Wotsits
Encyclopedia
Wotsits is a brand of cheese puffs
sold by Walkers
. The most common form are cheese flavoured curly shapes. However over the years various other shapes (such as waffle-shaped Wotsits) and flavours (such as prawn cocktail
and flamin hot) have also been sold. "Limited edition" Wotsits have also appeared on more than one occasion.The brand was stretched into Whopping Wotsits, Weenie Wotsits, Waffle Wotsits as well as frozen Wotsits. All came into the market under Golden Wonders ownership managed by Nigel Parrott between the years 1993 and 2002. The brand name occurs in the singular, "Wotsit", referring to an individual corn puff. It is an allusion to the slang term "whatsit", to which it is phonetically identical. Wotsits packaging often come with a joke or trivia section on the back. The brand was the first to introduce inserts into its packs in 1994, with the insertion of "Pogs
". It also inserted merlin football stickers and other inserts aimed at 11 year old boys. The brand was advertised with the strapline "you only get a whoosh with a Wotsit" between 1994 and 2002 following a campaign designed by JWT of a play on words.
The brand was previously owned by Golden Wonder
, but was sold off separately to Walkers
when Golden Wonder changed hands in 2002. Prior to this, Walkers sold a rival known as Cheetos
on the UK market.
In 2003, the advertising agency Abbott Mead Vickers made a public apology when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health brought to light a private brief that it had made to Frito-Lay
(Walkers' owners) where it proposed encouraging children (4 to 9 years old) to believe that “Wotsits are for me — I'm going to buy them when I get the chance and pester Mum for them when she next goes shopping”.
Another variety of Wotsits were "Mealtime Potato Shapes", made from potato and cheese and meant to be baked in the oven. They were launched in 2000. Mealtime Potato Shapes have been discontinued for many years.
In February 2007 Wotsits were re-launched in new packaging (along with other Walkers brands such as Quavers and Monster Munch) to coincide with the new usage of Sunseed oil in their ingredients and in 2009 Wotsits Quavers
, Squares and French Fries changed packaging again and Wotsits now have 95 calories in multipack bags and 99 calories in standard bags.
Cheese puffs
Cheese puffs, cheese curls, cheese balls, or corn curls are a puffed corn snack, coated with a mixture of cheese or cheese-flavored powders...
sold by Walkers
Walkers (snack foods)
Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer operating mainly in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and to a lesser extent on the European continent. They are best known for manufacturing crisps. They hold 47 per cent of the British crisp market...
. The most common form are cheese flavoured curly shapes. However over the years various other shapes (such as waffle-shaped Wotsits) and flavours (such as prawn cocktail
Prawn cocktail
Prawn cocktail is a seafood dish consisting of "shelled prawns in mayonnaise and tomato dressing, served in a glass". It was the most popular hors d'œuvre in Great Britain in the 1970s.-External links:*...
and flamin hot) have also been sold. "Limited edition" Wotsits have also appeared on more than one occasion.The brand was stretched into Whopping Wotsits, Weenie Wotsits, Waffle Wotsits as well as frozen Wotsits. All came into the market under Golden Wonders ownership managed by Nigel Parrott between the years 1993 and 2002. The brand name occurs in the singular, "Wotsit", referring to an individual corn puff. It is an allusion to the slang term "whatsit", to which it is phonetically identical. Wotsits packaging often come with a joke or trivia section on the back. The brand was the first to introduce inserts into its packs in 1994, with the insertion of "Pogs
Pogs
Pogs is a game that was popularized during the early 1990s. The word "pog" also refers to the discs used to play the game. The name originates from POG, a brand of juice made from passionfruit, orange and guava; the use of the POG bottle caps to play the game pre-dated the game's commercialization...
". It also inserted merlin football stickers and other inserts aimed at 11 year old boys. The brand was advertised with the strapline "you only get a whoosh with a Wotsit" between 1994 and 2002 following a campaign designed by JWT of a play on words.
The brand was previously owned by Golden Wonder
Golden Wonder
Golden Wonder is a British company that manufactures snack foods, most notably crisps.-History:Founded in Stoneyburn in 1947 by the Scottish bakery owner William Alexander, the company was named after the Golden Wonder potato. The company was acquired by UK-based Dalgety plc in 1987...
, but was sold off separately to Walkers
Walkers (snack foods)
Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer operating mainly in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and to a lesser extent on the European continent. They are best known for manufacturing crisps. They hold 47 per cent of the British crisp market...
when Golden Wonder changed hands in 2002. Prior to this, Walkers sold a rival known as Cheetos
Cheetos
Cheetos is a brand of cheese-flavored cornmeal snack made by Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin invented Cheetos in 1948, and began national distribution in the U.S. The initial success of Cheetos was a contributing factor to the merger between The Frito Company...
on the UK market.
In 2003, the advertising agency Abbott Mead Vickers made a public apology when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health brought to light a private brief that it had made to Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay North America is the division of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets and sells corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips,...
(Walkers' owners) where it proposed encouraging children (4 to 9 years old) to believe that “Wotsits are for me — I'm going to buy them when I get the chance and pester Mum for them when she next goes shopping”.
Another variety of Wotsits were "Mealtime Potato Shapes", made from potato and cheese and meant to be baked in the oven. They were launched in 2000. Mealtime Potato Shapes have been discontinued for many years.
In February 2007 Wotsits were re-launched in new packaging (along with other Walkers brands such as Quavers and Monster Munch) to coincide with the new usage of Sunseed oil in their ingredients and in 2009 Wotsits Quavers
Quavers
Quavers are a British snack, originally made by Smiths, and now produced by Walkers. Walkers, part of the Pepsico family, purchased the Quavers brand in 1997 where it became one of the Frito Lay International brand names.- History :...
, Squares and French Fries changed packaging again and Wotsits now have 95 calories in multipack bags and 99 calories in standard bags.
External links
- "PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF FOOD INDUSTRY ADVERTISING DOCUMENTS", Written evidence, UK Parliament Select Committee on Health