Turtle Chips: History, Flavors & Packaging

Snack History Nostalgia Rating: ⭐⭐☆☆☆

This relative newcomer to the snack market in South Korea were a hit almost the moment they were released. The product is actually named 꼬북칩—Kkobuk Chip, but the name Turtle chips is also used to describe them due to the turtle shell shape of the treat. The four layers of each chip combine to make a turtle shell-like chip that just begs to be eaten right away!

If you love thin chips that are crunchy, this is a product that you will adore. They have recently begun to be sold in the UK and the US as well, so you should not have any trouble sourcing this fun item to try it out. Lots of food influencers have done videos about tasting these little snack chips recently as well and have given them very positive ratings.

History

Turtle Chips are made by Orion Confectionery and have only been on the market since 2017. The South Korean company is headquartered in Seoul, and they are now one of the three largest food companies in South Korea. Orion has been in business since 1956, and they make pies, crackers, cookies, gum products, chocolates, and candies, as well as the well-known Turtle Chip.

Today, the company also has manufacturing facilities in China, Russia, Vietnam, India, and the US. They also used to own an entertainment company called On-Media, but this was sold in 2010. The first product that made Orion a well-known brand was the Choco Pie. This was first sold in 1974, and it immediately made people aware that a new company with really good and delicious ideas had entered the snack food niche.

The Turtle Chip is crispy and thin, and there are many layers of chip stacked in each little chip. Each turtle chip is technically four chips in one, which is part of what makes eating them so fun. The company has even gotten a patent for this design so that they can have exclusive rights to it for the next 20 years. It is certainly one of the features that everyone seems to comment upon when eating these chips, and there is no doubt that other companies will copy this design feature once they are able to.

Korean snacks have always been popular in other markets, and many of the US chip companies sell their products successfully in Korea as well. Because of this shared marketing, there are many really unique flavors that are sold in each market that would not otherwise be offered to snack lovers in both countries.

The soybean and corn soup versions of the Turtle chip would likely never be made by a US company without a South Korean market, as an example. This means that US snack lovers can try all kinds of really fun flavors by ordering Turtle Chips that would not otherwise be offered in the US-only snack market.

The packaging of this product is also really fun and engaging, which is also why many people are so drawn to Turtle Chips. Most of the products are sold in bags with a cartoon turtle on the front and images of the chips alongside the little mascot. The bag is bright and colorful and has a really unique anime feeling to it. Some of the bags of Turtle Chips also show anime-style women eating them and looking really excited to enjoy this treat.

You will find that the bags are not in English, and all of the Korean writing makes for a really beautiful design that leaps off the packaging. Some of the bags will have a translated speech bubble for the Turtle in the design, saying something like, “Wow! Four Layers!” but otherwise, all of the writing on your bags of Turtle chips will be in Korean. The ingredients are also translated into English on some packages, but this is not all that common

For the Corn Soup variety, the bags that are sent to the UK or the US for sale do have an explanation of how Corn Soup is made and what it is in the bottom left corner. This is a really nice way to offer everyone enjoying Turtle Chips the chance to learn about this food product that they might never have tried out before, and it explains what to expect from the flavor.

Many people in the UK and the US are ordering Turtle Chips just to try these flavors that are not offered in many other parts of the world. It can be nice to know more about where the flavors come from and what the original products that inspired this version of the Turtle Chip are like.

Many people love the creamy and buttery aspect of these chips, and some people say they are like Fritos but sweeter. If you love corn-based snacks, then you will probably adore these fun little chips that are totally different from any other chip style on the market right now. Since the UK and the US have begun to sell Turtle Chips, you probably won’t have to go too far afield to find these little treats if you want to try them out. You can also order them online through many major online sellers if you can’t get them at your local grocery store.

Turtle Chips have been collecting awards recently left and right, and they were among seventeen foods that were recognized by FBIF with the Hello Food Prize. This is an award that is given at one of the biggest food and beverage conferences in the Asia-Pacific region for creative and innovative snacks. The decision is made by a committee that tries out all of the various snacks on the list and then ranks them. They have also won the Best Puffed Food Award at a forum in China as well.

There are few chips out there that have won so many awards, but these little snacks are so unique and so tasty that they continue to do so every year. If there is nothing else that might motivate you to give a snack a try, the fact that it continues to win awards each and every year since it was created should tell you just how good these treats are. Besides, you will basically be getting four chips in every bite, and you absolutely cannot go wrong with that perk on your side!

Logo

Flavors

• Corn Soup
• Cinnamon
• Sweet Soybean
• Chocolate Churros
• Sweet Vanilla
• Shrimp
• Seaweed
• Truffle
• Flaming Mala
• Pink Himalayan Salt
• Flamin’ Lime which is only sold in the US
• Mexico Barbeque, which is only sold in China

Many of these flavors can be ordered online and shipped to you. You just might have to do some digging around online to find stores that sell the flavors that are not usually sent to US stores. Unlike some other companies that do not comply with the food standards that the UK and the US require for the sale of snack items to consumers, Orion has made sure that the Turtle Chip can be sold to the US and to the UK without issue.

The ingredient list that is used to make these chips is allowed in both the UK and the US, so you should have no trouble getting some Turtle Chips sent to you in the more unique and special flavors that are more common in other markets outside the US.

Ingredients

From the Haggen listing for Turtle Chips:

• Corn Flour
• Vegetable Oil (Palm Olein and Sunflower Oil)
• Sugar
• and Contains Less than 2% of Salt, Sweet Corn Powder, Maltodextrin, Oak Mushroom Extract, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Fructose, Monosodium Glutamate, Dextrin, Silicon Dioxide, Glucose, Mono and Diglycerides, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Parsley, Turmeric Oleoresin for Color, Steviol Glycosides, Lactic Acid, Calcium Lactate, Processed Butter (Butter Fat, Coconut Oil, Milk Solids), Lactose, Sodium Caseinate (from Milk), Lecithin (Soy), Sucralose, Sunflower Oil, Molasses, Milk Cream, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Natural and Artificial Flavors.

These chips are not vegan due to the ingredients, and they are also not considered vegetarian-friendly by some people, but they are gluten-free, according to the company. The standards for these kinds of food certifications can differ from country to country, so those with food allergies might need to do some research before they assume that there is no gluten in any of the varieties of these snacks.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	1 pack	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories	440
Calories from Fat	216
Total Fat	24g	37%
Saturated Fat	11g	55%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	550mgs	23%
Total Carbohydrates	52g	17%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Sugars	6g
Protein	4g
Vitamin A		0%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		0%
Iron		0%

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

Pictures

Ads:

A taste test video:

An ad with Psy:

The ad campaign that features Psy was not just confined to video ads. There are many print ads that show the singer holding the chips and looking characteristically excited and enthused.

This was one of the more popular ad campaigns for the product, and many of the advertisements that include Psy are silly, and zany and instantly make you want to smile. This sense of fun and whimsy is at the heart of how Turtle Chips have always been marketed, and these efforts on the part of Orion to make a fun snack are a huge success.