An archive of images showing the evolution of the Easter Egg over the past 40 years has been released in time for this year 's celebrations . Archivists at confectionery giant Nestle have assembled the compendium of photographs dating back as far as the 1970s to highlight how the traditional chocolate treats have changed over the years . And the images are bound to jog a few childhood memories of the vast array of Easter eggs that the famed sweet makers have produced in the past . Scroll down for video . Who knew ? Chewy sweets , Tooty Frooties , used to release Easter Eggs . This advert dates back to 1972 . A dose of nostalgia : From the Smarties Easter Egg ( pictured left ) , to a selection of funky Easter Eggs ( pictured right ) , both 1970 . The collection includes eggs by much-loved brands like Caramac , Yorkie , Rolo , Toffee Crisp , Aero and even Polo . The tradition of Easter eggs can be traced back to the years following the First World War when the egg was adopted as a symbol of new life and hope . Prior to that chocolatiers had made chocolate fish , chickens and shoes at Easter because these were accepted symbols of the celebrations . Matchmakers look very different today ! Now mostly associated with mint , back in 1991 , a Matchmakers Easter Egg is retailed with 'Orange Chocolate Sticks ' Very different from it 's distinctive bold style today , a poster advertises Yorkie Easter in 1980.The Easter Egg can be traced back to WWI when eggs symbolised new life and hope . The new egg-shaped treats soared in popularity throughout the 1920s and 1930s but production stopped in the 1940s due to World War Two rationing . Shortages of key ingredients like sugar carried on until the early 1950s until British firm Rowntrees , now owned by Nestle , released their Dairy Egg in 1954 . Since then chocolate Easter eggs have been a staple in households across the country . Alex Hutchinson , historian and archivist at Nestle , said : 'Prior to First World War people would celebrate Easter with chocolate fish and chickens which were symbols of the Christian story of Easter . Egg-cellent ! Smarties Eggheads ( pictured left ) and Rowntree 's Minty Eggs ( pictured right ) in 1991 show very different flavours to what is widely-known now . Rowntree 's are characterised by their chewy Fruit Pastels . A Kit-Kat Easter egg poster from 1991 shows that the packaging has n't changed dramatically to today , and has also maintained it 's famous 'Have a Break ! ' tagline . Yorkie 's Easter Egg poster from 1991 , also shows that the chocolate has maintained its bold yellow and blue branding . 'We also made chocolate shoes , which were pagan symbols of a tradition in the north of England whereby people would buy new shoes and bonnets to wear to church at Easter . 'After the First World War we reintroduced the Easter egg in 1922 . The eggs symbolised the spring , new life and hope . 'Easter eggs became hugely popular and the rest is history . 'We put together this archive of photos as a little Easter treat for fans of Easter eggs . 'Our archives go all the way back to the very beginning of the chocolate Easter egg but this selection of images focuses on the 70s , 80s and 90s because the designs and packaging are much cooler . ' A little bit of nostalgia is great fun , and there 's bound to be a few eggs in there that people remember from their childhoods . ' Retro egg ! A Rowntree Easter Egg range was advertised in 1977 , and is starting to show hints of Rowntree 's colourful branding . Goodies within : A Tooty Frooties Easter Egg ( pictured left ) and a Quality Street egg ( pictured right ) made from bundles of their signature wrapped-up chocolates - both from 1976 . A Weekend Easter collection from 1970 ( pictured left ) and a collection of Tots Easter Eggs from 1977 ( right ) Rowntree 's Milk Chocolate Cream Eggs from 1970 are made from the same ingredients as what we 've come to love and know as Cadbury 's Creme Eggs .
Archivists at Nestle have assembled images dating back to 1970s . Collection includes eggs from Yorkie , Kit Kat , Smarties and Rowntree 's . Prior to WWI , people celebrated Easter with chocolate fish and chickens .