Cookie Bear is returning to Griffin’s biscuit packaging this week. Resuming his almost 60-year tenure as the face of Chockie Chippies, Hundreds & Thousands, Stripes and Shrewsbury.
He will also continue as the face of the Cookie Bear Mini Snack Packs and Mini Bears.
It has been almost a year since Cookie Bear disapeared from packets. At the end of March 2025, Griffin’s removed the popular mascot as part of a brand refresh.
The aim was to make the biscuits clearer and easier to find, the food company told the NZ Herald at the time. Now, they’re describing the bear’s absence as a period of “hibernation”.
More than just packaging
Cookie Bear’s return follows a widespread outcry at his removal – many Kiwis had their say about what the mascot means to them.
In thousands of comments shared online, they spoke about Cookie Bear as more than just packaging. People described him as part of their childhood, a familiar face in kitchen cupboards, and a small but steady presence across generations.
One supporter even launched a Change.org petition calling for his return. Griffin’s says the bear’s time away revealed just how loved he is by the nation and it knew it needed to bring him back.
Cookie Bear’s return is ‘a thank you’ to everyone who made themselves heard, adds Griffin’s.
Logo and packaging redesign is hard to get right – Griffin’s are not the only ones to have reinstated a former mascot or logo following a branding refresh.
Cookie Bear Club
First introduced in the late 1960s, Cookie Bear, with his polka-dot bowtie and “dum-dee-doo” catchphrase, has been a long-standing presence on Griffin’s packaging and in homes around the country.
He also led to the creation of the Cookie Bear Club during the 1970s and 1980s, which had more than 160,000 members at its peak.
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