Rolo is a brand of truncated-cone-shaped or frustum-shaped chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

s with a caramel

Caramel

Caramel is a beige to dark-brown confection made by heating any of a variety of sugars. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custard and coffee....

 centre, the shape resembling that of a shallow inverted bucket or tub or a traditional lampshade. They are made by Nestlé

Nestlé

Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...

, except in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 where production has been under licence by The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...

 since 1969. Of note, the caramel in the American version is thick and chewy, rather than runny, as it is in the U.K. and elsewhere.

History

Developed in the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 by Mackintosh's

Mackintosh's

Mackintosh's is a confectionery firm that was principally known for Mackintosh's Toffee and for brands such as Quality Street and Rolo.- Origins, Edwardian expansion and War-time contraction :...

, (later Rowntree

Rowntree's

Rowntree's was a confectionery business based in York, England. It is now a historic brand owned by Nestlé, used to market a range of fruit gums and pastilles formerly owned by Rowntree's. Following a merger with John Mackintosh & Co., the Company became known as Rowntree Mackintosh, was listed on...

-Mackintosh), simply Mackintosh's Toffee

Mackintosh's Toffee

Mackintosh's Toffee is a sweet created by John Mackintosh.Mackintosh opened up his sweets shop in Halifax, Yorkshire, England in 1890, and the idea for Mackintosh's Toffee, not too hard and not too soft, came soon after...

 coated with chocolate, they were first sold in 1937.

They were also produced in Norwich

Norwich

Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

 until 1994, when all UK production moved to Fawdon

Fawdon

Fawdon is an electoral ward of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is close to the A1 western bypass. The population of the ward is 10,890, 5.7% of the total population of Newcastle upon Tyne...

 in Tyneside

Tyneside

Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...

, by Nestlé Rowntree. There have now been Rolo cookies, ice-cream

Ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

, muffin

Muffin

A muffin is an American English name for a type of quick bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread muffins, also exist...

s, birthday cake, desserts, cake bars, doughnuts, mini Rolos, big Rolos, (all of which use the same type of caramel) yogurts and Easter egg

Easter egg

Easter eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime.The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans...

s made. In May 2011, McDonald's

McDonald's

McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...

 combined chocolate pieces and caramel sauce with their soft-serve McFlurry product to simulate the Rolo flavor profile in a cross-branded product.

Advertising

Rolo was advertised for many years with the slogan "Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?".
In 1996 the Rolo ad 'Elephant' won the Grand Prix in the section Film Lions at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival

Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in advertising and related fields. The seven-day festival, incorporating the awarding of the Lions awards, is held yearly at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France...

. This ad was produced by Ammirati Puris Lintas, which now belongs to Lowe Worldwide

Lowe Worldwide

Lowe and Partners is an international advertising agency headquartered in London. The Agency is a unit of the Interpublic Group, one of the world's largest advertising agency holding companies...

. In this ad an elephant gets fooled by a young boy and decades later takes revenge, referring to the saying elephants never forget.