Wonka® Responds To Laffy Taffy® Humor Crisis With Management C

Willy Wonka Candy Factory, January, 2007 / PRNewswire / -- Willy Wonka and the management of the Willy Wonka Candy Factory were astounded last week to learn that one of the jokes on the Wonka® Laffy Taffy® wrappers was, in fact, not funny.

Fox News online was the first to report on the issue. For full Fox News coverage visit: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,235301,00.html

Today, the Willy Wonka Candy Factory announced the dismissal of the company's deputy executive director of Wonka Laffy Taffy wrapper humor management. He was responsible for allowing a very un-funny joke to get in the hands of Wonka® Laffy Taffy® candy fans and there is simply no excuse for that. The last straw was the recent revelation that a second joke that appeared on the back of the Wonka® Laffy Taffy® wrappers was, in fact, not wacky at all. The content of that second un-funny joke is a closely held secret that only Willy Wonka himself knows.

The announcement was made in a statement by Willy Wonka that was read aloud and posted online by a representative from the Willy Wonka Candy Factory. The statement is available online at Wonka.com. Click on the "Are You Funny" button on the home page to be directed to a version of the video.

The statement noted "I was astounded to learn that one of the jokes found on the back of Wonka® Laffy Taffy® wrappers was, in fact, not funny. Wonka® Laffy Taffy® is stretchy, fruit-flavored taffy with a long-lasting chew that you can enjoy for a really long time. Every wrapper includes a joke and the Oompa Loompas and I at the Wonka® Candy Factory are committed to providing only the funniest jokes available."

The statement continued, "I simply won't stand to have puns that aren't punny or capers that aren't crazy associated with the Wonka name."

The un-funny joke that gained national media attention was found on a banana-flavored Wonka® Laffy Taffy® wrapper. It read, "Which garden has the fastest growing vegetables?" The answer: Flash Garden. It seems few people remember the TV series Flash Gordon from the 1950s. Among those who do remember the show, it didn't really matter either – nobody laughed.

Additionally, an internal investigation has revealed more than two dozen candy fanatics and bloggers have used Internet postings to share their thoughts on the disappointing joke, or the general lack of humor of some jokes currently appearing on Wonka® Laffy Taffy® wrappers. Willy Wonka and his team have begun direct outreach to those individuals to address their concerns.