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ARTICLES

Welcome to The Chip Nostalgia Article page, chock full of interesting ephemera surrounding The Saratoga Chip and it’s many snack food cousins!

What popular snack began as repurposed Disneyland trash?


Cheetos

Doritos

Funyuns

Pringles

Answer:

Doritos

A delicious beginning: Not long after Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955, Frito-Lay installed a Mexican restaurant in Frontierland called Casa de Fritos. The menu included tamales, enchiladas, as well as, of course, plentiful Fritos. (There was even an animatronic vending machine featuring the “Frito Kid” to dispense the corn chips.)

One day, a sales representative for Alex Foods—which supplied Casa de Fritos with wholesale ingredients—noticed a pile of stale tortillas in the trash. The rep offered the restaurant a tip: cut up the tortillas and fry them, then sell them as crispy chips instead of throwing them away.

The chips were a big hit, and when the new VP of Frito-Lay, Archibald Clark West, dropped by a year later, he was pleased to see so many customers snacking on what had been a waste product. West contracted with Alex Foods to produce the chips as a snack, naming them Doritos (Spanish for “little golden things”). The chips debuted nationally in 1966.

A munchies mystery? It’s worth noting that some remember the origin story a bit differently. When West died in 2011, some obituaries recounted him first buying tortilla chips at a roadside shack, not Disneyland. Regardless, he was a lifelong fan of the crunchy, spicy snack—so much so that he had Doritos sprinkled into his grave after he died.

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History Of Things: The Origin And Evolution Of Potato Chips Reveals It Was The O.G. Snack Food
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Potato chips are the classic snack, so classic that most other snacks owe something to the potato chip. Everyone loves their Doritos, but Doritos wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for the noble potato chip. Potato chips were the first real snack food as we know it today. Picture the snack aisle at the grocery store. That aisle was built on the potato chip. But that snack aisle didn’t always exist. I know, I know, the world was a dark and terrible place. But the potato chip came around and, dare I say it, saved the world.

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Did You Know: National Potato Chip Day (March 14)
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• In 1853, Chef George Crum sent paper-thin potatoes cooked until they were crisp to a customer in his Saratoga Springs, New York, restaurant who complained his fries were too thin. “Saratoga Chips” quickly became a menu favorite.
• First named “Saratoga chips” in 1835, it later became well-known as “potato chips.”
• When the United States entered World War II, potato chips were declared a “nonessential food” that had to halt production immediately. But manufacturers protested and convinced the War Production Board to back down.

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Chip Cartoon - 1956

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Chip Ode - 1956

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Only People Truly Obsessed With Potato Chips Can Get 9/9 Right On This Quiz
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“All That and a Bag of Chips”

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The true story behind the extremely ’90s phrase that inspired pickup lines and punch lines.

The year is 1993. A fresh-faced Fresh Prince saunters into an iconic Bel-Air living room holding the hand of an episodic love interest (who just happens to be Kim Fields). He leads her to the couch, takes a seat on the arm, and smoothly declares, “I’ve never said this to a girl before, but oh baby, you all that and a bag of chips.” In the background, cousins Hilary and Carlton watch from the stairs, Hilary mimicking the entire exchange. It’s clearly not the first time they’ve heard him say that phrase, but it’s the first time most of America has. (Myself included.)

Here are a bunch of articles and images from the 2006 German Television Production, Talents & Patents, that explored the history of the Saratoga Chip. You will first find the actual production from German Television.

Chip Nostalgia

Learn More: The root cause of Ireland's Great Famine was the potato crop failure. The devastating hunger that swept the nation between 1845-49 was also known as the Irish Potato Famine, and was caused by late blight, a plant disease that contaminated the roots of the crops. This blight wouldn't have been so disastrous if over half the rural poor hadn’t farmed potatoes; however, the British demand for grain stripped the Irish of corn, wheat, and other cereal crops, and potatoes provided a cheap, calorie-heavy sustenance. Furthermore, the strain of the disease is believed to have been brought from North America and was catalyzed by Ireland's cool, moist summer of 1845. The famine had a tragic effect on Ireland's population, and by 1851, the number of citizens in the country had dropped by nearly 2 million.

Fortunately, this occurred prior to the purported invention of the potato chip in 1853.
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Crossword Chips:

The February 25, 2018 New York Times Crossword Puzzle (51 years from the date of my Bar Mitzvah) included two particular clues:
36 Down. Snack Items (11 characters)
36 Across: Snack Items Spelled Using Only the Letters of 36 Down (10 Characters)
E-mail me at TogaChipGuy.com if you know the answers.
The Toga Chip Guy
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Crossword Chips:

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Yes, chips are one of the greatest inventions of the 19th century!

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SAMPLE COLOR PLATE FROM “CRUNCH! The Story of The Great American Potato Chip”

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ANOTHER BOOK SAYING GEORGE CRUM IS THE INVENTOR OF THE CHIP!

Here is the cover and page page from a book entitled “Were Potato Chips Really Invented By An Angry Chef?” by Deborah Kops. Seems pretty convincing!

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TOGA CHIPS ANNIVERSARY!
FEATURING
SARATOGA SPECIALTIES CHIPS
Chipper Snacker Oct., 1977

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CHIPS FOR DETENTE!
Potato Chipper Feb., 1965

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CHIPS COULD HAVE CHANGED HISTORY!
Potato Chipper Feb., 1965

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ANTIQUE CHIPPER MACHINE
Potato Chipper Nov., 1965

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POTATO CHIP CRUMBS
ALTERNATIVE TO BREAD CRUMBS!
Potato Chipper May, 1959

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MISS POTATO CHIP 1953
WITH THE LARGEST POTATO CHIP
Potato Chipper Feb, 1954

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POTATO CHIP ORIGIN CONFIRMED!
THE SNACK FOOD ASSOCIATION WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN SOLIDIFYING THIS STORY!
Potato Chipper June, 1960

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ENJOY THIS VIDEO FROM THE SNACK FOOD ASSOCIATION ON A CENTURY OF SNACKS!

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CHIP QUEEN!
SEE & READ ABOUT HER!
Potato Chipper Oct. 1960

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MRS. KLEIN’S $100,000 PROMOTION
Potato Chipper July 1964

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"True" Origin of Potato Chip.

From the January 1966 edition of the Potato Chipper. The Potato Chip Institute International which became the Snack Food Association was instrumental in spreading the legend that the potato chip was invented by George Crum in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Potato Chipper May 1964

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GREAT ARTICLE ON THE ORIGIN OF THE CHIP
 Potato Chipper May 1963

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Menu From Fred Harvey’s Restaurant,
Hollywood CA

The restaurants interior was decorated with paintings from renowned artists. Also note that Saratoga Chips were on the menu!

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Thank You Mrs. Chips
Please take a look at the booklet below that was produced by the National Potato Chip Institute as a companion piece to the movie “Thank You Mr. Chips” The first couple pages are shown below and the entire booklet is available via PDF through this link.

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Local History Granite State Potato Chip Factory of Salem NH

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GREAT ARTICLE ABOUT CHIPS!
Potato Chipper August1967
See the whole article here.

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