Editing Smarties (section)

==History==
Confectionery company [[Rowntree's]] of [[York]], England, have been making "Chocolate Beans" since at least 1882.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Berry |first1=Steve |last2=Norman |first2=Phil |title=A History of Sweets in 50 Wrappers |date=2014 |publisher=[[The Friday Project]] |location=London |isbn=9780007575480 |pages=84–85}}</ref> In 1937, they renamed the product "Smarties Chocolate Beans" in 1937, soon shortening the name to just "Smarties".<ref>{{cite book|last=Bradley|first=John|title=Cadbury's Purple Reign: The Story Behind Chocolate's Best-Loved Brand|year=2011|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|isbn=978-1-119-99505-0}}</ref> While the sweets had previously been sold loose, as part of a broader strategy to establish a prominent brand identity and after seeing success in selling other confections in cardboard tubes, Rowntree's began selling Smarties Chocolate Beans in the packaging. The product and this packaging were marketed to children after test marketing in Scotland.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fitzgerald |first=Robert |title=Rowntree and the marketing revolution, 1862-1969 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=1995 |isbn=0-521-43512-9 |page=338}}</ref> The packaging was valued for being easily repurposed into crafts, and the plastic caps were collected, each marked with a letter of the alphabet.<ref name="BBC05" />

[[File:Smarties Riesenrolle.jpg|thumb|Smarties (130g)]][[File:Lentilky-Smarties 2024.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Smarties (38g) and Lentilky (28g)]]
In February 2005, the Smarties tube was replaced with a hexagonal design. The rationale behind changing the design was, according to Nestlé, to make the brand "fresh and appealing" to youngsters;<ref name="BBC05">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4276553.stm "Smarties set to lose their tube"], BBC News, 18 February 2005</ref> the new packaging is also lighter and more compact, and the lid (which is now a hinged piece of cardboard) has a card clip which holds the lid shut when it is folded over. The new lid still features a letter like the old plastic lids, but it is in the form of a "what [letter] is a [thing]?" question similar to those asked on the British television game show ''[[Blockbusters (British game show)|Blockbusters]]'' (which coincidentally were on hexagonal tiles), the answer for which can be read when the lid is open, next to the hole giving access to the rest of the tube. The hexagonal box is made of one piece of card which is diecut then folded and glued. The hexagon can also be stacked in many layers without the pile collapsing, which is an advantage at the point of sale.

Smarties are no longer manufactured in York; in October 2007, production was moved to Germany,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1775708.smarties_production_to_move_to_germany/ |title=Smarties production to move to Germany (From The Northern Echo) |publisher=Thenorthernecho.co.uk |date=21 October 2007 |access-date=10 April 2014}}</ref> where a third of them were already made. Outside Europe, Nestlé's largest production facility for Smarties is in [[Toronto]], Canada, where Nestlé has been manufacturing its products since 1918. The factory located at 72 Sterling Road in the [[Junction Triangle]] was originally built for Cowan Cocoa and Chocolate.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2020/04/29/a-short-history-of-rowntree-maple-buds-and-other-canadian-made-chocolate-treats.html| title = A short history of Rowntree Maple Buds and other Canadian-made chocolate treats {{!}} The Star| website = [[Toronto Star]]| date = 29 April 2020}}</ref>

In 1998, Nestlé obtained a trademark for a tubular Smarties package. It later sued Master Foods in Denmark, which was marketing [[M&M's|M&M minis]] in a similar package. The [[Supreme Court of Denmark]] ruled that a basic geometrical shape could not be trademarked and ordered the trademark to be removed from the trademark register.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/detail.aspx?g=f267342b-9a02-4f2b-800a-518408f7911b|title=Nestlé Outsmarted in Smarties Ruling|last=Marstrand-Jørgensen|first=Mads|date=20 October 2003|publisher=Globe Business Publishing Ltd|access-date=28 August 2014|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924035602/http://www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/detail.aspx?g=f267342b-9a02-4f2b-800a-518408f7911b|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2021, the parent company [[Nestlé]] transferred the production of [[:cs:Lentilky|Lentilky]], which had been produced in [[Czech Republic|Czechia]] since 1907, to German [[Hamburg]], and the ingredients are also being harmonized with the Smarties product.<ref>{{cite news |title=Konec Lentilek v Česku: Výroba se po 114 letech přesune do Německa. Změní se i receptura |url=https://www.byznysnoviny.cz/2020/10/12/konec-lentilek-v-cesku-vyroba-se-po-114-letech-presune-do-nemecka-zmeni-se-i-receptura/ |work=Byznys Noviny |date=12 October 2020 |language=cs}}</ref>