5 Things You Didn’t Know, About Kit Kat Bars

Kit Kat bars are one of the world’s most popular chocolate candies, but we bet that there’s a lot you didn’t know about this legendary treat.

Kit Kat was invented by British confection company Rowntree’s under the name Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp. It was renamed Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp two years later in 1937. In 1970, Hershey’s bought the rights to produce and sell Kit Kat in the United States, and in 1988, Rowntree’s was bought by Nestlé. 

The Kit-Cat Club was a popular political meeting club in London in the 1700s, and the mutton pies served there soon became known as Kit-Kat. Rowntree trademarked the term in 1911, but it took them a couple decades to put the name to good use.

The first new flavor variety, Kit Kat orange, was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1996.

In Japan, the name Kit Kat closely resembles the term “kitto katsu,” which means “surely win,” so they’re considered good luck there. In order to boost sales, some truly outrageous flavors have been introduced since 2000, including ginger ale, soy sauce, green tea, banana, and crème brûlée. They’ve even been turned into pizza toppings!

While it may seem like “Gimme a Break” has been their slogan forever, it’s only been around since 1986. Failed slogans used in the years leading up to it include “Tastes so good, you’ll roar” and “That’s what you want.”