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Vice Versas

Chocolate Sweets with the Colours Reversed

Forgotten Food & Drinks · 1991

Archived on

Region

United Kingdom

Associated With

Nestlé Rowntree - UK manufacturer; Nestlé UK - successor brand owner

Defining Feature

Milk chocolate in a white crisp sugar shell, and white chocolate in a brown crisp sugar shell

Status

Reintroduced - UK relaunch announced in 2012

Overview

Vice Versas hid milk chocolate inside white sugar shells and white chocolate inside brown ones.

Introduced in 1991 under Nestlé Rowntree, the bite-size sweets made their reversed colours the central joke. Each assortment paired the two kinds of chocolate beneath crisp shells, so appearance did not give away the expected centre.

Nestlé announced a UK return in July 2012 after online calls for a comeback. The relaunch used a resealable sharing bag, with new recipe and packaging wording, and was promoted for a night in.

Why It Mattered

The colour reversal made the product’s name something a customer could discover by biting into a sweet. White and brown shells contradicted the chocolate inside, giving a simple assortment a memorable joke. When Nestlé brought it back in 2012, the company cited Facebook support: that remembered design had become part of the argument for another release.

The Reversal

  • Each assortment paired white-shelled milk chocolate with brown-shelled white chocolate.
  • Retail and review records published in 2012 independently describe both contrasting varieties.
  • The shells were described as crisp sugar shells.

The 2012 Return

  • Nestlé announced the return on 16/07/2012, for UK availability in early 08/2012.
  • The relaunch came in a 126g resealable sharing bag with an RRP of £1.59.
  • It was promoted for sharing and the “Big Night In”.

How the Record Survives

  • Nestlé attributed the return to online demand, citing almost 10,000 Facebook fans and nearly 30 return-focused Facebook pages.
  • A City of York Council-hosted historic building report preserves the Nestlé Rowntree chronology that records the 1991 introduction.
  • The 2012 bag described itself as having a “New recipe and packaging.”
Sources & Records

Gallery

Front of a Nestlé Vice Versas confectionery wrapper, split into pale yellow and red sections with large brown-and-white “Vice Versas” lettering, blue curved arrows, chocolate-coloured circles, and dark brown sealed ends.
Source
Credit

Nestlé Vice Versas packaging; copy shared on Pinterest, photographer not identified

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Vice Versas made the wrapper explain a small reversal: white shells concealed milk chocolate, while brown shells concealed white chocolate.

Advertisement-style image showing a Vice Versas candy packet on a beige background, with one dark and one white round candy beside it and the text “Brown is white” above and “and vice versa.” below.
Source
Credit

Nestlé Vice Versas television advertisement; frame from the linked YouTube copy

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

“Brown is white and vice versa” put the whole product idea into one line. The reversed colours were the advertising joke as well as the recipe.

Front view of a red, yellow and brown Nestlé Vice Versas sharing bag on a white background, labeled “LOVE TO SHARE” and “NEW,” with illustrations of pale and brown chocolate pieces, including cutaway pieces.
Source
Credit

Nestlé UK publicity image

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

The sharing bag gave Vice Versas a later identity. Its return brought the colour-switching idea back in packaging aimed at a night in.