The day candy met Surrealism
by Krishnan Menon

Chupa Chups was founded by Eric Bernat in 1958. This global brand of lollipops was founded to solve one common dilemma faced by candy lovers. A simple problem, but a problem nevertheless. Sticky fingers from candy!

Bernat later said, "I saw something tasty that wasn't very convenient for our most important consumers: children. Their hands got sticky, causing them to get in trouble with their parents. So I put the candy on a stick."

And that’s how the 'Lollipop' was invented! Bernat initially envisioned the lollipop as a football going into a goal, the open mouth. He named it "GOL" which translates to 'goal' in Spanish. But, the brand didn’t get too much attention. So, Bernat changed his strategy and renamed it Chupa Chups, derived from the word 'chupar' which means 'to suck' in Spanish. But there was still something missing! A logo. And, as in the case of every universally popular brand's logo, Chupa Chups's has quite an interesting history to it. Like most legends, this story also has a very simple beginning.

It started with a conversation between two friends over a cup of coffee in 1969. Bernat was complaining about his brand lacking a logo to his artist friend, Salvador Dali. Yes, the same Dali who is known for his quirky mustache and long-legged elephant paintings!

Dali, being Dali, exclaimed,"No problem!" And went right to work, scribbling away on a newspaper for the next hour or so. The result? A joyful looking yellow daisy as background with elegant wordmark laid on it. Like any great artist, Dali was aware of the importance of presentation. He absolutely insisted that the logo be placed on the top of the lollipop and not on the side, so it is visible from all angles. Four billion sales later, this remains one of the most enduring logos to date.

But the most perplexing part of this tale is- why would a world renowned surrealist opt to design a logo for a lollipop brand? The answer, something a lot of artists are desperately in need of, is the almighty dollar. Dali was known for never passing up on a paying opportunity, so much so that the surrealist poet André Breton nicknamed Dali - Avida Dollars, an anagram of his name, which also roughly translates to ‘eager for cash’.

There are two lessons to take away from this tale. One, sometimes the perfect logo for a brand originates from the most unassuming moments. Two, the presentation of the logo is as vital as a good design. There is no point in having a beautifully designed logo if it cannot be appreciated and utilised in its entirety!