Pringles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Image:Prin logo.jpg Pringles are a brand of potato chip / crisps snack produced by Procter & Gamble. It was introduced in the 1960's 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 for the US Army. Pringles were issued to US troops in Europe throughout World War II, where they were prized for their long-lasting freshness and taste. The mustachioed Pringles logo began life there as a caricature of Adolf Hitler, but was altered when the brand was revived in 1967 for sale to the general public.
The advertising slogan of Pringles in the US is "Once you pop, the fun don't stop" and in the UK, "Once you pop, you just can't stop". Like regular potato crisps, some flavors of Pringles may contain monosodium glutamate (MSG), though the popular Original variety does not. Interestingly, in North America, they are not marketed as potato chips, but rather "potato crisps". This may be a food labeling requirement, since Pringles are made from a dough rather than from sliced fresh potatoes.
Pringles is especially known for its 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 most other chips, which are packaged loosely in a bag. Image:Pringles (aka).jpgPringles 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 fat free varieties contain Olestra which could cause side effects (like diarrhea) in some individuals. The side effects to the fat free varieties have been spoofed on several popular TV shows.
In 2006, Pringles released a product: Pringles Prints. These are Pringles with food-coloring printed on them with either trivia questions or jokes in red or blue ink (food coloring).
Contents |
[edit] Flavors
[edit] US
Current permanent U.S. flavors (from the US website):
- Original
- Loaded Baked Potato
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Jalapeño
- Chili Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Ranch
- Spicy Cajun
- Fiery Hot
- Barbecue
- Salt & Vinegar
- Cheezums
- Reduced Fat Original
- Reduced Fat Sour Cream & Onion
- Fat Free Original
- Fat Free Sour Cream & Onion
- Pizza-Licious
- Fiesta Guacamole
[edit] Canada
Current Canadian flavours (from the Canadian website):
- Original
- BBQ
- Ketchup
- Jalapeño
- Salt & Vinegar
- Cheezums
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Original Prints
- Reduced Fat Original
- Reduced Fat BBQ
- Reduced Fat Sour Cream & Onion
- Pizza-Licious
- Bacon
- Reed
[edit] 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)
- The Gourmet range (this was advertised in the UK on 3 Oct 2006. More information to follow)
[edit] 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
[edit] South America
Current South American flavours
- Cheese & Onion
- Cool & Hot
- Pepper
- Hot & Spicy
- Paprika
- Sour Cream & Onion (Normal & Reduced Fat)
- Texas Barbecue Sauce
- Bacon
- Original (Normal & Reduced Fat)
[edit] 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
[edit] South Korea
Current South Korean flavors (from the South Korea website):
- Original
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Hot & Spicy
- Cheddar Cheese
- Pizza
- Grilled BBQ
- European (Tomato)
- European (Pepper)
[edit] 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
[edit] Limited editions
Partial list of discontinued limited edition flavors :
- Bacon & Cheese Potato
- Cheddar and Sour Cream
- Cheesy Quesadilla (2006 flavor)
- Chili Cheese
- Chipotle Limón (2006 flavor)
- Crunchy Dill (2005 flavor)
- Crushed Pepper
- Curry (UK)
- 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
- Tuscan Red Pepper with Hint of Olive Oil
- Valentines Day (original with pink colouring)
- Wisconsin White Cheddar
- Grand Taco (Limited in Southwest America and Mexico)
[edit] 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.
Some have also been known 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. Different flight paths and distances can be achieved by putting the hole in different places on the can's side. The tube may also be filled with confetti, causing the confetti to shoot out quickly and stream slowly to the ground.
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 amibent 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. A search of photography lighting forums for "Pringles" will turn up numerous posts where the Pringles lids' color accuracy and usefulness is compared with other products such as dedicated white balance discs (the "ExpoDisc") costing in the USD $100 range. [1]
[edit] 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.
Some advocate that Pringles are also shaped a specific way because there is a proper way to eat them. The chip should be placed in the mouth with the curve up, so the chip surrounds the tongue. Not only is this the easiest way to eat them, it is congruent with how the chip is placed inside the can during manufacturing. Others oppose this method, saying that the majority of the flavoring on the chip is at the top of the curve, and therefore should be eaten curve down.
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.
[edit] Trivia
- It has been joked that the man depicted in the logo looks like English goalkeeper David Seaman.
- In the film Clerks Dante Hicks helps a man pull a can of Pringles off of his arm.
- The unique packaging led to stand-up comedian Mitch Hedberg's hypothesis 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.
- In the film Over the Hedge Pringles were spoofed by a similar looking chip called "spuddies"; in fact, in the first copies of Over the Hedge "spuddies" were called jingles. These "jingles" had a red can and had the Pringles mascot with a jester's hat on.
- The Pringles brand name was derived from Pringle Dr., located in Springfield Township, Ohio, near Cincinnati (the hometown of Procter & Gamble)[citation needed]
[edit] List of songs played in Pringles ads
- "I Put A Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
- "Jump Around" by House of Pain
- "Where's Your Head At" by Basement Jaxx
- "Everlasting Love" by Human Music House
[edit] External links
- Pringles official web site
- Pringles patent
- PringlePerfection - Pringle-based recipes
- Marc's Pringles Collection
- Ronnies Pringles Collection
- German Pringles fansite
| Procter & Gamble Co. | |
|
Corporate Directors: Norman Augustine | Bruce Byrnes | R. Kerry Clark | Scott D. Cook | Joseph Gorman | A.G. Lafley | Charles R. Lee | Lynn M. Martin | W. James McNerney, Jr. | Johnathan Rodgers | John F. Smith, Jr. | Ralph Snyderman | Robert Storey | Margaret Whitman | Ernesto Zedillo | |
|
Brands: Always | Ariel | Bounty | Braun | Charmin | CoverGirl | Crest | Downy | Dreft | Duracell | Fairy | Febreze | Folgers | Gillette | Head & Shoulders | Iams | Ivory | Max Factor | Olay | Old Spice | Oral-B | Pampers | Pantene | Pringles | Swiffer | Tampax | Tide | Torengos | Zest | |
|
Annual Revenue: $55.4 billion USD (Image:Green Arrow Up.svg10% FY 2005) | Employees: 110,000 | Stock Symbol: NYSE: PG | Website: www.pg.com |
de:Pringles es:Pringles fr:Pringles id:Pringles it:Pringles nl:Pringles ja:プリングルズ no:Pringles pt:Pringles sv:Pringles da:Pringles
