🍫 Who remembers these? The little Cadbury chocolate machine every kid wanted
Who had one of these back in the day? I always wanted one, but it never happened! 😄
For anyone who doesn’t remember—or has just had a massive childhood memory unlocked—this was a miniature Cadbury chocolate dispenser, designed to look like a little vending machine. You put your coin in, operated the mechanism, and out came a tiny Cadbury chocolate bar. The version pictured is the familiar red 2p machine, associated with Cadbury Dairy Milk miniatures. Examples of the machine are still turning up today as vintage collectibles. eBay UK+1
And honestly, to a child, this wasn’t just a chocolate dispenser. It was your very own vending machine.
The ultimate Christmas present
These machines were particularly remembered as childhood and Christmas presents. A Cadbury-related account of the brand’s history describes the red 2p miniature dispenser as an ’80s Christmas favourite—essentially a chocolate vending machine for the home. LBB Online
The concept was brilliantly simple. The machine held rows of little chocolate bars, and the child could put a 2p coin into the front and operate the dispenser. The chocolates were small enough to fit the mechanism, with Dairy Milk miniatures being the classic choice.
And then came the inevitable problem:
You had a chocolate machine in your bedroom… but somebody else controlled the chocolate supply. 😂
Parents had to buy the refills, and judging by the memories people still share online, those refills could become a bit of an issue. One recent discussion about these machines had people remembering getting them for Christmas, struggling to find refills later, and even admitting that they learned ways of getting the chocolate out without putting the money in! Reddit+1
Two pence for a chocolate bar!
Look at that 2p on the front.
That’s probably the detail that makes this photograph hit hardest for anyone who grew up with old British money. The machine wasn’t pretending to be a toy—it actually made you feel like you were running your own little sweet shop.
You’d have the machine sitting somewhere in the house, loaded up with miniature Dairy Milk bars, and suddenly every 2p coin became extremely valuable.
Found one under the sofa?
CHOCOLATE.
Grandad gives you 10p?
That’s five goes.
And if you were lucky enough to have a friend who owned one, visiting their house suddenly became a business opportunity. 😆
It wasn’t just a Cadbury novelty
There were different versions of these miniature chocolate dispensers over the years. The University of Birmingham’s history of Cadbury notes that an earlier Cadbury Hornby dispenser from the 1970s had a much more elaborate vintage design, including a tiled roof and chimney, and operated with a 2p coin. Blog de l’Université de Birmingham
Later versions, including the red style pictured here, became particularly recognisable.
There were also versions associated with other Cadbury products, and collectors today still seek out the old machines. Current vintage listings describe examples as being manufactured by Peter Pan Playthings, including a 1992 version. eBay UK
And then they disappeared…
Like so many brilliant childhood things, the little chocolate dispenser eventually became something you remembered rather than something you saw.
Chocolate prices went up, packaging changed, the tiny bars became harder to source, and the humble machine went from being a child’s Christmas dream to something you’d occasionally spot in a box in the loft.
That’s why photographs like this one have such an effect.
It’s not really about the plastic machine.
It’s about being a kid when two pence could buy you something exciting.
It’s about Christmas morning.
It’s about pestering Mum or Dad for another coin.
It’s about carefully deciding whether you were going to eat the chocolate immediately or save it.
And, for some unlucky children…
having the world’s greatest chocolate dispenser and absolutely no chocolate to put in it. 😂
There are still people today who say they had one, wish they’d kept it, or remember being jealous when a friend received one. Reddit
And that’s probably why these little red machines have become such wonderful pieces of nostalgia.
Who remembers having one?
And be honest…
Did you actually put the 2p in every time, or did you figure out how to get the chocolate out for free? 😂🍫 Blog de l’Université de Birmingham+1 Sources
