f all the rituals and moments of everyday life that have been paused due to the pandemic; there are few as poignant as the pause on blowing out candles on birthday cakes. 

A pause which underlines how many important moments of children have been lost to the pandemic; the joy of birthday parties one of many such lost shared experiences. 

Cakes have long been a party centerpiece, but one in two parents (58 percent) said blowing out the candles on a cake wasn’t COVID friendly due to the risk of spreading germs. While a research study published in the Journal of Food Research shows. that by blowing out candles you actually increase bacteria by 1400%. A fact which goes to explain why 32% of parents would not let their children eat a cake that had been blown on; and poses the question: “Will we ever go back to blowing out candles on birthday cakes?”

Arnaud Sliwa, Business Unit Director Europe and Australia at Betty Crocker, explains: “Unfortunately the pandemic has meant a few traditions have been lost, and blowing out candles is one of them. Our research tells us however that the cake is not lost, in fact it’s still very much at the heart of the party.  Our germ-free candle solution reacts to singing and clapping. Give it all you got to light it up completely, make your wish — and then extinguish it with a single clap, no blowing required. This way, families can lose the germs, but keep the cake. Call it our 100th birthday present to the world! We’ve imagined it as a way to lose the germs but keep the cake.”

Betty Crocker partnered with creative agency Virtue on the research, concept and development of the Betty Crocker No Blow Candle. 

Tao Thomsen, Senior Creative at Virtue, said:  “Covid came with many challenges, but it also allowed us to rethink some very fundamental human behaviours. With blowing out candles becoming a thing of the past, we reimagined the ritual around one of the most universal expressions of joy and celebration: Clapping.”

The candle gamifies clapping, as the more you clap the higher the candle ‘lights’ from the bottom to the top. The candle is designed to respond to different noises; with a soft, pulsing glow for singing, and a rapidly rising illumination for clapping. The latter culminates in a strobing pattern to indicate completion of the cycle — and the traditional birthday ritual.

As the complete easing of lockdown will bring with it a return to parties; the research and NPD hits a genuine soft spot for parents. According to Becky Crockers’ research 81 percent of parents said that their children missed having a party due to lockdown. While almost half (49 percent) of parents are planning catchup parties. Recognising the fact that many young people have a lot of missed moments of joy and togetherness to catch up on. A trend this empathetic piece of NPD underlines with creative flair.  

The Betty Crocker No Blow candle currently exists as a prototype.