In praise of Monty Python

Welcome to the third in my series on chocolate and humour – you can read my first installment here and my second here.

Monty Python takes satire and humour to a new level. And there are few more iconic examples of chocolate humour than their “Crunchy Frog” sketch.

.. or the “wafer thin mint” (note: this is DEFINITELY “not safe for work”)

Both of these sketches play tribute to the creative genius of 1960 and 1970 chocolate marketeers. Food scientists’ “discovery” that consumers could be encouraged to scoff even more via “the bliss point” (ie combining sugar, salt and fat) and “sensory specific satiety” (ie a variety of textures, tastes and flavours) encouraged Big Chocolate to launch all sorts of wonderful new products. And the genius of Mad Men found fantastic ways to make us aware of these “treats” – for example, Frank Muir’s “fruit and nut” ad (enjoy the punch line).

Even more impressively, advertisers and marketers created new opportunities for chocolate. In particular, Terry’s almost turbocharged the practice of “after dinner mints” (for more on the history of mint, and mint and chocolate see here). For much of the 1960’s and 1970’s Terry’s created the legend that aristocratic Britons – wherever they were in the world – would end their dinner parties (all inevitably in black tie) with After Eights. See below for some examples. And this provided the backdrop to Monty Python’s even more amazing satire:

(and this is the US “adaptation”)

Mass market chocolate has done an amazing job of using humour, delight and nostalgia to make us feel good about buying their products. Unfortunately, Craft Chocolate doesn’t afford the advertising budgets, or influencer campaigns, to compete here. And even though Craft Chocolate’s transparency about deforestation, child labour, health, etc. is powerful for many audiences (and often on TV, social media etc.), this doesn’t perform the same way in showcasing, and promoting, the fun (and humour) that run through our world.

However something is clearly working (or at least getting under the skin of Big Chocolate) given Bournville’s ad last year “punching down” to criticise craft chocolate for being transparent (and proud) of the origin and farmers behind their beans. And it’s a real shame that Monty Python is no longer around to provide a more fun rebuttal.

On a more positive note, there are many fantastic, and very funny, “old” and “new” media fans of Craft Chocolate. If you have kids, and/or if you want to appeal to anyone’s inner child, can I recommend Sandra Boynton’s PHENOMENAL “Chocolate: the Consuming Passion”?

Sandra Boynton is not just an author, she’s also the creative genius of gems such as “Philadelphia Chickens” and “Dinosaur Rock”. See below for a clips of the Bacon Brothers’ Philadelphia Chickens.

And next time you are thinking about, or making, chocolate chip cookies, listen to another great song by Sandra Boynton, Faraway Cookies by Caitlin McEwan

It’d be WONDERFUL if one day Sandra would make more chocolate inspired songs (and books!). Although they won’t have the biting satire of Monty Python’s Mr Creosote, they’d still be AMAZING.

In the meantime, do (re)watch Monty Python, dance along to Rhinoceros Rock and crack open a bar of craft chocolate. Or if you want a cocoa-focussed book to read to young children, we highly recommend Nettie Atkisson’s beautifully illustrated book The Chocolate Seed which you can purchase here.

Thanks as ever for your support – and hopefully, some of these videos will raise a smile.