New Colin The Caterpillar ‘jars’ divide the internet: ‘I thought this was a late April fools’

Some fans were horrified by Colin’s new look

(M&S)

Colin the Caterpillar fans have been rocked by the classic birthday cake’s new incarnation - a jar cake.

On Wednesday, Marks and Spencer tweeted a picture of the new product, writing: "JUST LANDED: Colin the Caterpillar cake jars!"

In the image, Colin’s white chocolate face sits atop a jar of chocolate sponge and frosting.

Many Colin fans appeared shocked at the new product - deeming the squashing of Colin’s requisite parts into a glass jar an act of violence.

One Twitter user wrote: "What have you done to Colin? He looks in pain! He’s not a Yankee Candle."

Another assumed it had to be a joke, writing: "I thought this was an April fool then noticed the date is too late! You can’t blend him up & then pop his little head on top.

"A ‘deconstructed’ Colin is not the dessert we need right now (though *sigh* perhaps the one we deserve)."

One user commented: "Guys, you can’t anthropomorphise something then just mash it up and put it in a jar ffs."

Another Colin lover wrote: “I’m going out on a limb and saying there was an industrial accident at the Colin factory, and some bright spark in marketing came up with this?”

One fan, while horrified, commended the packaging: "Very conflicted here. I don’t even like chocolate but I am horrified at the demise of Colin, who was a birthday party fixture for the offspring from ages 3-13. RIP. Also, chocolate in a jar? Ewww. Although kudos for reusable container and no single use plastic."

Some fans, however, were impressed with the new offering, which is part of a new line of cake jars, also including a trillionaire’s variety and a raspberry cake.

One wrote: “I don’t understand people’s rage at this, these look lush.”

Natalie Tate, Lead Product Developer for M&S Cakes said the new jars were designed for picnics and “lunches on the go”.

She said: "Much like an indulgent ice cream tub – there is something about diving straight in with a spoon that make the experience all the more delicious. I LOVE the Trillionaire’s, it is the ultimate in indulgent, chocolatey caramel goodness – a must try! But of course, all are delicious.”

Each jar costs £4 and can be bought in M&S food stores now.

This isn’t the first time M&S’s well-loved Colin range has been shaken up with a new product.

In 2016, the caterpillar got a girlfriend - Connie. Two years later, the pair became parents to some mini caterpillar cakes.

More recently, M&S released Colin’s white chocolate faces as a separate product.