Arnott’s got it right when they called it ‘an Australian icon.’
I’m going to get it out of the way earlier - as I said in the Iced Vovo - Lamington review:
I love Iced VoVos. The soft biscuit base,
marshmallowfondant, coconut, raspberry jam - it is iconic.
But please, allow me to indulge in some further detail. Because beyond the biscuit themselves, Iced Vovos are iconic in the Aussie imagination. From a bickie-addicted Prime Minister boosting sales, to created a milk spin-off, to inspiring a craft beer imitation, there are countless examples of the raspberry and coconut archetype infecting pop-culture. And there is a good, simple reason for this: it’s good.
A treasured biscuit favourite topped with pink fondant, a strip of jammy raspberry filling and a sprinkling of coconut. An Australian icon since 1906!
So, let’s get down to brass tacks. Unabashedly, I love this biscuit, but where does that place it on the list? Very high. At the time of writing, the current top-spot is the Raspberry Shortcake, and to be frank, it’s tough to choose between the two; I would be delighted with either offering an afternoon tea cuppa.
To choose between the two, I’m going to go with what I consider to be the underdog between the two. Beyond that, the Shortcake also wins on dunkability, which is an important metric behind these calculations. But damn, it’s close. Fair play to you, Iced VoVo. Long may she reign as the great Australian biscuit icon.