Wagon Wheels

Wagon Wheelsare asweetsnack foodsold in theUnited Kingdomas well as otherCommonwealthcountries such asAustralia,Canada,New ZealandandIndia. They are also sold inIreland. They consist of twobiscuitsthat form a sandwich with amarshmallowfilling, and they are covered with achocolate-flavoured coating.
Wagon Wheels were invented by William Peschardt, who sold the patent toGarry Weston, son ofW. Garfield Weston.Garry Weston worked for his father's business inAustraliabefore taking over his family's business in Sheffield, England. He placed twoMarie biscuitsaround a marshmallow filling and covered it with chocolate. They were introduced in 1948.The name (originally "Weston Wagon Wheels") relates to the shape of the biscuits and capitalised on theWild West, which was popular in mass media at the time.
InAustralia, Wagon Wheels are now produced byArnott's Biscuits.George Weston Foods Limitedsold the brand to Arnott's in August 2003.
In theUnited KingdomWagon Wheels are produced and distributed byBurton's Foodswho separated from the Weston family connection when they were sold out ofAssociated British Foodsin 2000.The original factory which produced the biscuit was inSloughbut during the early 1980s production was transferred to an updated and modern factory inLlantarnaminSouth Wales.Weston had been producing biscuits on theSloughsite since 1934and theLlantarnamsite since 1938.
InCanada, Wagon Wheels were originally produced by McCormick's, however they are now under theDare Foods Limitedname.They come in Original, Fudge, Choco Cherry, and Raspberry flavours.
There have been many debates amongst fans of the biscuit about its size. Wagon Wheels have supposedly shrunk in size over time, butBurton's FoodsLtd has denied this.It has been suggested that the supposed shrinkage is due to an adult's childhood memory of eating a Wagon Wheel held in a much smaller hand; this argument is perhaps moot, as it does not explain why the modern Wagon Wheel appears to be fatter than the original. Furthermore, in Australia, Arnott's has stated that tray packs of Wagon Wheels were in fact 'Mini Wagon Wheels' and have re-released the original 48g Wagon Wheels.
However, in the video of the 1977 TV advert the image of the packet clearly shows the Burtons 2-pack contents at 125g, suggesting a 62.5g biscuit.
The original factory in Prestonpans produced the biscuit with crinkled edges and corn cobbs rather than the updated smoother edges. This caused the overall diameter of the biscuit to shrink slightly, but not as much as fans of the biscuit believe.
As of 2006the diameter of the Australian version is measured at 88 mm (3.5 in) which is 14 mm (0.55 in) larger than the UK version, while the UK Wagon Wheel is notably thicker by 4 mm (0.16 in).
The BritishcomediansFrench and Saundersmade a sketch withJennifer Saundersdressed as aschoolgirlstuffing a Wagon Wheel into her mouth.Mentions in art: Van Morrison mentions Wagon Wheels in the 1985 song lyric "A Sense of Wonder"
British comediansHale and Paceused Wagon Wheels in their recurring "Curly & Nige" sketches, as the Curly and Nige characters won Wagon Wheels from each other by doing self-mutilating and dangerous bets.
Wagon Wheels are thrown into the audience byBerwick Kalerduring the annualYork Theatre Royalpantomime.
Wagon Wheels were "re-launched" in 2002.
Previous slogans for the product have been:
The current slogan is "You've got to grin to get it in".
Wagon Wheels were chosen by JudgePaul Hollywoodas the technical challenge for the first episode inseries 9ofThe Great British Bake Off.
The original wagon wheel which is now called "chocolate" had a marshmallow centre and not a jam centre.