IT has been a favourite among chocolate lovers for almost 70 years.

Now the purple-wrapped hazelnut in caramel chocolate, which is always the first to go in boxes of Quality Street, is trying to make it on its own - renamed The Big Purple One.

Nestl, fuelled by countless surveys confirming the chocolate's popularity, has launched the giant-sized version as a special edition for Christmas.

And today a larger than life version of the new treat can be seen in the sky above York - one of five cities to host the official launch.

The stunt proved popular with a group of German visitors to the city who were frantically asking where they could purchase the chocolates.

And a York woman, interested in the history of confectionery, even ran home to get her camera to snap the giant chocolate as it hung above the city.

Fraser Taylor, brand manager for Quality Street, said the Big Purple One was an obvious step.

He said: "On a regular basis we ask what is everybody's favourite - and this has been it for years and years. It made complete sense to launch it as a giant-sized sweet."

Costing 35p, the chocolate is described as an indulgent treat and is set to be a hit with women aged 18 to 30.

A total of 15 million of them have been produced in Nestl's Halifax factory, where the production line had to be specially modified to make it.

Updated: 11:47 Saturday, September 29, 2001