Wikipedia

Pringles

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Pringles is a brand of potato chip or crisps snack produced by Procter & Gamble. It was introduced in 1967 under the name "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips", which was changed to its current name the next year. According to the patent, it was invented by Alexander Liepa of Montgomery, Ohio, United States, (a suburb of Cincinnati) and comprises "A potato chip product and process wherein a dough is prepared from dehydrated cooked potatoes and water and subsequently fried." The advertising slogan of Pringles is "Once you pop, you can't stop." Some flavors of Pringles may contain Monosodium Glutamate, though the popular Original variety does not.

File:Prin logo.jpg
Pringles Logo

Pringles is known for the packaging (invented by Fred Baur), which consists of an upright tubular can with a foil 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. The chips are made to a uniform size and saddle shape, so they stack very efficiently within the container, unlike other chips, which are packaged loosely in a bag.

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Three Pringles cans

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.

The reduced fat varieties contain Olestra which could cause side effects (like diarrhea) in individuals. The side effects to the reduced fat varieties have been spoofed on several popular TV shows.

Pringles has released a test product: Pringles Prints are Pringles with food-coloring printed on them with either trivia questions or jokes in red or blue ink.

Flavors

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Pringles Machine
File:PringlesOriginalCan.jpg
Pringles Can (Original Flavor)

US

Current permanent U.S. flavors (from the US website):

  • Original
  • Loaded Baked Potato
  • Sour Cream & Onion
  • Jalapeño
  • Chipotle
  • White Cheddar
  • Chili Cheese
  • Pizza-licious
  • Cheezums
  • Ranch
  • Spicy Cajun
  • Fiery Hot
  • Barbecue
  • Salt & Vinegar
  • Reduced Fat Original
  • Reduced Fat Sour Cream & Onion
  • Fat Free Original
  • Fat Free Sour Cream & Onion

Canada

Current Canadian flavours (from the Canadian website):

  • Original
  • BBQ
  • Ketchup
  • Jalapeno
  • Salt & Vinegar
  • Cheezums
  • Sour Cream & Onion
  • Original Prints
  • Reduced Fat Original
  • Reduced Fat BBQ
  • Reduced Fat Sour Cream & Onion
  • Pizza-Licious
  • Spicy Cajun
  • Bacon

European

Current permanent European flavors (from the UK website):

  • Original
  • Sweet Thai Chilli
  • Paprika
  • Sour Cream & Onion
  • Salt & Vinegar
  • 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)

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

South America

Current South American flavours (from the South American website)

  • Cheese & Onion
  • Cool & Hot
  • Pepper
  • Hot & Spicy
  • Paprika
  • Sour Cream & Onion (Normal & Reduced Fat)
  • Texas Barbecue Sauce
  • Bacon
  • 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 (new)
  • Creamy Cheddar Cheese
  • Devil Hot
  • Spanish Salsa
  • Black Pepper
  • Grilled Cheese

Israel

Current Israel flavors

  • Original
  • Sour Cream & Onion
  • Spicy Cajun
  • Mini Original
  • Mini Sour Cream & Onion
  • Hot & Spicy
  • Cheezums
  • BBQ

Limited editions

Partial list of discontinued limited edition flavors :

  • Bacon & Cheese Potato
  • Cheddar and Sour Cream
  • Cheesy Quesadilla (2006 flavor)
  • Chili Cheese
  • Chipotle Limón
  • Crunchy Dill (2005 flavor)
  • Crushed Pepper
  • Hickory BBQ
  • Italian Bruschetta
  • Jalapeño (was popular ; added to current 'permanent' list)
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Smokey BBQ
  • Smokin' Bacon Flavour (UK)
  • Southwestern Salsa
  • Thai Sweet Chilli
  • Tuscan Red Pepper with Hint of Olive Oil
  • Valentines Day (original with pink colouring)
  • Wisconsin White Cheddar

Alternative 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.

It is possible to throw the plastic lid on a Pringles can in a similar fashion to a frisbee. When released with the correct technique, they are surprisingly stable in flight, and can travel upwards of 50 feet. The established throwing technique is to hold the lid between the thumb and middle finger, starting with your arm in a backhand throwing position, held at just above waist height. A flick is critical when releasing the lid, to achieve sufficient spin. As Pringles lids require much more spin than Frisbees to maintain stability, successful forehand throws are extremely difficult to achieve. At sufficiently small angles of incidence Pringles lids will rebound from walls, and due to their lighter construction and shorter range, they are a safe, fun alternative to throwing a disc around indoors.

For those of you with a bit more mischeif in you though, you can make what is known as a "pringle cannon" by simply using a pencil to poke a hole in the side of the empty can, putting the lid back on, and forcefully exhaling into the hole you just made. If done correctly, a very loud pop will be heard as the lid is sent flying. Different flight paths and distances can be achieved by putting the hole in different places on the can's side. Want to make things more festive? Just put some confetti into the can before you launch.

Pringles can be used as the basis for a variety of canapés.

Shape and manufacture

The Pringles saddle shape chip surface was modeled after, and can be described mathematically by, a hyperbolic paraboloid, which is a form of quadric. This shape is distinctive in that it is curved at all points along its surface; there are no flat planes or lines. This design characteristic is beneficial as it helps keep the chips from breaking during distribution by eliminating lines of stress along which a small crack may easily propagate. Further it keeps the stack of chips tightly interlocked or nested during distribution. Pringles is the only brand of stacked potato chips that exhibit this characteristic double saddle shape; all others are of a single curve surface design such as a parabolic cylinder or circular cylinder. One of the designers of the machine used to mold Pringles was the science fiction author Gene Wolfe.

The product is currently manufactured in North America in Jackson, Tennessee, where the minor league baseball stadium is called "Pringles Park". Pringles are also produced in Europe in Mechelen, Belgium.

In 2003, Frito Lay released a competing chip brand, Lay's Stax, with a single curve shape. They are packaged inside a plastic tube.

Trivia

  • It has been joked that the man depicted in the logo looks like English goalkeeper David Seaman.
  • The unique packaging led to stand-up comedian Mitch Hedberg's theory that Pringles' original intention was to make tennis balls, but on the day that the rubber was supposed to arrive a bunch of potatoes showed up instead.

List of songs played in Pringles ads

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