Most lollipop brands are lucky to get a catchy jingle. Chupa Chups got Salvador Dalí, one of the twentieth century's most famous artists, sketching its logo - and the decision to put that logo somewhere no other candy dared put its branding.
A Spanish invention that started with sticky fingers
Chupa Chups was founded in 1958 by Spanish entrepreneur Enric Bernat, who ran a family confectionery business in Barcelona. His idea was simple but overlooked: put a boiled sweet on a stick, so children could enjoy it without covering their hands - and their parents' furniture - in sugar. The brand's name comes from chupar, the Spanish verb for "to suck".
Why Bernat called in a surrealist painter
By the late 1960s, Chupa Chups was expanding fast and Bernat wanted a logo that would stand out on shop counters across Europe. He turned to a personal friend, the Catalan surrealist Salvador Dalí, who in 1969 sketched a bright, flower-like daisy incorporating the Chupa Chups name. According to company lore, Dalí produced the design in under an hour.
The idea that made the logo unmissable
Dalí's real contribution wasn't just the artwork - it was where he insisted it go. Rather than tucking the branding onto the wrapper, where it would disappear the moment a child unwrapped the lollipop, Dalí placed the daisy logo on the flat top of the sweet itself. That meant the Chupa Chups name stayed visible for as long as the lollipop was in someone's hand or mouth, a piece of branding logic still praised in design circles today. The logo has barely changed since.
From a Barcelona workshop to a global confectionery group
Chupa Chups grew from a regional Spanish sweet into an international brand sold in more than 150 countries and in upwards of 100 flavours. The Bernat family eventually sold the company in July 2006 to Perfetti Van Melle, the Italian-Dutch group also behind Mentos and Airheads, in a deal reported at around EUR400 million. Production and the brand's head office have stayed in Catalonia.
Frequently asked questions
Did Salvador Dalí really design the Chupa Chups logo?
Yes. In 1969, founder Enric Bernat commissioned the Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí to redesign the Chupa Chups logo, and Dalí reportedly sketched the daisy-shaped design that is still used today in under an hour.
Why is the Chupa Chups logo printed on top of the lollipop rather than the wrapper?
Dalí insisted the logo sit on the flat top face of the lollipop itself rather than being hidden on the wrapper, so the branding stayed visible even while the sweet was being eaten - an unusual idea for confectionery packaging in 1969.
Who owns Chupa Chups today?
The Bernat family sold Chupa Chups to the Italian-Dutch confectionery group Perfetti Van Melle in July 2006, in a deal reported to be worth around EUR400 million, though the brand's headquarters remain in Catalonia, Spain.