Hamleys launches innovative Northern Irish chocolate toy
Iconic British toy store Hamleys is the launch customer for a unique chocolate toy created by Choc-o-Bloc in Northern Ireland. The small Northern Irish family business has developed the Magic Choc-Chocolate Picture Maker kit.
In addition to Hamleys, which has its flagship store at Regent's Street in London, the unique Magic Choc Picture Maker confectionery/toy is now on the shelves of Toys R Us and Toymaster as well as online through Amazon.
Picture Maker allows children to design and create their own chocolate bar…then eat it! Simply by melting the chocolate packs in a bowl of warm water, children can pick a stencil and choose their own favourite character and shape the bar as they wish.
Children can choose to draw a favourite character in chocolate or even send a chocolate hand written message as a gift….just in time for Christmas!
The new product is a development of the company's successful Magic Choc kit, now on sale in more than 50 markets including China, Russia and Middle East. Magic Choc enables children to mould figures from the chocolate.
Magic Choc's secret is leading-edge technology that has enabled the company to lower the melting point of chocolate. This enables the chocolate to be mounded without melting during the process. The product features milk, dark and white chocolate
Choc-o-Bloc was established in 2005 by engineer Stephen Lennie and is based in a small factory at Newtownards in county Down. It recently secured business in China to enable children to mould the chocolate into cars featured in Vroomiz, the biggest children's programme on China television.
Mr Lennie, commenting on Chocolate Picture Maker, says: "It's really fantastic to see the Magic Choc range now on sale all over the world. It's tremendous to see it on sale in prestigious outlets such as Hamleys.
"We are extremely proud of the chocolate toy brand that we've created in Northern Ireland."
Magic Choc confectionery toys are made from 100 per cent Belgian chocolate and do not contain any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. They are also suitable for vegetarians. The products are distributed by The In Thing in Accrington.