Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate bars, in their cheerful, colourful wrappers, are a staple of the Dutch chocolate industry and a delicious hit internationally. Except… people aren’t quite sure what to call them. 👀
In a now-viral video, UK TikTokker @grac31ouise dropped a virtual bomb on her chocolate-loving audience.
The bomb in question? Most of us have been pronouncing ‘Tony’s Chocolonely’ wrong. 😬
It’s ‘Chocolonely’, not ‘Chocoloney’
“Is it just us who thought it was called Tony’s Chocoloney?” the creator asked her followers.
Many were quick to agree with @grac31ouise, with one saying, “Hahaha I never noticed that… Been saying Tony Chocoloney for years.”
Another chimed in with: “I live in the Netherlands, so I see that chocolate EVERY damn day… I SWEAR it’s always been Chocoloney?? But it’s not??”
Others were quick to point out the weirdness of their shared mispronunciation: “This is a new Mandela effect I’m telling ya”.
This is in reference to a phenomenon known as the Mandela effect, in which a large group of people collectively misremember things like the appearance of an image, a pop culture event — or the name of a chocolate bar!
What’s in a name?
Umm… just who is this Tony, and why is he naming a brand of chocolate after himself?
According to the brand’s website, ‘Tony’ is the English variant of the Dutch name ‘Teun’ — the first name of Dutch TV journalist Teun van de Keuken, who founded the brand.
A sworn activist against slavery in the cocoa industry, he decided to carve out his own exploitation-free niche in the sector after his efforts to discuss issues with larger chocolate makers were ignored.
He came up with ‘Chocolonely’ as a nod to his efforts — and, after cranking out a whopping 5,000 chocolate bars himself, Tony’s Chocolonely was officially born!
Do you think that this is an example of the Mandela effect at work? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Image: Sipalius/Wikimedia Commons/CC4.0
It was chocolonely for me from the beginning
First time I hear/read chocoloney, such non-sense