Return of The Frito Kid (a promising trend)

Time to muncha buncha Fritos Corn Chips!

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of that salty, crunchy goodness known as Fritos, we have been treated to a revival of none other than The Frito Kid.

I picked up this single-serve bag of chips at my local sandwich shop.


The Frito Kid was a bit before my time. (Now W.C. Fritos is another story, uh, for another day). Frito Kid represented Fritos from 1952 until 1967 when he was replaced by the infamous Frito Bandito.

I really love it when that often suppressed nostalgic side of companies slips out into public view. How cool it is to see classic advertising characters and packaging revived, even if just briefly!

Some other examples of this trend in recent years:

• 2006-2007, Quaker brought back the barefoot pirate, Jean LaFoote, in Cap'n Crunch ads.
• 2001, Hostess brought back Captain Cupcake for a Golden Cupcakes promotion.
• Recent years, Burger King brought back the magical Burger King, though a bit creepy in a molded head.
  

Well, I sure hope this trend in advertising continues.

Back to the Frito Kid -- After some research on the web, I've found that there was (or still is?) a "Casa de Fritos" restaurant at Disneyland. I've never been to Disneyland, but Casa de Fritos sounds like my kind of restaurant, for sure!

While he became the official Fritos mascot in 1952, he had been featured in a cookbook in the late 1940s.

As the Frito Kid will likely be riding off into the sunset after the 75th anniversary celebration fades away, I'll leave you with a few pictures I found on the internet.




Happy 75th Anniversary, Fritos!

If you've got memories of The Frito Kid or even some information about Casa de Fritos, please post a comment here. I will be enjoying a Frito Pie in the meantime.