the logo is inspired by Matterhorn, the peak in the Alps near which Bern is located.
Many fans believe that the distinctive triangular shape of the Toblerone chocolates is also a nod to Matterhorn. But according to the company’s website, Theodor Tobler based the design on “something sexier”. He was evidently inspired by “a red and cream-frilled line of dancers at the Folies Bergères in Paris, forming a shapely pyramid at the end of a show”.
To graphic designers, Stephanie’s tweets did not come as a suprise. The Toblerone logo is used in commercial art classes to highlight the intelligent use of “negative space”.
But to many long-time Toblerone fans, Stephanie’s tweet sparked delight at discovering something right under their noses.
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