Tostitos (History, Commercials & FAQ)

Tostitos is an American snack made by the Frito-Lay company. Tostitos are a type of tortilla chip and corresponding dips for these chips. This is one of the most popular tortilla chips and dips in America and has been for decades. Even if you are a fan of these crunchy corn chips, how much do you know about them? Keep reading this article to learn more about these delicious tortilla chips today!

When Was Tostitos Created?

Tostitos, lovingly referred to as the twin brother of Doritos, was created in 1978. These tortilla chips are immensely popular, but plain Doritos are more prevalent in the UK. Tostitos are more popular in the USA. The plain Dorito was around for 15 years before Tostitos, but they are both made by Frito-Lay.

Jack Liczkowski led the original research team to develop this chip. What they set out to do (and accomplished) was to make a better tasting and more authentic tortilla chip with Mexican flavors and processing. They did this by boiling the corn in slacked lime, creating an exquisite flavor.

Over time, as the brand gained more popularity, the company has experimented in various ways. This included different versions (using other grains and spices), kicking up the flavor (by adding cheese, lime, and pepper), and a variety of shapes (triangles, restaurant-style, bite-sized circles, tubes, and bowls).

Outside of playing with the flavors and shapes of the tortilla chips they offered, they have also created some of the best testing dips that pair perfectly with tortilla chips. The first bags of Tostitos went on the shelves in 1978, and they do not show any sign of slowing down anytime soon!

More About Frito Lay

Frito-Lay owns Tostitos, so you might want to know more about this great American company. Frito-Lay products can be found everywhere. It is unlikely you will go into any store without seeing the various brands that are associated with the Lay’s name. Besides stores, you will find these products everywhere – concerts, movie theaters, and schools. They can be found in lunchboxes, backyard parties, sleepovers, and more!

So how was this great company formed? C.E. Doolin bought a bag of corn chips in a San Antonio cafe in 1932. He then learned that the manufacturer wanted to sell the business, so he bought the recipe and sold them out of his Model T Ford.

At the same time, in Nashville, Herman W. Lay started a snack delivery company. He also bought out a former manufacturer to create the company.

In 1961 the two companies merged to form Frito-Lays. Then in 1965, Frito-Lays merged with Pepsi-Cola and formed PepsiCo.

Decades later, the company is still going strong. It has moved from a couple of entrepreneurs buying recipes from manufacturers to being a company that employs 55,000 employees and has 29 different popular snack food brands. Tostitos is high on the list of popular snacks that they have created.

The Logo and Redesigns

Over the years, the logo has gone through many redesigns. All of them are recognizable to each other, but there have been 4 completely different looks that Frito-Lay has tried out on this brand.

From 1978 – 1985, Tostitos had its initial logo. This was a bold but plain design with black, bold lettering, almost no spacing between the letters, and the “i” in the word Tostitos was dotted with a bold red circular dot that sat on top of the letter with no spacing in between the lower case “i” and the dot. Under the “s,” the word brand was in capital letters, and next to the “s” was the trademark symbol.

In 1985 the brand received its first design, and this new logo would last until 2003. It was similar but a little bit more fun. This was a Greek-style logo, and the letter “s,” which appears in the logo twice, looks almost like a zig-zag. The letter “o,” which also appears twice, is noticeable due to the centering of the letters. They keep the dot above the “i” red, but now there is a prominent space between the “i” and the dot. It still shows the word “brand,” but it is centered between the last two letters, and the trademark symbol is now near the top of the last “s.”

In 2003, the logo changed again. The third design of the logo lasted from 2003 – 2012. At this time, the logo became more colorful by adding a yellow and orange background. The yellow section in the middle of the logo actually has an orange gradient. Then there is a dark orange around it. It is bold, modern, and fun. The two t’s in the middle of the logo became fun lower case t’s instead of the traditional upper case T’s throughout the whole logo. This logo is also angled instead of being straight across. The trademark symbol is still present. However, instead of the word “brand” under the logo, it says “Brand Tortilla Chips.”

Finally, in 2012 they created the logo that they are still using today. Basically, the newest logo brings together the styles of the three previous logos in one cohesive design. The ovals in the letter “O” came back like it was 1978 all over again. The font is closer to the 1985 font, without the zigzag letter s. The lowercase “t” remains from the 2003 logo. The logo is straight again without any angles, and there is also not always a background anymore. The trademark symbol and the brand or brand tortilla chips titles have also been dropped from the logo.

The Hidden Image in The Logo

When the log was changed in 2003, Tostitos added in a little something extra, something that they have kept through their current logo. Whereas they did replace the capital T’s in the middle of the logo with lowercase t’s, there was an artistic reason for this. The capital t’s in the logo are actually stick figures facing one another. The lower case I is the base of a table. The dot is Tostito’s salsa. The two stick figures are sharing (or fighting over) a large tortilla chip to dip in the salsa.

This design is also considered an optical illusion. They are using white space to portray, or trick the onlooker, that this is actually a couple of buddies sharing their delicious snack. The point of this design chain was to go from a basic or traditional design using fonts and colors to adding elements where the customers feel connected to the brand by seeing themselves in the actual logo.

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How a Mexican Snack Food Dominated The American Snack Market

America is affectionately known as the great melting pot, a place where people of all religions, ethnic backgrounds, and walks of life come together to form a wonderful country. Part of this lifestyle includes embracing food from cultures outside of your own.

Mexican American food has always been a popular choice. Some common Mexican American foods that people love include tacos (hard-shelled, soft-shelled, and walking tacos), burritos, quesadillas, and empanadas. Of course, one thing that goes hand in hand with Mexican food is tortilla chips and dip.

There was a time that you could not get good tasting, authentic tortilla chips outside of a Mexican restaurant, but Frito-Lay changed that when they invented Tostitos. With the aid of Tostito chips and dips, Americans can just run to their local grocery store or corner market to get this Mexican snack. And run they do. All year long, these chips are enjoyed for dinners, snacks, and party foods.

Flavors and Variations

Over the years, Frito-lays has added so many different flavors to its lineup. There really is something for everyone! So let’s look at what they are offering.

Tostito Chips Flavors and Varieties:

• Original Restuarant Style
• Bite Size Rounds
• Scoops! Original
• Lightly Salted
• Crispy Rounds Original
• Scoops! Multigrain
• Hint of Lime
• Habanero
• Hint of Spicy Queso
• Hint of Guacamole
• Salsa Verbe
• Black Bean and Garlic
• Tostitos Baked
• Simply Organic Tostitos Blue Corn
• Cantina Traditional Yellow Corn
• Cantina Thin and Crispy

Tostito Dipping Sauces Flavors and Varieties:

• Chunky Salsa Mild
• Chunky Salsa Medium
• Restaurant Style Salsa Medium
• Chunky Habanero Salsa Hot
• Smooth and Cheesy Dip Cheese Flavored
• Nacho Cheese Dip Medium
• Salsa Con Queso Medium
• Salsa Verde Medium
• Queso Blanco Dip Medium
• Avocado Salsa Medium
• Fiesta Bean and Cheese Dip Medium
• Creamy Spinach Dip

Tostitos Crispy Rounds Ingredients

• Corn
• Vegetable Oil (Corn, Canola and/or Sunflower Oil)
• Salt

Nutrition

Serving Size:	1 chip (4.1g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat	7.5
Calories	19
Total Fat	0.8g	1%
Saturated Fat	0.1g	1%
Trans Fat	0g
Polyunsaturated Fat	0.4g
Monounsaturated Fat	0.2g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	13mg	1%
Potassium	7.4mg	0%
Total Carbohydrates	2.7g	1%
Dietary Fiber	0.2g	1%
Sugars	0g
Protein	0.3g
Vitamin A		0%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		0.3%
Iron		0.3%

• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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