Hoadley’s introduced the Polly Waffle bar in 1947.
The Australian confection was made from a waffle wafer tube filled with marshmallow and coated in compound chocolate. Hoadley’s Chocolates produced the first bar in Melbourne, and it became one of the company’s best-known products alongside Violet Crumble. The creation is credited to Mayfield B. Anthony, a Hoadley’s accounts supervisor and family friend.
The date is sometimes confused with later ownership changes. Rowntree Mackintosh acquired Hoadley’s in 1972, and Nestlé acquired Rowntree in 1988; neither year marks the Polly Waffle’s debut. The original bar remained an Australian confectionery staple for decades.
Nestlé discontinued the standard Polly Waffle in November 2009 after 62 years. The brand later returned in a different form: Menz Confectionery relaunched it as bite-sized Polly Waffle Bites in 2024. Thus, 1947 identifies the original Hoadley’s launch, not the later revival.