German sweet marketer Haribo has caused some unrest in the UK over a wrapper image for its Maoam chewy sweet brand which appears to depict pieces of fruit having sex. A letter writer to the Daily Mail complained about the “lurid” illustrations on the wrappers and said he had a “heated exchange” with his local shop manager when he saw the sweets.
The complainant said the lemon and lime characters are locked in what appears to be a carnal encounter. “The lime, who I assume to be the gentleman, has a particularly lurid expression on his face,” the angered correspondent wrote.
A spokesman for Haribo said the sweet wrapper was launched seven years ago in an effort to make the packaging “more lively” and denied there were any sexual connotations in the images. Some bloggers have suggested that the whole affair was just a publicity stunt but Haribo have claimed otherwise.
Sweet wrapper with coupling leaves sour taste
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