Haribo carnal encounters

Rarely does a letter in a newspaper make me laugh like this, it all about a lemon and lime getting it ooooooooon…

This letter – printed in the Daily Mail today – is so extreme / ridiculous I think someone may (OK simply MUST) be taking the piss – or it is some super secret super clever guerrilla campaign from Haribo. Either that or there are some very strange people in the World… It’s hardly the Karma Sutra is it? I see no sign of an apple deep throating a banana here – this person is nuts.

The letter:

My sweet wrapper leaves a sour taste

The other day, while doing our weekly shop, I bought for my two children, Benjamin & Ofelia, a packet pf Haribo Maoam lemon-and-lime confectionery. It was only after I was leaving the check-out that I noticed the appalling illustration on the packaging.

This consists of a lemon and a lime locked in what appears to be a carnal encounter. The lime, who I assume to be the gentleman in this coupling, has a particularly lurid and distasteful expression on his face. I demanded to see the shop manager and during a heated exchange my wife became quite distressed and had to sit down in the car park. I was told to register my complaint with the manufacturer.

I’m glad I spotted this before my young children, who are both very sensitive. My wife and I have always tried to protect their innocence – and to think all our years of careful parenting could have been wrecked by a sweet rapper makes me livid.

I received a reply from the company saying that the wrapper design had been introduced in Germany in 2002 with a view to making the fruit figures ‘more modern and lively’ to ‘better appeal to the consumer’.

It said: ‘At no point was it intended to create sexual images’ It has been shown to a number of children and adults of different age groups, none of whom has made any comments referring to sexual content. I consider this reply to be less than satisfactory. As a member of our local church, I’m now urging members of our flock to bycott Haribo products until this illustration is removed.

Simon Simpkins
Pontefract, West Yorks

** UPDATE **

The Sun newspaper have now picked up on this story (whoa there it took you a good three days) – see my comment on the sun here, and their coverage here.

**UPDATE 2** (source)

Students at a Catholic school complained about new Haribo sweet wrappers which they claim portray fruit having sex.

Graduates from St Blasien Jesuit College, near Freiburg, were complaining about the new wrappers for Haribo’s Moam sweets.

In a letter to the firm, they wrote: “We are shocked at the shameless presentation of sexual practices on the wrapping, which includes not only sexual intercourse but also fellatio and cunnilingus.”

The letter added: “It’s irresponsible, to expose children to such pornographic representations.”

The sweets wrapped in bright yellow, red and green colours show lemons, limes, strawberries, cherries and oranges romping with each other.

The students were especially opposed to the lemon flavoured chews, which “undoubtedly show a green figure having sex with a lemon”.

“The lemon, which from the drawing looks female, is obviously enjoying it with the greatest of pleasure.”

Haribo bosses admit the new packaging is “very racy”, but said in tests no complaints had been raised.

Spokesman Marco Alfter said: “The new wrapping is certainly fruitier than the old. But we have not had any other complaints. In fact until now the feedback has all been positive.”