Crisp fans were up in arms last week as Walkers teased a major change to two iconic flavours.
The brand shared a cryptic post on social media, suggesting they were going to swap the colours of Salt & Vinegar and Cheese & Onions crisp packets.
The post showed Salt & Vinegar crisps in a blue packet and Cheese & Onion in green, whereas they are usually the other way around. The picture was simply captioned: ‘You spoke, we listened.’
A billboard appeared in London showing the same image and several Instagram accounts shared snaps of what appeared to be leaked shots of the new packets, making the change appear very covincing.
Understandably, Brits were outraged by the idea, claiming the swap would be ‘criminal’ and branding it ‘utter woke nonsense’.
Thankfully everyone can now calm themselves, as Walkers has now confirmed the fate of the iconic crisps once and for all.
The brand took to social media on April 1 to confirm it had alljust been a very elaborate joke for April Fools’ Day and the colours would be staying the way they had always been.
They re-shared the same image from before, saying: ‘Just kidding. April Fools.’ And in the caption they added: ‘Never did, never will.’
People were thrilled to learn it was just a hoax, as @taoscoffin posted: ‘This is the best news I’ve received all year.’
Similarly, @tjay_s_1967 said: ‘Thank god.’ And @abszo200520 commented: ‘That was the longest prank ever lol. Well played.’
Others admitted they’d fallen for the rouse, as it had been posted in March and seemed ‘too early’ to be a joke.
‘I thought this can’t be an April Fools as it was posted in March,’ wrote @pickybits, while @amymaclivinglife added: ‘That was crafty as you did this way before April Fools. But thank god you never changed it.’
This comes after several other big brands pulled similar marketing stunts recently, sparking fury from customers.
Earlier this month Lipton sparked backlash after claiming it would be axing its popular Peach Ice Tea flavour, only to backtrack on the announcement a few days later – a move that left many ‘in tears’.
Aldi also recently made a joke post which read ‘RIP Middle Aisle’, scaring loyal customers who love finding random bargains in the store.
Walkers also caused a stir with the re-launch of a discontinued crisp flavour last month.
The crisp giant brought back the beloved Worcester Sauce flavour but had to issue an apology to fans after announcing they would be selling the crisps once more, but only in one specific shop in the West Midlands.
The company ended up re-launching the crisps nationwide in a major U-turn, saying: ‘On reflection, maybe we shouldn’t have just limited the sale of Walkers Worcester Sauce flavoured crisps to only one store in Worcester.
‘Fans, we’ve heard your outrage loud and clear. So we’ve decided that your favourite Walkers Worcester Sauce flavour crisps will land on shelves at retailers all over the UK from Monday March 17 onwards.
‘We’re working hard to make them available for everyone to enjoy the beloved flavour – which is now even more Worcesterhsire-y with Lea & Perrins’ iconic sauce. We’re sorry for any distress caused.’
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