(NEXSTAR) – The hidden image within the logo of Toblerone chocolate bars will remain after an upcoming redesign, a spokesperson for the brand’s parent company confirmed.
Mondelez International, the company that owns the Toblerone brand, had announced earlier this week that Toblerone will be moving some of its production from Switzerland to Slovakia, necessitating the removal of certain Switzerland-themed images and references from packaging in accordance with Swiss law.
This means the chocolate’s longtime Matterhorn logo is being replaced with a new, more “streamlined” graphic of a non-Matterhorn mountain, according to the company. But the “hidden” image within the current logo — the obscured outline of a bear standing on its hind legs — will be carried over into the new design, Mondelez says.
This hidden image isn’t exactly a secret: Both Toblerone and Mondelez challenge consumers to find the bear in different sections of their respective websites. But casual candy consumers may only be aware of its existence because of a viral 2018 social media post, if they’re aware at all.
This image of the “Bernese bear” has been a staple of the Toblerone logo since 1920, replacing an image of an eagle that was included on previous wrappers, according to Toblerone’s official site. It was included in the logo because Bern — where the Tobler family’s chocolate company was founded — famously features a bear on its coat of arms.
Toblerone will still operate a facility in Bern, where the 100-gram bars will continue to be produced, a representative for Mondelez told Reuters. “Limited” production of other Toblerone sizes will begin in Slovakia by the end of 2023, she added.
The representative also indicated to Reuters that the new packaging would appear similar to that of the bars seen on the brand’s U.K. website, which retain the image of the bear within a more generic mountain.
“The redesign of the packaging introduces a modernized and streamlined mountain logo that is consistent with the geometric and triangular aesthetic,” Mondelez spokeswoman Livia Kolmitz said in an emailed statement shared with Nexstar. “The famous hidden bear is retained.”
Mondelez initially announced its plans to redesign the packages earlier this week, in compliance with a piece of “Swissness” legislation that only allows the use of certain symbols and wording if 80% of the raw materials come from Switzerland and if the essential parts of the manufacturing process take place in the country, among other stipulations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.