People with a sweet tooth are rushing to stock up on the last ever packets of some Allen’s Lollies varieties after the confectionery manufacturer announced it has stopped making green frogs and spearmint leaves.
Allen’s Lollies’ branding team were reportedly behind the decision that led to the lolly axing, which the ABC say has caused a social media uproar.
Margaret Stuart, corporate affairs manager for Allen’s Lollies, told Fairfax Media that before production officially stopped at the end of last year, both green frogs and spearmint leaves were only being sold in bulk bags.
"They just stopped selling. People stopped buying them," Ms Stuart said.
"We know that people have deep connections to their favourite iconic lollies," she said. "What I do sometimes find a bit sad is when they're sad about products that they haven't actually been buying."
According to Ms Stuart red frogs had been outselling green frogs ten to one and sales of spearmint leaves have continued to drop off over recent years.
Nestlé, the parent company of Allen’s Lollies, also made headlines last year when it announced that the company’s iconic Killer Python was shrinking.
The smaller ‘treat size’ killer pythons hit store shelves late last year and while healthy eating advocates were no doubt thrilled with the announcement, it did leave a sour taste in the mouths of some.
“The move is part of Nestlé’s efforts to help Australians better manage their health, by controlling the amount of food, especially treats, they eat,” said a statement released by Nestlé regarding the lolly shrinkage.
Exactly what these two cases of ‘lolly massacre’ say about the future of the confectionary industry remains unclear. However, some good news for lolly lovers - the rumours currently circulating which hint that Sherbies, Marella Jubes and even Redskins are next to be axed have been dismissed by the company.
“They are not under threat,” Stuart said. “We don’t make the decision to delete products lightly – it’s quite a considered decision.”