99 Flake

Lore & Background

The Flake chocolate bar was first developed in the UK in 1920 when a Cadbury employee noticed that excess chocolate drained from moulds cooled into rippled, crumbling streams. The early 99 Flake as an ice cream sandwich with a Flake between two servings of ice cream and two wafer biscuits is not supported by reliable historical sources. By the mid-20th century, a smaller version of the standard Flake bar became commonly used in ice cream cones, sold loose in boxes under the name 99 Flake, though the exact introduction date is not widely established.

Reader's Guide

The 99 Flake is a staple of British and Irish ice cream culture, sold from ice cream vans and parlours. Its name has several disputed origins. One claim traces it to a shop at 99 Portobello High Street in Scotland, where Stefano Arcari would break a large Flake in half and stick it in ice cream. Another points to a sweet shop at 99 Wellington Street in Manchester. A third theory links the name to Italian immigrant ice cream sellers honouring the 'Boys of '99'—Italian World War I conscripts born in 1899, whose Alpini hats featured a long dark feather. The Cadbury website states the reason has been 'lost in the mists of time' but references an old company paper claiming the name came from the guard of the Italian king, which consisted of 99 men, making '99' a term for anything special or first class. In 2026, political candidate Count Binface promised to lower the price of 99 Flake cones to 99 pence.

Did You Know?

• The Flake bar was created in 1920 when a Cadbury employee noticed excess chocolate from moulds cooled into rippled streams.
• The claim that the early 99 Flake was an ice cream sandwich with a Flake between two servings of ice cream and two wafer biscuits is not supported by reliable historical sources.
• One claimed origin of the name is from a shop at 99 Portobello High Street in Scotland.
• A variation with two flakes is called a 'double 99' or 'bunny's ears'.

From Factory Surplus to National Treat

The 99 Flake traces its roots to a happy accident on the production floor at Cadbury's Birmingham factory. In 1920, a worker noticed that leftover chocolate drained from moulds used for other bars would flow off in thin ribbons, solidifying into those signature rippled, crumbly strips we now recognise as the Flake. The bar was originally conceived as a simple cuboid designed to slot neatly into a wafer. What began as a manufacturing by-product quickly evolved into a standalone product. The earliest incarnation of the 99 concept took the form of an ice cream sandwich: a whole Flake bar sandwiched between two servings of ice cream, all enclosed by two wafer biscuits. By 1930, Cadbury had refined the idea further, producing a shorter, half-length version of the Flake specifically engineered for insertion into a cone. Unlike the traditional individually wrapped Flake, these 99-specific bars were sold loose in boxes, ready for the ice cream van trade. This shift from a novelty sandwich to a cone-ready treat cemented the 99's place in British and Irish snack culture.

The Mystery of the Name

No single story can claim definitive ownership of the 99's name. One popular account points to Portobello, Scotland, where Stefano Arcari opened a shop at 99 Portobello High Street in 1922. He would snap a large Flake in half and press it into an ice cream, and the number simply came from his street address. A Cadbury representative is said to have carried the naming idea back to the company. The Dunkerleys of Gorton, Manchester, stake a similar address-based claim from their sweet shop at 99 Wellington Street. A more romantic theory traces the name to Italian immigrant ice-cream sellers hailing from the mountainous regions of Veneto, Trentino, and Friuli. For them, 99 honoured the last cohort of World War One conscripts, born in 1899 and celebrated as i Ragazzi del '99. The dark, angled Flake bar may have echoed the long feather perched in the hats of Italian Alpini soldiers. Cadbury's own website concedes the true origin has been lost in the mists of time, though an old company works paper offered yet another explanation: the name referenced the 99-man guard of the Italian king, making 99 a shorthand for anything truly first-rate.

The Cone and Its Cousins

The classic 99 is deceptively simple: a cone of soft-serve vanilla ice cream with a single Flake bar pushed into the top. Sold from the back of ice cream vans and in parlours across the United Kingdom and Ireland, it has become a familiar seasonal fixture. Yet the basic formula has spawned a small family of variations that carry their own colourful nicknames. The double 99, also known as bunny's ears, doubles up the chocolate by inserting two Flake bars into the same cone, creating a pair of dark, angular wings that give the treat its rabbit-ear silhouette. At the other end of the spectrum, a drizzle of strawberry or raspberry syrup poured over the top earns the cone the moniker monkey's blood, a name that hints at the messy, indulgent character of the addition. Whether you prefer the clean vanilla-and-chocolate pairing, the extra crunch of a double, or the fruity tang of syrup, the 99 remains a small canvas for personal customisation that keeps the experience feeling slightly different each time.

A Treat That Outlived Its Makers

The 99 Flake occupies a peculiar niche in British and Irish popular culture: it is simultaneously a humble street snack and a subject of genuine historical curiosity. Cadbury's own website acknowledges that the true story behind the name has faded into obscurity, a small admission that underscores how much of the treat's identity rests on folklore rather than documented fact. The product endures not through aggressive marketing but through the simple, persistent presence of ice cream vans on high streets and seaside promenades. Even in the world of politics, the 99 has made an appearance: Count Binface, the perennial candidate who stood in the 2026 Clacton by-election, pledged during his campaign to bring the price of a 99 Flake cone down to 99 pence. The promise was almost certainly symbolic, yet it spoke to the treat's cultural weight. A product born from factory surplus in 1920 has become so embedded in everyday British life that it can anchor a political platform, however whimsical.

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