Pringles are a brand of potato snacks produced by Procter & Gamble. Pringles were first sold in the United States in October of 1968; they were not rolled out across America until the mid-1970s[1]. They were originally known as "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips", but the name was changed for introduction to the national market. Procter & Gamble chose the Pringles name from a Cincinnati telephone book, selecting Pringle Avenue in Finneytown, Ohio for its pleasing sound.[2] Pringles are advertised in the United States with the slogan "Everything Pops with Pringles", and in the UK and elsewhere with "Once You Pop, The Fun Doesn't Stop."[3] In North America, Pringles are not marketed as potato chips, but rather "potato crisps". This is a food labeling requirement, since Pringles are made from a dough rather than from sliced fresh potatoes.[4] According to the patent, Pringles were invented by Alexander Liepa of Montgomery, Ohio. Science Fiction and Fantasy author Gene Wolfe developed the machine that cooks them; the dough making and rolling portion was designed by Len Hooper.[5] Pringles are especially known for their packaging (invented by Fred Baur), which consists of an upright tubular can with a foil-coated interior, and a resealable plastic lid; it also has a famous logo, a stylized representation of a man with a large moustache and parted bangs (until 2001, the man, commonly known as "Julius Pringles", had eyebrows and his bowtie housed the product name.) The crisps are made to a uniform size and a hyperbolic paraboloid saddle shape, so that they stack very efficiently within the container, rather than being packaged loosely in a bag. The cans come in 170g, 163g, 50g, and 23g sizes. In early 2007, the company introduced an 80g size.[6]
Pringles come in several flavors, and occasionally Procter & Gamble produces limited edition runs. Some flavors may be distributed only to limited market areas. Seasonal flavors, past and present, include ketchup, chili cheese dog, and Cajun. At one point in the early 90's, "Corn Pringles" were available. The canister was black and had cartoon images of corn as well as the normal packaging standards. The crisps were made of corn and resembled a corn chip in flavor and texture.
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Newer products
- In 2004, Pringles released a Pringles Prints. Pringles Prints are no different than regular Pringles, except that these have trivia questions or jokes printed on them, using red or blue food coloring.
- In late 2006, Pringles rolled out a fat-free variety of their product. Originally titled "Fat Free Pringles", it was quickly reissued with a new look and the name "Pringles Lights". This version contains the fat substitute Olestra, which at one time was purported to have caused such side effects (such as diarrhea) in some individuals, but has been cleared for use by the Food and Drug Administration.
- In early 2007, Pringles introduced the most significant new product since the original canistered Pringles. Pringles Select Gourmet Chips differed very much from Pringles. The most obvious initial difference is the packaging; Pringles Select are not packaged in the familiar canister; they come in a small bag. However, unlike other chips, the bag has a flat bottom, allowing it to stand, and it is designed to be opened at the top and sealed shut when it is not in use. Another difference is that the chips are not saddle-shaped, and do not neatly stack on one another. Yet the biggest difference in with Pringles Select Gourmet Chips is not the packaging or shape of the chips, but rather, that most of the varieties are not made of potatoes at all. They are made from a variety of bases, including rice, sweet potato, and corn. For example, the Szechuan Barbecue flavor comes in a rice chip.
- In early 2007, Pringles released Pringles Baked Wheat Stix which are pocky-like sticks that come in Vanilla, Wheat, Pizza, and Honey flavors.
Flavors
United States
Current permanent U.S. flavors (from the U.S. website): Regular Pringles Saddle-shaped chips
- Original
- Loaded Baked Potato
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Zesty Onion Dip
- Jalapeño
- Chili Cheese
- Pizza (originally "Pizza-Licious")
- Cheddar Cheese (originally "Cheezums")
- Ranch
- Cheesy fries
- Barbecue
- Salt & Vinegar
- Hickory bacon
- Bacon Ranch
- Montery Jack Cheese
- Spicy Guacamole
- Reduced Fat Original
- Reduced Fat Sour Cream & Onion
- Fat Free Original
- Fat Free Sour Cream & Onion
- Fat Free Jalapeño
- Fat Free Barbecue
- White Cheddar
Pringles Select Gourmet Chips
- Sun Dried Tomato
- Szechuan Barbecue
- Cinnamon Sweet Potato
- Parmesan Garlic
- Honey Chipotle Barbecue
Canada
Current Canadian flavours (from the Canadian website):
- Original
- BBQ
- Ketchup
- Jalapeño
- Salt & Vinegar
- Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Original Prints
- Reduced Fat Original
- Reduced Fat BBQ
- Reduced Fat Sour Cream & Onion
- Pizza-Licious
- Bacon Ranch
- Four Cheese
Pringles Select Gourmet Chips
- Sun Dried Tomato
- Szechuan Barbecue
- Cinnamon Sweet Potato
- Parmesan Garlic
European
- Original
- Thai Sweet Chilli & Lemongrass Flavour
- Paprika
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Salt & Vinegar in the UK
- Cheese & Onion
- Hot & Spicy
- Texas Barbecue Sauce
- Smokin' Bacon
- Cheese
- Tomato & Mozzarella
- Light Original
- Light Sour Cream & Onion
- Oranjekaas (Orange Cheese) in the Netherlands. A flavor which is mostly around during sporting events as the football World Cup and Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) and is a reference to Dutch monarchy (the House of Orange)
- The "Gourmet" range
- The Rice Infusions range (UK launch June 2007)
Australia and New Zealand
Current permanent Australasian flavours (from the Australian website):
- Original
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Salt & Vinegar
- Texas Barbecue Sauce
- Smokin' Bacon
- Tomato & Mozzarella
- Light Original
- Light Sour Cream & Onion
- Light aromas Greek Style Cheese with a touch of Avocado Oil
- Light aromas Spicy Thai with a touch of Coconut Oil
South America
Current South American flavours
- Cheese & Onion
- Cool & Hot
- Pepper
- Hot & Spicy
- Paprika
- Sour Cream & Onion (Normal & Reduced Fat)
- Texas Barbecue Sauce
- Bacon
- Filet Mignon
- Original (Normal & Reduced Fat)
Japan
Current Japan flavors (from the Japan website):
- "Lightly Salted Flavor" (similar to Original in other countries)
- Sour Cream & Onion
- French Consommé
- Funky Soy Sauce
- Creamy Cheddar Cheese
- Devil Hot
- Spanish Salsa
- Black Pepper
- Grilled Cheese
South Korea
Current South Korean flavors (from the South Korea website):
- Original
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Hot & Spicy
- Cheddar Cheese
- Pizza
- Grilled BBQ
- European (Tomato)
Israel
Current Israel flavors
- Original
- Jalapeño
- Pizza-licious
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Spicy Cajun
- Smokey Bacon
- Mini Original
- Mini Sour Cream & Onion
- Hot & Spicy
- Cheezums
- BBQ
- Ketchup
Limited editions
Partial list of current and discontinued limited edition flavors :
- "Alter Ego" Salsa (Spider-Man 3 movie tie-in, 2007)
- Cheddar and Sour Cream
- Cheesy Quesadilla (2006 flavor)
- Cheesy Fries
- Cheesy Onion Dip
- Chili Cheese
- Chipotle Limón (2006 flavor)
- Chipotle Ranch (2007 flavor)
- Crunchy Dill (2005 flavor)
- Crushed Pepper
- Wild Strawberry (Promotional item for Disney's movie based on Tarzan)
- Curry (UK)
- Grand Taco (Limited in Southwest America and Mexico)
- Honey Mustard (2007 flavor)
- Hickory BBQ
- Italian Bruschetta
- Jalapeño (was popular ; added to current 'permanent' list)
- Salsa Verde
- Salt & Pepper
- Smokey BBQ
- Smokin' Bacon Flavour (UK)
- Southwestern Salsa
- Spicy Guacamole
- Thai Sweet Chilli & Lemongrass Flavour
- Tuscan Red Pepper with Hint of Olive Oil
- Valentines Day (original with pink colouring)
- Wisconsin White Cheddar
- Zesty BBQ
Pringles container uses
Because of the metallic interior and long, tubular shape, the cans have been used to make Wi-Fi network antennas, known as cantennas. Some fans of the chip brand collect the empty holders, which are colorful, uniform, and useful for storing small items such as paintbrushes. The container can be used to make what is known as a "pringle cannon" by using a pencil to poke a hole in the side of an empty can, putting the lid back on, and forcefully exhaling into the hole previously made. If done correctly, a very loud pop will be heard as the lid is sent flying. The tube may also be filled with confetti, causing the confetti to shoot out quickly and stream slowly to the ground. It is possible for a skilled user to throw the plastic lid on a Pringles can in a similar fashion to a frisbee. In digital photography, the translucent Pringles can lid can be used to "white balance" digital cameras. The lid is held over the lens and a photo is taken.The result is a whitish blur that is a diffuse image of the ambient light and its color temperature. The Pringles lid photo is then used to set the camera's manual white balance temperature, so that subsequent photos taken in the same light will have more accurate color reproduction. The long tubular Pringles can has also been used as the housing of macro lenses.
References
- ^ Pringles. Procter & Gamble UK (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
- ^ Pringles. Procter & Gamble Everyday Solutions Canada (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
- ^ Pringles. Procter & Gamble (2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
- ^ Amazon.com marketed Pringles products. Amazon.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
- ^ Lawrence Person (Fall/Winter 1998). "Suns new, long, and short: an interview with Gene Wolfe". Nova Express 5 (1). Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
- ^ 80g Original Pringles. Barcodepedia (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-24.
See also
External links
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