Think getting into a Chupa Chups is hard? You’re in a cohort of many. The struggle to get into that stubborn wrapper has become an infamous challenge.

Now Chupa Chups is putting a playful spin on online chatter with a new easier-to-open wrapper. However, in an ironic twist, it has hidden it inside ‘the hardest to open lollipop yet’, an attention-grab idea by BBH London. The new limited-edition range is called Chupa Chups Impossible, and the brand has gone to extreme lengths to stop fans from getting inside.

The impenetrable lollipops, the ‘final boss’ of Chupa Chups, are encased in a carbon composite shell, wrapped in carbon composite and aramid fibres (the stuff used to make bullet-proof vests), coated in silicon carbide and finally, dipped in liquid rubber. The end-result is packaging that’s blade proof, flame proof and quite possibly, human proof. Fans of the lollipop, however, will be relieved to know there’s a sweet surprise inside the wildly over-engineered treat – the new, easier-to-open wrapper.

Chupa Chups Impossibles have been sent to international influencers, challenging them to put the impenetrable lollipop to the ultimate test. Those influencers include wildly popular YouTube creators, The Hydraulic Press Channel, who shot to fame by crushing everyday objects in a hydraulic press, and Kenny Deuss, whose parenting prank videos have made him an internet sensation.

Chupa Chups announced the campaign on social media with a mischievous film showing the new wrapper inside additional layers of industrial-strength packaging. The film was posted in the replies to many of the thousands of posts from members of the public bemoaning how hard it is to open Chupa Chups. In one post from 2024, an Instagram user complained, “Is it just me? Or have Chupa Chups become impossible to open?” To which Chupa Chups replied, “So we have good news and bad news”.

“We know the internet loves a challenge and we are aware of the conversations around opening a Chupa Chups,” stated Roel Nouws, chief commercial officer at Chupa Chups parent, Perfetti van Melle. “So we leaned into it. Creating the new wrapper was not a quick fix. It took time, careful testing, and plenty of behind-the-scenes development to make unwrapping easier, while ensuring the product remains fully protected, fresh and compliant with all food safety standards. And we decided to launch it in a way that is fun and playful.

BBH ECD Felipe Serradourada Guimaraães, added, “This is one of those stupidly brilliant ideas, where doing the complete opposite to what you should do is the obvious answer. The craft and the length the team have gone to double down on this joke is what makes it stand out.  The best ideas are the ones that you commit to fully, this one of those.”

Of course, not impossible Chupa Chups, with the new easy to open packaging, are being more widely spread throughout the world.

The brand is inviting fans to join the conversation by taking part in the #ChupaSpeedChallenge – timing how quickly they can unwrap the new wrapper and share it online.

Credits:
Client: Perfetti Van Melle (Chupa Chups)
Chief Commercial Officer: Roel Nouws 
Global Category Director: Davide Campi
Global Marketing Manager Chupa Chups: Martin Hofling
Senior Global Brand Communications & Activation Manager Chupa Chups: Liset Otten

Agency: BBH London
Chief Creative Officer: Alex Grieve
Executive Creative Director: Felipe Serradourada Guimarães
Creative Directors: Phil Holbrook and Stu Royall
Head of Design: Stephanie McArdle
Design Director: Adam Buckland
Designer: Fabian Adkins-Krijgsman
Lead Motion Designer: Oded Shein
Motion Designer: Nawaraj Gurung
CSO: Saskia Jones 
Strategy Director: Megan Cullen
Senior Strategist: Laura Casado Cisa
Strategist: Molly Chen
Client Managing Director: Bobbie Gannon
Managing Partner: Tessa Brisbane 
Senior Account Director: Izzy Hooper, Laura Huber
Account Manager: Sheryce Brown
Account Executive: Matilda Hindler-Lowe
Head of Experience Production: Susan Liu
Experience Producer: Tash Allen
Film Producer: Charlotte Kirk 
Studio Production Manager: Paul Floyd
Studio Artwork: Kenny Risk, Dave Walsh 
Film Production Company: Untold
BTS Film Production: Ronan Pollock
Post production: Untold
Executive Producer: Melody Alexander 
Post producer: Helen Tang 
Director: Ashley Tyas 
Creative Director: Adam Droy
3D Lead: Marko Ovcaric
Sound Company: Little Things
Senior Sound Engineer: James Clark 
Sound Producer: Chris Wrigglesworth

Impossible Lollipop Production: Blonstein Creative Production
Printing (Leaflet & Box): Leap London Music Supervision: Black Sheep Music
Media Agency: Wavemaker
Influencer Agency: influencer.com
PR Agency: Edelman