CALLS for the Echo chocolate bar to return have been reverberating for years.
A petition was launched to get the Fox’s bar back on the shelves. Here’s what we know about it.
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What was the Echo chocolate bar?
The Fox’s choc bar made its debut on shelves in the early noughties.
The classic lunchbox treat was made up of layers of milk and white chocolate over a crunchy chocolate biscuit base.
Fox’s also launched a mint version of the Echo.
This featured a bubbly cream topping over a biscuit base, all covered in chocolate.
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The Echo wrapping featured a bubble design and described the bar as “seductively creamy”.
Why and when was the Echo chocolate bar discontinued?
The Echo bar vanished from shelves in the 2010s.
Both the original flavour and the mint version were discontinued.
Across the years a number of petitions have been launched for the return of the bar – but despite some stalwart fans, they have failed to garner enough support.
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A 2014 petition on Change.org only got 36 supporters and is now closed.
Thomas Duckham pleaded with people to “bring back the Echo…echo…echo” but to no avail.
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Another petition launched in July 2020 entitled “Bring back the Echo chocolate bar” has received 385 signatures.
Its goal is to reach 500 and, as of April 2024, it is still open.
Connor Atack, who started the petition, said “We all know the Echo chocolate bar was (and still is) the greatest bar of all time.
“Now is the time to act and bring this beauty back!”
He continued: “Fox’s Biscuits neglected us of our joy, happiness and taste sensation. Unjustly discontinuing the people favourite lunch time treat.
“And taking away a child’s greatest achievement of deconstructing this masterpiece.”
He added that fans of the treat had been deprived of the “joy of nibbling the outer layer of chocolate, extracting the crunchy biscuit base and munching the fine chocolatey upper layer”.
Echo needs to be returned so my children can eat too many of them too.
Petitioner on Change.org
Chocolate lovers were quick to agree, with one commenting: “If you pull this off, I will personally hand deliver you, an Echo bar.”
Another added: “They were the best ones on the market. They remind me of school lunches and just childhood in general.”
One huge fan of the treat even went as far as to declare it the “greatest biscuit bar of all time”.
They added: “It needs to be returned so my children can eat too many of them too.”
Echo is not the only chocolate to disappoint fans by disappearing from shelves.
Jackpotjoy’s 2022 survey revealed which discontinued treat people would most like to see return.
Although Echo did not top the poll, the bar did gain 3.6% of the vote.
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A SURVEY commissioned by Jackpotjoy asked 2,000 participants which chocolates they’d most like to have in their “dream selection box”.
Here’s a breakdown of the results – and how the Echo bar fared.
Cadbury Dream – 8 per cent
Cadbury Marble – 7.9 per cent
Cadbury Aztec – 7.8 per cent
Cadbury Time Out – 6.9 per cent
Milky Way Crispy Rolls – 6.2 per cent
Kit Kat Caramac – 5.9 per cent
Mars Delight – 5.7 per cent
Cadbury Fuse – 5.6 per cent
Cadbury Astro – 5.3 per cent
Fox’s Echo – 3.6 per cent
However in 2023, Fox’s confirmed that the bar would not be returning.
The company told a disappointed fan who had pleaded for the bar’s return: “Unfortunately, I can confirm we do not make Echo Bars at the moment, as sadly they were not as popular as we would have hoped.
“Whilst we appreciate your positive comments we currently have no plans to bring them back at this time.”
The axe came after Fox’s rebranded the biscuit in 2008 in a bid to boost sales.
Marketing Week revealed the relaunch, with “sensual” new packaging was “aimed at women” after the bar failed to rival Nestle‘s KitKat.
But the new design was not enough to save the biscuit.
What is similar to the Echo chocolate bar?
Fox’s launched the Velvety bar to replace Echo in 2012.
It featured rippled milk chocolate over a light mousse-like cream centre on top of a shortcake biscuit base.
The Velvety range included Caramel & Honeycomb Cream, which had the added bonus of soft honeycomb cream with a gooey caramel middle on the biscuit base.
Fox’s also launched the Velvety Fudge Cream & Chocolate which featured a gooey choc middle.
However the Echo replacement did not resonate with some fans.
Thomas Duckham, who started the 2014 petition for Echo’s return, said: “The Velvety bar is undeniably a solid chocolate bar but it is not on the same level of sheer deliciousness as the original Echo bar.”
The Velvety range has since disappeared from shelves as well.
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The Echo bar has also been compared to the Aero, because of its bubbly middle.
One fan tweeted in 2010: “Fox’s Echo chocolate minty biscuits are tremendous. Like a mint Aero greatest hits.”
