A timeless classic we probably all had as kids is still in production – the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Miniatures Dispenser Machine.
Yes, it’s the money box that gives something back – chocolate. Once upon a time, this machine took a penny. Then it went up to 2p and slowly but surely made it to the current price of a piece of chocolate, which is 10p. I’ll be honest, that seems a bit pricey for a small miniature in light of the price of a box of Celebrations these days. But you aren’t actually buying any chocolate.
No, this machine is designed to help you save up, with the small Cadbury’s treat just there to soften the blow when you part with your hard-earned cash. And let’s be honest, you aren’t really parting with it. Just a click and you have access to all that lovely cash.
How much? Well, if you empty the entire machine of its chocolate supplies, the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Miniatures Dispenser will be holding £8. If you have done the maths you will work out that it holds up to 80 of the little blocks, which is, coincidentally, the number of mini bars that come with this machine.
Now, the mixed news on the machine’s availability. This one comes and goes from the Cadbury’s store quite often, so it’s a case of looking out for it on there. They tend to be more plentiful in the run-up to Christmas for obvious reasons and when they were last in stock at the Cadbury’s gift site, the 25cm tall machine was selling for £13 complete with the 80 mini chocolate bars.
But it does go out of stock for long periods and as I write, the mini bars of chocolate are hard to find too. A seller was recently selling a pack of refill miniature bars for a hefty £40 on eBay, with the sell-by date of 2013 meaning they weren’t even for eating. Another retailer has them for £27, but they are currently down as out of stock.
That’s pretty much where we are at with the Dairy Milk miniatures right now. They have become collector’s items due to them not being available for something like eight years.
There is one retailer selling replacement bars for the machine that isn’t Cadbury’s that will at least keep your machine happy, if not your taste buds. Actually, the latter might not be true – I haven’t tried the replacement chocolate. It might be ok, it might not be. There were replacement machines at one point too, but I can’t see any around right now.
So here’s the bottom line. You cannot, at this moment, get the Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Miniature Dispenser and you can only get non-Cadbury’s chocolate to go into existing machines.
So if you want a machine, you are looking at secondhand right now. Some nice examples do come up on eBay, but they are rarely boxed and they do sell for a premium considering they are used money boxes. But if you want one for yourself then you might want to go down that road.
Failing that, keep checking the Cadbury’s website. I do that regularly, so as soon as I see it, you’ll be one of the first to know.
How much for this and how long will it be for delivery
You realise theyre just reviewing the product right?
Hi, what is the price of the dispenser and do you also sell the refill packs?
Can I buy one
Wanted to buy the miniature chocolate machine and chocolate bars to fill it how much are they and where can I buy them please
Where can l buy the miniatures and dispenser
Its about time these were brought back. Always used to get them for my girls santa sacks from argos.
Hello
Are we able to buy a dispenser and refills
If so how much are they please I’d like 2 dispensers and 6 refill packs
I wish to purchase a chocolate machine with mini refills, could you help in this matter please.
C’mon someone, tell us where we can get them from?
I would like to buy a chocolate machine and refills please
Did anyone asking to buy the machine actually read the article? This wasn’t someone selling the machines and it was posted back in 2010.
It was just information about this much loved retro toy and stated that the machines were no longer available to buy brand new anywhere at all as they’re no longer in production.
The poster said that rarely they would still show up for sale at xmas on the Cadbury’s website along with a box of the 80 miniature chocolate refills but they would then disappear from sale again soon after.
Also remember that this was posted about 12 years ago so that might no longer be the case and it’s possibly Cadbury’s don’t even sell them at xmas now. He did say you get second hand machines coming up on e-bay now and again but with no box and at an inflated price. You could no longer buy the boxes of miniature chocolate refills anywhere but you there was apparently a cheaper version of these available that would fit the machine but they weren’t Cadbury’s chocolate. Again taking into account this article was posted in 2010 there’s a chance this might no longer be the case either.
The advice was to keep an eye on Cadbury’s own website but whenever I’ve had a look over the past 3 or 4 years, I’m afraid they’ve never had it.
I was given one for Xmas in 1975 when it took a two pence piece and I then bought for my own daughter’s when they were little. I usually got from Argos the same as someone else has mentioned. I feel nostalgic when I think about this toy and it’s a shame they’re no longer available but if I’m honest once I had ate all the chocolate from mine it just lay at the bottom of my toy box. It was the same when my girls got them too,except that they got the refill packs of 80 chocolates which meant the novelty lasted longer but I’m almost positive you didn’t get the refill box back in 1975 when I got mine so once I ate what was in the machine….that was it♀️
I’d buy them for my grandchildren without a second thought if I could though
Yeah, but where can I get one and how much are they?