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Why didn't M&S sue other stores for "copycat" caterpillar cakes?

202 replies

Star555 · 15/04/2021 16:50

www.bbc.com/news/business-56756731

M&S now suing Aldi for "Cuthbert the Caterpillar"...but why didn't they sue other stores for the their Colin the Caterpillar imitation cakes like Tesco's Curly or Sainsbury's Wiggles?

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saxamaphone · 19/04/2021 18:27

@Honeyroar

I just saw this on Facebook- they’re all pretty similar.
Blimey, who made September?! Confused
Honeyroar · 19/04/2021 18:29

🤣 it’s actually the funniest one!

Honeyroar · 19/04/2021 18:31

Sorry I cut the bottom off. Hopefully you can see the owners of the bottom row now.

Why didn't M&S sue other stores for "copycat" caterpillar cakes?
PinkSpottyBalloon · 19/04/2021 20:34

Tbf the Cuthbert looks like an exact copy of Colin, the others are all different versions if a caterpillar cake. Tbh I don't like the Aldi imitations of other brands - if I want a brand I buy it, not a crap version of it. Own brand food can be good, I dont need it to pretend to be identical to branded stuff though.

Camdenish · 19/04/2021 20:40

Umm, as M&S are probably watching could I re-suggest...

...Sisters of Percy sweets, for Halloween....

Please.

Honeyroar · 19/04/2021 20:42

Do you think they look more similar than the Sainsbury’s one or the Waitrose one? I think they’re just as similar. I don’t think the feet on the Aldi one look like the Colin feet. They’re all a pretty standard cake imo,

JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows · 19/04/2021 21:09

@Honeyroar

Sorry I cut the bottom off. Hopefully you can see the owners of the bottom row now.
What in God's name is going on with Carl?!
Honeyroar · 19/04/2021 21:12

Think that’s a James Middleton cake?😃

PurleaseSqueeze · 19/04/2021 22:52

I had giant Colin & Connie wedding cakes Blush

Star555 · 20/04/2021 16:23

M&S responded with this on Twitter:

Why didn't M&S sue other stores for "copycat" caterpillar cakes?
OP posts:
MotherOfGodWeeFella · 20/04/2021 16:32

Carl looks rather odd and not in a cute way.

Star555 · 20/04/2021 20:31

I can't believe Aldi has goaded M&S into a Twitter war on donating to charity instead of paying lawyers...

twitter.com/AldiUK/status/1384562524335529984

Waitrose and Asda have already committed to supporting Aldi. Looks like they're all trying to shame M&S into abandoning the lawsuit!

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ShowUsTheMeaningOfHaste · 20/04/2021 22:19

Cuthbert has his own Twitter account... MrCuthbertCake

Floweree · 20/04/2021 22:31

@GrimDamnFanjo

I'd be more sympathetic if copying didn't seem to be part of Aldi's business

Aldi accused of copying pram shade www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48024089

They'll do it to any business.

They do it all the time, Charlotte Tilbury actually won a law suit against them for copying her product. Because they're cheap people stick up for them, they're still big business and stealing others designs isn't good.
Sistersofpercy · 20/04/2021 22:47

@Camdenish

Umm, as M&S are probably watching could I re-suggest...

...Sisters of Percy sweets, for Halloween....

Please.

I'm absolutely sweet enough, but thanks for thinking of me 😂
Camdenish · 21/04/2021 12:42

I’m not though Sisters and I’d like the sweets. Blackcurrant flavour maybe?

Jennifer2021 · 21/04/2021 15:48

Take a look at the M&S Swiss chocolate and their fondant fancies. They're sailing close to the wind with their design copies also. The caterpillar cake is in the Be-ro baking book I'm told, maybe they could bring a case against M&S too.

Bul21ia · 21/04/2021 15:51

Aldi should of designed the female version before M&S just recently released theirs “Connie”.

Star555 · 21/04/2021 22:53

I'd love to see some official statistics for Colin the Caterpillar (and competitors) sales this week -- they must have skyrocketed!

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LookItsMeAgain · 22/04/2021 08:25

@Star555

I'd love to see some official statistics for Colin the Caterpillar (and competitors) sales this week -- they must have skyrocketed!
Like they finally changed from being caterpillars and turned into butterflies and flew off the shelves...some might say Grin
Star555 · 22/04/2021 16:11

Only Asda and Waitrose have tweeted replies in support of ALDI's charity donations so far...wonder what Tesco and Sainsbury's are thinking!

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Star555 · 08/05/2021 05:30

This seems to have dropped out of the news...

Anyone know what happened to their raising money for charity rivalry? I thought Aldi was going to re-release Cuthbert for sale.

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ContinuousMonotoneBeep · 08/05/2021 07:53

I had no idea caterpillar cakes were so popular, let alone it was supposed to be some thing to associate with M&S.

I certainly know about Perry Pig, and would associate other pig faced sweets as being from there. Colin the Caterpillar though? Not even slightly, catslilar cakes are everywhere and pretty run of the mill. Never bought one (or even made one)

Because of that I can't image it's to do with inferior quality (though maybe, as it turns out people do think of M&S when it comes to caterpillars!).

I'd think it's got to be down it it being the same cake with a few trimming differences. Showing up that it's possible to sell Colin for less than M&S do.

It's hard to judge the quality from comments from here. You have people who will be convinced the M&S quality is better simply because it's more expensive. even if in a true blind they wouldn't know the difference.

I always thought these copying case happened frequently. Usually get settled outside of court.(Especially in fashion.)

Little unsure why this has so much attention.
Is it a nostalgia thing Where? Where caterpillar cakes a childhood stable of the current parenting generation? I recall hedgehog cakes from mine, but no caterpillars!!

AvaAvocado · 12/05/2021 08:06

@Star555
He's baaaaaack....

Why didn't M&S sue other stores for "copycat" caterpillar cakes?
AvaAvocado · 12/05/2021 12:24

Apparently he's back in stores from 17th May.

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