30th anniversary!　Over 1.7 billion units shipped!　Black Thunder, the “Black Lightning” of the chocolate world, marks a turning point.

Discontinued after only one year or so!

Black Thunder” has been on the market for 30 years!　It has been on sale for only a year or so!

After simply thinking “wow, congratulations,” I began to wonder, “has it been around for 30 years? I also began to wonder, “What?

Black Thunder. It is a popular chocolate candy that can be found in most convenience stores, supermarkets, and candy shops, sometimes even next to the cash register.

The price is 40 yen (as of 2012). They are inexpensive and delicious, with the “crunchy” texture of cocoa cookies and plain biscuits. The reason why the 30th anniversary of Black Thunder was not really felt may be due to the fact that the product was sold for only one year and disappeared from the market for a while.

It is hard to imagine given its current popularity, but the reason for the discontinuation of Black Thunder was that it was not selling well. What is the story behind the revival of such a product and its unwavering popularity?

Ancestral sweets and the high “10 yen” price barrier

Black Thunder” – a black bolt of lightning. It is a cool-looking candy that sticks in children’s (especially boys’?) hearts. The name “Black Thunder” has a coolness that sticks in the minds of children (especially boys?). The initial packaging of the product also featured the words “Black Thunder God.

Before the release of the product, there were some opinions within the company that a different name would be better. However, one day, the current chairman of the board and the person in charge of development at the time went into a room together, and when they came out, they said, ‘It’s decided! I don’t know if this is a lie or not (laughs).

(Laughs)” says Aya Kitajima of the Marketing Department of Yuraku Confectionery (headquartered in Kodaira City, Tokyo), the manufacturer and seller of the product.

Did you know that Black Thunder actually has an “ancestor”?

Launched in 1986, Black Thunder is a chocolate candy with a light texture made of puffed peanuts hardened with chocolate. Black Thunder was introduced in 1994 as the “counterpart” to Choco Nut Three, which was selling well at the time.

However, sales of Black Thunder were sluggish, and as a result, it was forced to suspend sales after about a year. Mr. Kitajima cited two reasons.

1_The package was written in English!

Children can’t read “BLACK THUNDER”, can they?

2_It was 10 yen more expensive!

At that time, the selling price of Choco Nut Three was 20 yen and Black Thunder was 30 yen.

We didn’t want to compromise on the taste, so we had no choice but to make it 30 yen. But for children, who were our main target at the time, the difference of 10 yen was huge.

Indeed, with that 10 yen, you could add another fun item such as fusen gum, chocolate, stick snacks, and raffle draws …….

Once thus disappeared, how did the “Black Thunder” revive like a phoenix?

First, a sales representative in the Kyushu area directly asked the current chairman of the company to resume sales, and sales resumed in 1996.

This was followed by a gradual increase in sales, mainly at university co-ops in the Kansai region.

For university students, the “30 yen” price tag was seen as “a cheap, hearty, and tasty snack” compared to other chocolate bars and other snacks.

The fact that students could eat such a large portion for 30 yen made it a cost-effective snack for university students, and sales at the University Co-op began to increase.

In 2004, the snack became the No. 1 selling snack at a certain University Co-op, and in 2005, it became readily available nationwide. ).

In the midst of this trend, the introduction of the product in “Mr. Shiraishi of the Co-op,” whose witty responses to “one word cards” from students attracted a great deal of attention, also provided a major tailwind.

Then, a further major development awaited us.

In 2008, male gymnast Kohei Uchimura said during an interview that Black Thunder was his “favorite food,” which greatly increased the popularity of the product.

The 30th anniversary and “aggressive” renewal

Now, the 30th anniversary.

Black Thunder, which has established an unshakeable position as a popular classic confectionery, has decided to go on the “offensive” at once at this memorable time.

First, the product itself underwent a major renewal.

In addition to the plain biscuits and cocoa cookies that used to be included in the product, a new cocoa cookie has been added to further enhance the “crunchy” texture that is Black Thunder’s greatest appeal, successfully “increasing the crunchiness” of the product.

The new product has even more zakka,” says Shun Tanaka, who is in charge of product development.

We have been making improvements in ways that customers don’t really notice, but this is our first attempt at a major renewal of this kind.

Although this renewal is in line with the “texture” trend, it should not be perceived as “something else.

In the midst of the texture boom, we went through a trial-and-error process by tasting various products in the market that claim to be “crunchy,” not only confectionaries. What we valued above all else was the ‘Black Thunder-ness’ of the product.

The difficulty in renewing a product is that if it changes too much, customers who like the current Black Thunder may leave. We made adjustments to increase the crunchiness while retaining the flavor of the current Black Thunder, and through repeated tastings, I think we were able to create a more pleasant crunchiness,” says Tanaka.

Indeed, Black Thunder is different from the crunchy texture of potato chips or rice crackers, or the light texture of puffed chocolate.

An ancestor makes an unexpected comeback!

Black Thunder, which was born as a counter product to Choco Nut Three, is now the company’s signature product and has spawned as many as 300 variations, including seasonal and regional varieties. In addition, a number of related products, such as Black Thunder that can be eaten on dorayaki or toast, have also been developed.

One of the most popular products is “Blissful Butter,” which was launched in 2008 and has a rich aroma of burnt butter. This product, too, has just undergone a major renewal as the first product in a new series called “Dark the Rich.

So, which product did not get a good response: ……?

Black Thunder Bliss Butter” was released around the same time as “Black Thunder Corn Potage Thunder. Of course, we released it because we thought it was delicious, and the combination of chocolate and corn is good to begin with, but I think the fact that it was made with corn pottage didn’t resonate well with our customers.

By the way, what happened to Choco Nut Three, which is in a sense the origin of Black Thunder? In fact, after witnessing Black Thunder’s big breakthrough, it was discontinued as if it had fulfilled its role.

Riding the big wave of Black Thunder’s 30th anniversary, Choco Nut Three has made a limited reappearance at 100-yen stores as a kind of “warm-up” to the original product. This is a chance to learn about its origins, and also to experience and compare its lightness.

Furthermore, the 30th anniversary of Black Thunder is gaining momentum, with an unexpected collaboration between “small chocolate” rivals Chirole Chocolate and Yuraku Confectionery and Chirole Chocolate both just releasing products incorporating their respective flavors.

We are planning various projects for Valentine’s Day, which we believe will be a major milestone after the new year,” said Kitajima.

The “Black Thunder” world seems to be expanding still further.