Why Arnott’s Yo-Yo biscuits are only found in South Australia

Only residents of one Australian state will know about these biscuits, which have been part of the biscuit giant’s line-up since 1962.

Do you know what a Yo-Yo biscuit is? The mere mention of the word ‘Yo-Yo’ will lead South Australians to tell you that you can keep your Monte Carlos, your Tim-Tams and your Scotch Fingers.

The Yo-Yo, they’ll likely tell you, is the finest of the storied Arnott’s range – or at the very least, a classic bickie that the rest of the country is missing out on.

About 95 per cent of the one million packets of Yo-Yos produced each year are sold in South Australia, with the remaining five per cent found in border towns or, for those who want to hunt them down, in speciality stores scattered around the country.

The Yo-Yo, says Amy Wagner of The Arnott’s Group, “has a delicious honey flavour”.

It goes through the usual baking process but “it’s the combination of flavours that makes the Yo-Yo a simple yet delicious biscuit”.

The Yo-Yo biscuits are only available in one Australian state.

“It has honey and vanilla-baked notes, with a very short and crisp crunch. And as we know from the song: ‘butter, eggs, milk, honey’,” Wagner says, referencing the classic Yo-Yo jingle that many South Australians grew up with.

Related story: Definitive ranking of Arnott’s biscuits from best to worst

Every classic has its origin story, and for the Yo-Yo it goes back to W. Menz and Co, which began trading in 1867 from Wakefield Street in Adelaide.

Capitalising on the global toy phenomenon that was the yo-yo – yes, these were simpler times – a classic Australian baked good was born.

Wagner says there’s speculation around the original date that the Yo-Yo was first sold, but it could be as early as 1906. It wasn’t until 1962, with the acquisition of W. Menz and Co, that the Yo-Yo joined the Arnott’s line-up.

These days, the question with any classic is whether its future is safe.

Arnott's produces about one million Yo-Yo biscuit packets every year.

The discontinuation of Fantales by Allen’s, after more than 90 years in the Australian market, was put down to declining sales against a need for expensive production upgrades.

But Yo-Yo lovers can rest easy. While production moved from South Australia to New South Wales a few years ago, Wagner says that sales have remained consistent in past years, and that they’re still a household favourite in their state of origin.

“South Australians are passionate people, especially for things they produce and specialise in, locally,” Wagner says.

“For many South Australians, Yo-Yos connect them to memories throughout their childhood, and special times with families and friends.

“Often, people connect over a Yo-Yo, and I feel it’s this sharing of a biscuit moment that is one of the reasons South Australians are such big fans of this Arnott’s biscuit.”

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Originally published as Why Arnott’s Yo-Yo biscuits are only found in South Australia