Pringles

Infobox Brand
logo=
name=Pringles


type=Potato-based salty snack
currentowner=Procter & Gamble
origin=flagcountry|USA
discontinued=
related=
markets=Worldwide
previousowners=
trademarkregistrations=
website=http://www.pringles.com/

Pringles are a brand of potato-based salty snacks produced by Procter & Gamble. Pringles are sold in over 30 countries and have yearly sales of over one billion dollars. [cite web|url=http://www2.acnielsen.com/news/20011031.shtml|title=ACNielsen Study Finds 43 Brands Have Billion Dollar Global Presence|publisher=ACNielsen]

Pringles were first sold in the United States in October of 1968; they were not rolled out across America until the mid-1970s [cite web|url=http://www.uk.pg.com/products/products/pringles.html|accessdate=2007-06-24|title=Pringles|publisher=Procter & Gamble UK|date=2007] . 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. [cite web|url=http://www.pg.com/en_CA/product_card/bf_pringles.jhtml|accessdate=2007-06-24|date=2007|title=Pringles|publisher=Procter & Gamble Everyday Solutions Canada] The original Pringles television commercials were written, produced and directed by Thomas Scott Cadden (composer of the original Mr. Clean Jingle) in 1968 while working at Tatham-Laird and Kudner Advertising Agency in Chicago.

Pringles are advertised in the United States with the slogan "Everything Pops with Pringles", and in the UK and elsewhere with "Once you pop, you can't stop." [cite web|url=http://pringles.com/globalindex.html|accessdate=2007-10-14|date=2007|title=Pringles|publisher=Procter & Gamble] In the United States, Pringles are no longer marketed as potato chips, but rather "potato crisps".

According to the patent, Pringles were invented by Alexander Liepa of Montgomery, Ohio. [US patent|3998975|Pringles patent] Science Fiction and Fantasy author Gene Wolfe developed the machine that cooks them. [cite journal|title=Suns new, long, and short: an interview with Gene Wolfe|author=Lawrence Person|date=Fall/Winter 1998|journal=Nova Express|volume=5|issue=1|url=http://home.austin.rr.com/lperson/wolfe.html|accessdate=2007-06-24] Pringles are especially known for their packaging, a tubular can with a foil-coated interior and a resealable plastic lid, that was invented by Fredric J. Baur. Mr. Baur was an organic chemist and food storage technician who specialized in research and development and quality control for Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. He passed away on May 4, 2008. Baur's children honored his request to bury him in one of the cans by placing part of his cremated remains in a Pringles container in his grave. [cite web|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5io3FUTQ5TnPtXaHWYBKS0xOFH4FQD9121SFG0|accessdate=2008-06-02|title=Ashes of Pringles can designer buried in his work|publisher=Associated Press|date=2008-06-02]

The Pringles logo is a stylized representation of a man with a large moustache and parted bangs (until 2001, the man had eyebrows and his bow tie 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 230g, 170g, 163g, 160g, 50g, and 23g sizes. In early 2007, the company introduced an 80g size. [cite web|url=http://en.barcodepedia.com/037000424529/80g-original-pringles|accessdate=2007-06-24|title=80g Original Pringles|publisher=Barcodepedia|date=2007]

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.

In a London courtroom, July 2008, Proctor and Gamble lawyers successfully argued that Pringles are not potato crisp, as their actual potato content is only 42%. This exempts Pringles from the 17.5% Value Added Tax for Potato crisps and potato-derived snacks. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7490346.stm|accessdate=2008-07-04|title=Pringles 'are not potato crisps'|publisher=BBC|date=2008] The can does still however bear the words "Potato Crisps."

Products

There are many different flavors and variations of Pringles chips around the world.

Newer products
* In 2004, Pringles Prints were introduced. Pringles Prints are the same as regular Pringles, except that these have trivia questions or jokes printed on them, using red or blue food coloring.

* In early 2007, Pringles introduced "Pringles Select Gourmet Chips", which differ 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. The biggest difference is 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.

* During the summer of 2008, Pringles Select was followed by the launch of Pringles Select Bold Crunch - with stronger flavors and crunchier textures. Popular flavors include Jalapeño Ranch, Cheddar Jack, and Southwestern Barbecue.

* Pringles also came out with stronger flavors in its canister form under the Pringles Extreme sub-brand. It includes three flavors called Kickin' Cheddar, Screamin' Dill Pickle and Blazin' Buffalo Wing.

* In early 2007, Pringles introduced "Pringles Baked Wheat Stix", which are pretzel-like sticks that come in Vanilla, Wheat, Pizza, and Honey flavors. These are similar to Pretz.

* In 2007, Pringles introduced "Pringles Minis", which are not packaged in the normal canisters, but instead in a small bag. The Pringles remain the same shape, but are much smaller in size.

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 [ [http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448 Pringles cantenna] ] .

Cans can also be use to make "Cannons" or poppers, by putting a round hole in the bottom end of the can and blowing hard a loud popping sound will be made as the lid flies off. When filled with little bits of paper it shoots out confetti.

The popular newspaper comic Dilbert references a use for the Pringles can. Dilbert rolls up his clothing in a Pringles tube so he can change clothes at work without having to drive home and change clothes.

Pringles containers can also be used to hold up to three tennis balls. This similarity of shape was the subject of a joke by Mitch Hedberg, who speculated that tennis balls were what Pringles had originally intended to make.

References

ee also

*Potato chip
*Lay's Stax
*Kryzpo

External links

* [http://www.pringles.com Pringles official web site]
* [http://www.pringles.co.uk/christmas/gallery.aspx Pringles Jingle Competition site]