Wotsits facts for kids
 |
|
| Owner | Walkers |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Markets | United Kingdom |
| Previous owners | Golden Wonder |
| Website | walkers.co.uk |
Wotsits are super popular, cheesy corn puff snacks from the UK! They are made by Walkers, which is part of a bigger company called PepsiCo. People love Wotsits for their light, airy crunch and bright orange color. These tasty snacks first came out in the 1970s and quickly became a favorite in Britain. While most famous for their cheese flavor, Wotsits have also had many other exciting flavors over the years. They are similar to other puffed corn snacks around the world, like Cheetos in the US, but Wotsits have their own special texture and taste.
Contents
Wotsits Flavors and Types
Wotsits have changed a lot over the years, with many different flavors and shapes. Let's explore how they grew!
Early Flavors by Golden Wonder
When Wotsits first launched, they were made by a company called Golden Wonder. Back then, you could find them in flavors like Cheesy, Crispy Beef (which later became Barbecue Beef or BBQ Beef), Cheese & Bacon, and Spicy Tomato. The Cheese & Bacon and Spicy Tomato flavors were stopped in 1993. Later, a Prawn Cocktail flavor was introduced in 1998, replacing Smoky Bacon.
Fun New Wotsits Shapes
In the late 1990s, Golden Wonder started making Wotsits in different shapes and sizes.
- Long Wotsits: These came out in 1995 and were, as the name suggests, longer versions of the snack. The bags even asked, "How long is your Wotsit?"
- Weenie Wotsits: In 1999, smaller Wotsits were launched, advertised as "Little Wotsits for weenie mouths!"
- Wotsits Wafflers: These were introduced in 2000. They were big, crunchy, and shaped like waffles!
- Wotsits Mealtime Potato Shapes: Also in 2000, these were oven-baked potato shapes.
Golden Wonder also did some cool promotions. In 2001, they teamed up with the BBC for a Robot Wars event. Special packs of Wotsits and other snacks included winning leaflets. Later that year, "Whopping Wotsits" were released, which were even longer snacks. They also had a "Footie Flikka" promotion with football-themed collectibles.
In 2001, Golden Wonder even introduced "Wotsits Micro Snacks," which you could heat up in the microwave for a warm, cheesy treat! They also made "Wotsits Wafflers Cheesy Potato Shapes" for the oven.
To celebrate the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Golden Wonder launched "Wotsits Goalden Balls" in 2002. These were football-shaped Wotsits! They also worked with TV stars Ant & Dec for a "Goalden Shootout" game where you could find codes in snack packs.
Wotsits Joins Walkers
In 2002, something big happened: the Wotsits brand was sold to Walkers, a big rival snack company. Walkers already had the Cheetos brand in the UK, but it wasn't very successful. There were ideas to change Wotsits to Cheetos, but luckily, Walkers decided to keep the Wotsits name and just give them a fresh new look.
On January 3, 2003, Walkers relaunched Wotsits with new packaging and advertisements. They kept many of the popular flavors and shapes from Golden Wonder, like Wotsits Wafflers and Weenie Wotsits. They also added a new "Mild Cheese" flavor.
In 2004, Walkers brought out a "Flamin' Hot" flavor, which replaced the "BBQ Beef" one. Later that year, they launched "Wotsits Twisted," which were twisted corn snacks in BBQ and Really Cheesy flavors.
Changes to How Wotsits are Made
In 2007, Walkers changed the packaging for many of their snacks, including Wotsits, to show they were using Sunseed Oil. This oil was used in all their products.
A big change happened in May 2008: Wotsits stopped being fried and started being baked instead! This made them a bit lighter.
In 2009, Wotsits and other Walkers snacks changed their packaging again to highlight that they were "99 Calories or Less." This was because people were becoming more interested in healthier options. For a while, Wotsits were mainly sold in just the Really Cheesy flavor.
Wotsits Comeback Flavors and Sizes
In August 2012, Wotsits Wafflers came back, this time in a Bacon flavor. In 2013, they were rebranded simply as "Wafflers" under the Smiths brand. "Wotsits Twisted" also returned, just called "Twisted."
Every Halloween since 2013, a special limited edition called Zombie Fingers has appeared. These are longer, curlier, and come in the Flamin' Hot flavor.
Good news for fans! In January 2020, Walkers announced that Flamin' Hot and BBQ Beef (now called "Sizzlin' Steak") would return to stores because people really wanted them back. Around the same time, "Wotsits Giants" were introduced. These are much bigger Wotsits, about double the size of regular ones, and come in Really Cheesy and Flamin' Hot flavors.
In February 2022, the Prawn Cocktail flavor also returned as a Wotsits Giants flavor due to popular demand. Plus, "Crunchy Wotsits" were launched in Really Cheesy and Flamin' Hot flavors, offering a different texture!
Wotsits Advertising Fun
Wotsits have always had fun ways to advertise and connect with snack fans.
Inserts and Slogans
Wotsits were one of the first brands to put cool things inside their snack packs. In 1996, they included "Pogs" (remember those?). In 1997, they added Merlin football stickers and other fun items for kids.
From 1994 to 2002, Wotsits used a famous advertising slogan: "You only get a whoosh with a Wotsit." This catchy phrase was part of a campaign that played on words to make the snack sound exciting. Also, Wotsits bags used to have a joke or a fun fact on the back!
TV Appearances
Wotsits were one of the sponsors of the popular TV show SMTV Live from January to December 2003. Other Walkers snacks like Monster Munch and Squares also sponsored the show.
In 2003, an advertising company that worked with Walkers (Frito-Lay) talked about how they tried to make children aged 4 to 9 really want Wotsits. They aimed for kids to think, "Wotsits are for me—I'm going to buy them when I get the chance and ask Mum for them when she next goes shopping." This shows how advertisers try to make products appealing to young people.
