they were first made in 1932 by william mcdonald, a biscuit manufacturer in glasgow. they became a brand of mcvitie's when mcdonald joined with mcvitie's and price, macfarlane lang &amp; co and crawford to create united biscuits in 1948. each wrapper has a joke or "funny fact" printed on it and designs that feature penguins that are often in styles like that of famous works of art. these designs are usually funny.