From Colin to Cuthbert: The world of the caterpillar cakes
Written by Aura Stephenson on 3rd October 2024
Over 42,000 people voted for Cuthbert the caterpillar as Aldi’s best ever product and it got me thinking, what is the best caterpillar cake out there now?
In 1990, M&S introduced the world to Colin, the original caterpillar cake that quickly became a beloved classic. Colin’s popularity soared, inspiring other retailers like Aldi, Tesco, and Asda to create their own versions and join the caterpillar cake trend. This evolution saw caterpillar cakes become a staple in many stores, each putting their own twist on the iconic dessert.
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If we think about the fact that Cuthbert has been voted Aldi’s best ever product, does this mean that he is the best caterpillar? Without Colin, Cuthbert most likely wouldn’t have come out of his egg and make kids happy on their birthday.
Out of eleven people surveyed, two stated that Aldi’s caterpillar cake was the best, primarily because they found Colin from M&S too expensive. As of October 2024, Colin the Caterpillar at M&S is priced at £9.50, while Aldi’s Cuthbert is available for £6.94—making Cuthbert £3.01 cheaper. This price gap underscores the growing challenge of affording branded food during the ongoing cost of living crisis, a trend evident even with popular items like Colin.
On the other side of this debate, five people said that Colin is the best caterpillar cake. A reason for this is that M&S have a strong social media personality for Colin and their other famous character, Percy, where they do fun Tik Tok dances. Many of these videos get thousands of views which has a positive influence on people enjoying Colin and his cake.
The remaining respondents expressed a more neutral stance, stating they would be happy to enjoy any caterpillar cake or even new Colin-themed products, such as the Colin faces recently released by M&S. It’s intriguing that not everyone holds a strong opinion on which caterpillar cake reigns supreme, especially given how frequently caterpillar cakes have sparked lively discussions over the years.
