Nik Naks (British snack) facts for kids
Two flavours of Nik Naks: "Nice 'n' Spicy" (left) and "Rib 'n' Saucy" (right)
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| Type | Corn snack |
|---|---|
| Owner | KP Snacks |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1981 |
| Markets | United Kingdom |
| Previous owners | Rowntree's, Sooner Snacks, Golden Wonder, United Biscuits |
| Tagline | 'Eat The Freak' |
| Website | http://www.kpsnacks.com/brand/nik-naks/ |
Nik Naks are a popular type of corn snack from the United Kingdom. They are made from corn that has been "extruded," which means it's pushed through a special machine to give it a unique, twisted shape.
These crunchy snacks first came out in 1981. Back then, they were called Crunchy Wotsits and had a cheese flavour. Over the years, the brand has been owned by different companies. It was bought by Golden Wonder in 1987, then by United Biscuits in 2006. In 2012, the Nik Naks brand became part of KP Snacks, which is owned by the European Intersnack Group. As of 2021, Nik Naks come in three main flavours, each with its own colourful bag.
Discovering Nik Naks Flavours
When Nik Naks first launched, the original flavour was Cheese, which came in a yellow bag. This was the flavour known as Crunchy Wotsits.
Today, you can find Nik Naks in these tasty flavours:
In the mid-1990s, there were more flavours to choose from. These included Nice 'n' Spicy, Cream 'n' Cheesy, Scampi 'n' Lemon, and Rib 'n' Saucy. A tomato flavour was also sold for a short time.
The Scampi 'n' Lemon flavour was known for its strong smell. Its packaging even had a funny message saying "Stifle The Stink," encouraging people to throw away the bag carefully. However, Rib 'n' Saucy eventually took its place. This change helped Nik Naks sales grow a lot, by 32%! A Hard Cheese flavour was also introduced but later stopped being made.
Scampi 'n' Lemon made a brief return in 2002. Then, from 2006, it replaced Cream 'n' Cheesy in multipacks. Around 2008, Scampi 'n' Lemon was slowly removed to make way for a new Pickle 'n' Onion flavour. However, Scampi 'n' Lemon can still be found in some multipacks. The Pickle 'n' Onion flavour has since been discontinued.
It's interesting to know that even though it's called Scampi 'n' Lemon, this flavour of Nik Naks has never contained any fish or animal products. Since it was relaunched in 2018, the ingredients used for the flavour are man-made, making it suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.
How Nik Naks Were Advertised
Nik Naks has had some memorable advertising campaigns over the years.
In the 1990s, the brand used animated commercials created by Bill Plympton. These ads were based on his short film Push Comes to Shove, showing two men's heads changing into many different shapes. After this, there were very short, five-second ads that joked about how "ugly" the snack looked. In 1993, Nik Naks even ran a fun contest where people could win unusual "rubbish" prizes, like tummy fluff, a 2p coin, or bits of string!
From 2004 to 2005, the advertising used the slogan 'Eat the Freak'. This slogan came from the snacks' unique and somewhat odd appearance. One famous commercial was set on a ferry crossing the English Channel. It was a funny version of the sci-fi movie Alien. In the ad, a passenger eats a Nik Nak, and then it hilariously bursts out of his stomach and starts dancing to the song "Le Freak" by Chic.
Dispute Over the Brand Name
In 2014, the Nik Naks brand in the UK had a disagreement about its name with another snack brand called NikNaks from South Africa. The UK owners, KP Snacks, asked companies importing the South African NikNaks into the United Kingdom to stop. This was because both products shared the exact same name, which could cause confusion for customers.
