The children's triumvirate visiting us
Kölle Alaaf! Chocolate meets carnival! Cologne's children's triumvirate at the Chocolate Museum: a morning full of creativity, enjoyment and sweet moments of happiness.
The Chocolate Spark
From carnival veteran to sweet icon
Candy and chocolate are part of the Cologne carnival tradition, and since 2023, there has been a special chocolate figure: the Schokoladenfunken. The idea for this came about during a visit by the Rote Funken to Dubai. There they met Martin van Almsick, veteran of the Chocolate Museum and now head of the chocolate factory "AL NASSMA - the first and finest Arabian camel milk chocolate." The project was then implemented in the Chocolate Museum together with Günther Ebert and Peter Pfeil from the Funken.
Originally created in 2023 for the 200th anniversary of the Cologne Funken rut-wieß, it was intended to become for the fifth season what the Easter Bunny is for spring. With his red uniform, white trousers, and distinctive tricorn hat, he pays homage to the "Roter Funken" (Red Spark) and perfectly combines Cologne's carnival tradition with the enjoyment of good chocolate.
In its debut year, the Schokofunk was even available in REWE and HIT retail stores. Today, it has become a real rarity. The high-quality chocolate figure is now exclusively available to visitors to the Chocolate Museum. This makes it a coveted collector's item during the session.
Lovingly handcrafted by our maîtres chocolatiers in the glass chocolate factory, it's almost too good to eat!
Humor as origin and attitude
To truly understand the Schokoladenfunke, it is worth taking a look at its role models, the Kölsche Funke rut-wieß. Their origins date back to 1823, when Cologne was strongly influenced by the Prussian administration. Many citizens perceived the military as strict and humorless. Instead of protesting openly, the people of Cologne used Carnival as a stage for subtle criticism and founded a guard that parodied the military.
The name "Rote Funken" (Red Sparks) is derived from the city soldiers of the time. The red uniform jacket gave them their nickname, while "rut-wieß" reflects the city colors of Cologne. To this day, the Rote Funken are the oldest traditional corps of the Cologne Carnival and an integral part of the Rose Monday parade, the carnival sessions, and the official opening of the season.
The Schokofunk embodies this spirit. As a sweet character, he tells of the Cologne way of celebrating life, packaging criticism with ease, and living in community. He is carnival you can bite into!
