Hinetaapora Short, the first female to play the Milkybar Kid in Nestlé commercials, has undergone a remarkable transformation. Now 19, the New Zealand native is a TikTok influencer and recently revealed she still receives a lifetime supply of Milkybars from her role.
Short won the coveted role in 2010 after beating 1,500 other children in an open competition. She received the most public votes and was also the judges' pick. She took over from Conrad Coleby, who played the character in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Coleby, now 39, told Daily Mail Australia that his child star status motivated him to become a successful actor and photographer. He appeared in Australian soaps Home and Away and Neighbours, and shared a scene with Hugh Jackman in the 2013 film Wolverine.
The Milkybar Kid character has been portrayed by a succession of blond actors in Australia, New Zealand and the UK since its debut in 1960. Coleby's adverts featured a Wild West setting, with the character buying everyone Milkybars.
Coleby now works as a freelance photographer, covering action sports, portraiture, property and commercial brand work from his home studio in the Gold Coast hinterland.
