Bertie Beetle is a small chocolate bar manufactured by Nestlé. It consists of a chocolate coated bar containing small pieces of honeycomb that is shaped like an anthropomorphised beetle. It was originally created as a way to use up honeycomb left over from the production of Violet Crumble bars. Originally manufactured in Australia, today they are manufactured in a factory in New Zealand. For many years Bertie Beetles were generally only available to the public in showbags sold at Australian agricultural shows. History The Bertie Beetle was first produced in 1963 by Hoadley's Chocolates, who were later taken over by the Rowntree Company and became Rowntree Hoadley Ltd (the company was later acquired by Nestlé in 1988). Intended to rival MacRobertson's (later Cadbury's) Freddo Frog, it was launched with advertisements featuring VFL footballer Ron Barassi, and was sold in shops until the 1970s. At some point after, a deal was made to only sell the chocolate at shows and exhibitions in showbags. In 2007, Bertie Beetle multi-packs were briefly available in supermarkets under Nestlé's Willy Wonka sub-brand. Bertie Beetles returned to select confectionery stores in 2018. In 2019 Peters launched a Bertie Beetle ice cream. Showbags Bertie Beetles are most well known for their inclusion in the reliably cheap classic Bertie Beetle showbag, sold at various shows around Australia. Although initially included in Hoadley's Chocolate Showbag starting in 1963 (alongside Polly Waffle, Violet Crumble and White Knight bars), Bertie Beetle did not receive its own bag until 1965. The showbag, which as of 2022 comes with a few Bertie Beetles and other confections such as Red Ripperz, was traditionally sold for $2 for many decades. Although the price for the showbag was increased in 2006 to $3, in 2007 it returned to its traditional price of $2 and remained that way until 2021. In 2022 the showbag again increased in price to $3 due to inflation. The Bertie Beetle showbag is one of the most popular showbags ever made. At the 2017 Brisbane Ekka, more than 250,000 Bertie Beetle showbags were sold. When the showbag was briefly withdrawn from sale at shows, Nestlé bowed to the resultant consumer pressure and recommenced sale of the bag. Other variants of the Bertie Beetle showbag are also offered, containing more items and subsequently selling at a higher price. In 2003, the Bertie Beetle Bonanza showbag was created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of