When Were Pringles First Invented?

We all know Pringles as thin, saddle-shaped crisps of potato that were initially packaged in air-tight, tubular-shaped cardboard cans covered with plastic lids.

Based on the company history, Alexander Liepa, a food scientist, invented Pringles on August 6, 1968.  The product was officially launched in Ohio in October of that year. Procter and Gamble states that the name Pringles was inspired by a street in Finneytown, Ohio, the Pringle Drive.

Pringles were originally sold in cylindrical containers with red packaging. Pringles was then marketed to other states by May of 1975. Their market expanded as the company introduced the potato crisps in Great Britain in 1991.

What Are Pringles?

Pringles are potato chips that come in a can instead of a bag. The cans’ insides are lined with foil, making it truly a revolutionary counterpart to the old bag of potato chips. The Pringles brand is owned by Procter and Gamble and is sold in at least 30 countries globally.

According to Proctor and Gamble, the chips have 3 major advantages over the conventional bag of potato chips.

• First, Pringles are light and less greasy.
• Second, who can resist such unique and innovative packaging? Having the equally shaped crisps neatly stacked is well worth your money. Crisps are always whole and unbroken and there is very minimal “crummage” as a result.
• Lastly, storage is convenient. You take off the lid and put it back when you are done. No need for clips or tape to reseal... the can keeps the crisps fresh and crisp longer.

How Are Pringles Made?

So, now that you know when were Pringles first invented, you may be wondering exactly how are Pringles made? Unlike the traditional potato chip that is made from sliced potatoes, Pringles are made out of potatoes that have already been cooked, mashed, dried, and formed into a dough.

Like any other pastry dough, it is flattened, shaped, cut, and dried, and then cooked. The potato crisps are uniform in their size, with their famous saddle-shape form, so they can easily be stacked in a neat way inside the container rather than being loosely packed in a bag.

Pringles were originally known as a potato chip but other snack companies objected,  saying that Pringles was not really a potato chip because of how it was made. The US FDA mediated the matter and in 1975, they officially ruled that Pringles could only apply the “chip” word in their product within the phrase: “potato chips made from dried potatoes." Not too satisfied with the terminology, the company opted to rename Pringles as “potato crisps” instead of chips. 

Pringles Flavors

Pringles come in a wide range of flavors guaranteed to appeal to all kinds of food palettes. Standard flavors include the original, sour cream, salt and vinegar, barbecue and onion cheddar cheese.

Some flavors had limited edition runs or were only distributed to select markets. Such flavors include: curry flavor, prawn cocktail, chili cheese dog, ketchup, pizzalicious, zesty lime and chili, Cajun, Texas BBQ sauce, cheesy fries, honey mustard, mozzarella cheese stick, Mexican layered dip, and onion blossom.

Sometime in the 1990s the company even came up with “Corn Pringles.” The crisps were made of corn and were packaged in black canisters.

In Asia, new flavors introduced including Grilled Shrimp, Seaweed, and soft-shelled crab.

Fun Facts About Pringles

To truly be a Pringles expert, it is important to know some other fun facts about your favorite potato chips.

• The man who invented the cylindrical can was an organic chemist and food storage technician who worked at Procter & Gamble named Fredric Baur. When he died in 2008, he requested that he be cremated and that his ashes be buried in a Pringles can. His family honored his special request by placing his remains inside a can and burying it in his grave. Some were also placed in an urn and some were given to his son.
• The Pringles logo is a cartoon caricature of the head of a male figure. He is known as Julius Pringles.
• Brad Pitt is one of the most famous celebrities who appeared in a Pringles commercial. He appeared in 1982.
• A Pringles can be used to make a cantenna, which is an antenna made from a can. Since the insides of a Pringles can is covered in foil, the container can be used for extending wireless networks for phone and radio reception.