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Squares (crisps)

Squares, formerly known as Square and Square Crisps,[1] are a British brand of square-shaped snack made by Walkers, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, and sold in Britain. They were originally made by Smiths Food Group.

History

The crisps have been around since at least 1978 and went under the name of Square Crisps.[2][3] Several of their advertisements featured the comedian Lenny Henry and were marketed with slogans such as "more of a crunch than a crisp" and "the crisp that isn't a crisp".[4] Following PepsiCo's acquisition of both Walkers and Smiths in 1989[5] Square Crisps were renamed to simply Square, and labelled as potato snacks.

The product remained under the Smiths brand years after its fellow products Quavers and Monster Munch were moved to the Walkers brand. In January 2001, Walkers announced to relaunch Square, and would transition it from the Smiths brand to the Walkers brand.[6] The name of the crisps was changed to Squares shortly afterward.[7]

Design

The design of Squares packets have changed several times.[8] The design during the 1980s emphasised that they had 25% lower fat than regular crisps and the packaging of the salt and vinegar Squares was a much lighter shade of blue than what is currently used.[9] During the 1990s and early 2000s, the most noticeable change apart from the change in company and name was the addition of a jagged border around the logo.[10] In the late 2000s, the logo and design of Squares was briefly changed again.[11] In the 2010s a new design for Squares was introduced which took aspects from other designs and is similar to the current design introduced in 2019 except for the jagged border and squares pattern.[12] The colours of the crisps packets differ from Walkers traditional colours, with the salt & vinegar packets being blue instead of green and the cheese & onion packets being green instead of blue.[13]

Overview

They are produced in three flavours: salt & vinegar, ready salted, and cheese & onion.[14] They are also available in multipacks, with salt & vinegar flavoured Squares being the most popular.[15] Comedian Richard Osman wrote in The World Cup of Everything that Squares were invented because "scientists were concerned that children weren't hurting the roofs of their mouths as often as they should be".[16]

External links

References

  1. Smiths Square Crisps - Lenny Henry (1981) BFI, retrieved 4 September 2021 Smiths Square Crisps (UK ad) 1980s YouTube, 29 April 2012, retrieved 4 September 2021^
  2. SQUARE CRISPS! East Kent Times and Mail, 23 June 1978^
  3. Daily Record, 13 April 1979^
  4. CLASSIC 80S UK FOOD ADS Retromash, 4 May 2018, retrieved 4 September 2021 Smiths Square Crisps-Pig (1985 UK) Dailymotion, 2015, retrieved 4 September 2021^
  5. Crunch Time: Britain's Crisp Wars Let's Look Again, 28 January 2015, retrieved 7 September 2021^
  6. Walkers turns rather Square^
  7. Food Trades Directory of the UK & Europe Volume 1 Newman Books, 1997 The Strategy Process Prentice Hall, 1995 The European Directory of Consumer Brands and Their Owners EUROMONITOR PLC, 1992^
  8. You Won't Believe How The Packaging Has Changed On Your Favourite Snacks 80s Kids, 8 February 2019, retrieved 10 September 2021^
  9. Old Food from the 80s - Snacks - Crisps Pinterest, retrieved 10 September 2021 Smiths Square Crisps Feb 89 Front Pinterest, retrieved 10 September 2021 1970s UK Smith's Magazine Advert - Image ID: EXPKTW Alarmy, retrieved 10 September 2021^
  10. Walkers Square Potato Snacks Ready Salted taquitos.net, May 2002, retrieved 10 September 2021 Squares Cheese & Onion 27.5g – 6/2/2021 Treats From Home, retrieved 10 September 2021 Cheese & Onion Square Crisps Taylor's Croft, retrieved 10 September 2021^
  11. Walker's Squares – Cheese and Onion Flavour (2009) versluis.com, 21 June 2009, retrieved 10 September 2021 Salt and Vinegar Crisps - Image ID: B002H8 Alarmy, 30 January 2008, retrieved 10 September 2021 Cheese and Onion Crisps - Image ID: B002HA Alarmy, 30 January 2008, retrieved 10 September 2021^
  12. Walkers Square Crisps Walkers Snacks, retrieved 10 September 2021 Walkers Squares salt and vinegar flavour crisps stock photo iStock, 2 May 2012, retrieved 10 September 2021 Walkers Squares Crunchy Salt & Vinegar Potato Snack - UK Snack Tasting Series YouTube, 5 August 2013, retrieved 10 September 2021^
  13. The Walkers Crisps Conspiracy That Has People Convinced We're in an Alternate Reality VICE, 4 March 2020, retrieved 7 September 2021 Hi Dave, before Walkers made Squares they were produced by Smiths. They always put their Salt & Vinegar in blue packs, we decided not to change it and have stuck with it ever since. 19 June 2020, retrieved 4 September 2021 Hey, Waving hand Salt & Vinegar Squares packs were blue before they became part of our Walkers range, so we've left the pack colours as they were. Slightly smiling face 16 December 2019, retrieved 10 September 2021^
  14. Squares 6 Pack Walkers, retrieved 7 September 2021 10 Iconic British Crisps And Crispy Savory Snacks You'll Want To Try BBC America, 20 November 2020, retrieved 4 September 2021^
  15. The nation's best loved crisps revealed, according to new survey Does your favourite make the list? Prima, 10 November 2020, retrieved 4 September 2021^
  16. Richard Osman. The World Cup Of Everything: Bringing the Fun Home Hodder & Stoughton, 2017^