When it comes to Easter eggs, older generations may claim the sweet confectionary was a lot bigger when they were kids in comparison to what we see on the supermarket shelves.
But for one Scouse Easter egg - that really is an understatement. Back in the 1980s, chocolate barons Tobler Suchard took on the challenge to make a monumental chocolate egg to place in Liverpool city centre.
Constructing "the world's largest Easter egg,' the creation stood "taller than a double decker bus" and beat the then existing record by two feet. Launched in London, the egg was dismantled and rebuilt in Liverpool outside the lost Owen Owen store in Clayton Square.
Read More:
- Man who lost arm in seaside tragedy wants to thank those who saved his life
- Liverpool libraries where children discovered their love of books
At the time, the ECHO reported how the executive of Owen Owen mentioned the record to the manufacturers and they took up the challenge, with the store agreeing to share in the cost of producing the egg. Owen Owen went to all the top chocolate companies in Britain to ask if they would help to bring the Guinness Book of Records world record egg to Britain - a title that had been held by a Belgian firm since 1983.
More than a ton of chocolate was used to build the egg, which was 30 feet round the middle. It took experts at the time around four months to plan.
A team of seven Suchard workers spent three days rebuilding the egg, which was in aid of the Save the Children Fund. Replicas are also said to have been sold outside the store in the build up to Easter, with shoppers invited to guess how much chocolate was used to build the giant egg.
Images, recently unearthed from our archives, Mirrorpix, capture the egg standing by St John's tower in Liverpool, as well as a young girl enjoying some of the chocolate. On April 18, 1987, the ECHO reported how Merseyside "sweltered and "melted" under a scorching start to the Easter Bank Holiday, when the thermometer soared into the seventies.
Do you remember Liverpool's giant Easter egg of 1987? Let us know in the comments section below.
The article reads: "Back in Liverpool city centre, it was so warm that it started to melt the world's largest easter egg. The record-breaking egg, which is on display out- side Owen Owen, was built to raise money for the Save the Children Fund.
"But it could not stand up to the fierce Scouse sun. Engineers from the confectionery firm who made it had to stand by and catch the drips in a drum."
Join our Liverpool memories and history Facebook group here.
For more nostalgia stories, sign up to our Liverpool Echo newsletter here.
The egg was unveiled by Lord Mayor of Liverpool, councillor Doreen Jones. Mini eggs were also sale for 10p with all profits going to the Save the Children Fund.
Many of us have already started tucking into our Easter eggs. And whilst these photos are a trip back in time for a lot of people, it is something kids would dream of seeing today.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
Read Next:
- Classic moments aboard Liverpool's lost 'fish and chip' boat
- Liverpool dairies that were once a familiar sight on our streets
- Fascinating photos will transport you back to London Road 32 years ago
- Paul O'Grady's heartwarming tribute to the 'one and only Lily Savage'
- 'Rebel parents' opened their own school for 'disappointed' boys
