Doritos facts for kids

This article is about the snack.

Quick facts for kids
Doritos

The current Doritos logo (top); Nacho Cheese Doritos (bottom).
Type	Tortilla chip
Owner	PepsiCo (via Frito-Lay)
Country	United States
Introduced	1964; 61 years ago (1964) (nationwide in 1966)
Related brands	Lay's Tostitos Cheetos
Markets	International
Tagline	"Another Level"

Doritos are a popular brand of flavored tortilla chips. They are made by Frito-Lay, which is a part of PepsiCo. The idea for Doritos first came from a restaurant at Disneyland.

In 1966, Doritos became the first tortilla chip sold all over the United States. The first flavor was plain toasted corn. Then came taco flavor in 1967, and the super popular nacho cheese flavor in 1972. Today, you can find Doritos around the world with many different flavors, which can change depending on the country.

Doritos are also known for their fun marketing, including commercials shown during the Super Bowl. The Doritos brand is also used for other snacks, like Doritos 3D, and even for taco shells at Taco Bell.

The History of Doritos

How Doritos Got Their Name

The name Dorito comes from a Spanish word, doradito. This means "little fried and golden thing." It's a smaller version of dorado, which means "fried and golden thing."

The Start at Disneyland

The first Doritos were made in the early 1960s at a restaurant called Casa de Fritos in Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The restaurant used extra tortillas, cut them up, fried them, and added simple seasoning. This was similar to a traditional Mexican snack called totopo.

Arch West, who worked in marketing for Frito-Lay, noticed how popular these chips were. In 1964, he made a deal with a food supplier to make the chips. But the demand was too high, so Frito-Lay started making them themselves at their factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Becoming a National Favorite

Doritos were first sold across the United States in 1966. They were the first tortilla chip to be sold nationwide. By 1993, Doritos were very successful, bringing in $1.2 billion in sales. This was a big part of Frito-Lay's total sales that year.

Changing the Chip's Design

In 1994, Frito-Lay spent $50 million to change the design of Doritos. This was the most expensive redesign in the company's history for a chip. They wanted to compete better with other tortilla chips that were bigger and had more flavor.

After two years of research with 5,000 chip eaters, they made some changes. The new chips were 20% bigger and 15% thinner. They also had rounded corners, which made them easier to eat and less likely to break. Each chip also got more seasoning for a stronger taste. These new chips came out in early 1995.

Healthier Options and New Look

In 2002, Frito-Lay removed trans fat from all Doritos in the United States. They also started following new food labeling rules early.

By 2005, Doritos sales had dropped a little. To boost sales, in 2006, the company launched new flavors, a new label, and more ads in two languages. This was called "the most significant rebranding and relaunch in Doritos' 38-year history."

On February 21, 2013, the Doritos logo changed again, and they started using the slogan "for the bold."

Supporting Good Causes

In 2015, Doritos released special Rainbow Doritos for a short time. You could only get them if you donated at least $10 to the It Gets Better Project. This group helps young people who are part of the LGBT community. The campaign raised $100,000 for the organization.

What's in Doritos?

Main Ingredients

The original plain Doritos (called Toasted Corn, which isn't sold in the US anymore but is in the UK as 'Lightly Salted') are made from ground corn (maize), vegetable oil, and salt. The ingredients for flavored chips are different. For example, Doritos made for the US market usually don't use animal rennet (an enzyme) in their cheese flavorings.

Nacho Cheese Doritos Ingredients (U.S.)

Here are some of the main ingredients in Nacho Cheese Doritos in the U.S.:

Whole corn
Vegetable oil (like corn, soybean, or sunflower oil)
Salt
Cheddar cheese (made from milk, cheese cultures, salt, and enzymes)
Maltodextrin
Whey
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Buttermilk solids
Romano cheese
Onion powder
Corn flour
Natural and artificial flavors
Artificial colors (like Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40)
Spices
Garlic powder

In 1996, a funny newspaper called The Onion joked about how many ingredients were in Doritos with the headline "Doritos Celebrates One Millionth Ingredient."

Doritos Flavors Around the World

Doritos are sold in many countries, and each place might have different flavors.

Early Flavors

When Doritos first launched nationwide in the U.S. in 1966, there was only one flavor: Toasted Corn. People liked it, but some thought it wasn't spicy enough for a Mexican-style snack. So, Frito-Lay created taco-flavored Doritos, which became popular in 1967.

The famous nacho cheese flavor came out in 1972 and was a huge hit. In 1978, Sour Cream and Onion Doritos were introduced but later stopped being sold. A sesame seed flavor was also available for a short time. Around 1985, the original taco flavor recipe was changed to include a sour cream taste.

Cool Ranch and Beyond

In 1986, Cool Ranch Doritos were released and quickly became very popular. In the UK, they are called "Cool Original," and in other parts of Europe, they are called "Cool American" because ranch dressing is not as common there.

In the 1990s, Doritos partnered with fast food brands like Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. They introduced Taco Supreme and Pizza Cravers flavors. After PepsiCo sold its restaurant businesses, these flavors were simply renamed taco and pizza. The pizza flavor was later stopped in some places.

Other flavors introduced include Jumpin' Jack Monterey Cheese (1990) and Spicy Nacho (1997).

New Shapes and Mixes

In 2004, Doritos briefly introduced "Rollitos," which were chips shaped like small tubes. Flavors included Nacho Cheesier and Cooler Ranch. In 2013, this idea came back as "Dinamitas," which means "little sticks of dynamite." These are rolled Doritos with flavors like chili lime.

There have also been "Doritos Collisions," which are bags with two different flavors mixed together. Some combinations included Hot Wings/Blue Cheese and Zesty Taco/Chipotle Ranch.

Mystery Flavors and Spicy Challenges

In 2007, Doritos had a "Doritos X-13D Flavor Experiment." They sold black, mystery bags of Doritos, and people had to guess and name the flavor. The only hint was "All American Classic."

In 2008, Doritos had another "mystery flavor" contest, and the flavor turned out to be Mountain Dew. In 2009, they released "Doritos Late Night" flavors like "Tacos at Midnight."

In 2010, Doritos released three spicy "Degree Burn" flavors, like Blazin' Jalapeño. They also had a wasabi-flavored chip called Mr. Dragon's Fire Chips.

In 2015, Doritos Roulette was released for a limited time. Most chips looked the same, but one out of every six chips was super spicy!

International Flavors

In 2010, Doritos launched in New Zealand with flavors like Nacho Cheese and Salsa. In 2011, a Tapatio hot sauce flavor was released in the U.S.

In Canada, Doritos has held competitions for new flavors, like "Onion Rings n' Ketchup" and "Blazin' Buffalo and Ranch."

In October 2022, Doritos launched two new pizza-inspired flavors in the UK: Triple Cheese Pizza and Loaded Pepperoni Pizza.

Marketing Doritos

Super Bowl Commercials

Doritos has advertised a lot during the Super Bowl over the years. In 1995, a popular commercial featured former US governors Mario Cuomo and Ann Richards talking about change, which turned out to be about new Doritos packaging.

In 1998, Doritos hired former Miss USA Ali Landry for a Super Bowl ad. She became known as "The Doritos Girl" because of the ad where she caught chips in her mouth at a Laundromat.

Crash the Super Bowl Contest

For Super Bowl XLI in 2007, Doritos started a contest called "Crash the Super Bowl." This allowed regular people to create their own Doritos commercials. The public voted for their favorite, and Doritos even aired two of the top ads because the vote was so close.

This contest continued for many years. In 2009, the "Free Doritos" ad, created by fans Joe and Dave Herbert, won and was ranked as the best Super Bowl ad of the year. They won a $1 million prize!

Other Marketing Efforts

In 2008, Doritos launched a unique ad campaign by beaming a 30-second commercial into space! They sent the ad towards a star system 42 light years away, hoping to reach potential life there.

Doritos was also a main sponsor for the Wolverhampton Wanderers football team for two seasons.

In 2010, Doritos launched in New Zealand, replacing the local CC's brand.

Partnerships and New Products

On September 20, 2011, Arch West, the marketing executive credited with creating Doritos as the first national tortilla chip brand, passed away at age 97.

To celebrate Taco Bell's 50th anniversary, Doritos and Taco Bell teamed up to create the Doritos Locos Tacos. These tacos have a shell made from Nacho Cheese Doritos. They were first introduced on March 8, 2012.

In March 2012, a new line of Doritos called Doritos Jacked was introduced. These chips are 40% larger than regular Doritos.

In March 2013, Doritos updated its packaging and logo as part of its first global marketing campaign, called "For the Bold." This campaign uses ideas from people in 37 countries, focusing on a "living for the moment" attitude.

In July 2014, 7-11 stores started selling a new snack called Doritos Loaded. These are breaded cheese snacks and were PepsiCo's first frozen food product.

Current Doritos flavors in Canada (as of November 2014) include Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch, Spicy Nacho, and Sweet Chili Heat.

In January 2017, Doritos entered the Indonesian market. Flavors there included Nacho Cheese, Barbecue, and Roasted Corn. However, in September 2021, the Doritos brand in Indonesia was renamed Maxicorn due to a change in the license agreement.

Doritos 3D

Doritos 3D are puffed Doritos that were first introduced in 1998 in the United States. They were stopped in 2004 but are still sold in Mexico. People have described them as a mix between Doritos and Bugles. Some flavors included Jalapeño Cheddar and Nacho Cheese.

On December 21, 2020, it was announced that Doritos 3D would return to stores on December 28. The new flavors are Chili Cheese Nacho and Spicy Ranch.

Images for kids

Cool Ranch Doritos