2025-08-11T09:35:00Z

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Imagine a world where a beloved chocolate treat cost just a penny! It’s hard to fathom, isn't it? But that was the reality for Harry Melbourne, the creator of the iconic Freddo chocolate bar, who would be utterly shocked by today’s prices, according to his daughter, Leonie Wadin.

Leonie, now 74, reminisces about her childhood, waiting eagerly for her father to return home with boxes of these delightful frog-shaped chocolates. “Dad would be disgusted by how small they are now and how much they charge for them,” she told Sky News from her home in Melbourne. “He’d roll over in his grave if he could see it now; it was a penny chocolate. Since Dad died, I haven’t bought a Freddo.”

Harry Melbourne was just 14 when he invented the Freddo, and he had a clever idea that changed the course of confectionery history. Back in 1930, a boss suggested a chocolate mouse, but Harry argued that kids were scared of mice. Instead, he proposed a chocolate frog, inspired by children catching tadpoles at the lake. And thus, Freddo was born, named after his “best mate,” Fred.

The treat launched in Australia soon after, priced at one penny, and saw a brief stint in the UK in 1973. However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that it truly captured the hearts (and wallets) of British consumers.

Fast forward to today, and the prices for a Cadbury Freddo have skyrocketed, commonly selling for around 30p to 35p, with reports of them being sold for as much as £1! This inflation raises eyebrows and stirs nostalgia, leading many to question if simple pleasures are becoming too expensive for the average person.

Interestingly, a recent analysis from Sky suggests that despite the apparent price hike, the Freddo may actually be less expensive today than it was in the 1990s—in terms of the proportion of an hour’s minimum wage work required to buy one.

Leonie passionately hopes her children and grandchildren will cherish her father’s legacy. “They’re very proud of their great-grandad; they still buy them, they love them,” she said. “I just want it all passed down, so that the frog is always in our lives. The Freddo has to be passed on; it’s never going to die.”

In response to rising prices, Mondelēz International, the company behind Cadbury, explained that while they don’t set retail prices, the costs of manufacturing and supply have increased significantly over the last 50 years. They’ve tried to absorb as many of these costs as possible, occasionally adjusting prices or pack sizes to maintain quality and taste.