Owner Pepperidge Farm Website Goldfish Fun | Introduced 1958 | |
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Country USA, originally Switzerland | ||
Goldfish are fish-shaped crackers manufactured by Pepperidge Farm, a division of the Campbell Soup Company. The crackers have been available in several varieties and, since 1997, 40% of the crackers contain a small imprint of an eye and a smile. The brand's current marketing and product packaging incorporate this feature of the product: "The Snack That Smiles Back! Goldfish!", the slogan being reinforced by Finn, the mascot with sunglasses. The product is marketed as a "baked snack cracker" on the label with various flavors and varieties.
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History
Originally invented by Oscar J. Kambly at Swiss biscuit manufacturer Kambly in 1958, Goldfish snacks were introduced to the United States in 1962 by Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin. Young & Rubicam handled advertising Goldfish from 1998 until 2004 when Campbells brought in BrightHouse Live to handle the account.
Flavors
Goldfish come in many varieties. (see below for Flavor Blasted varieties): (there are 39 different flavors)
Rainbow, fudge brownie, Mix ups (pretzel and cheddar X-Treme), Puffs (cheddar bacon, mega cheese, salsa con queso, buffalo wing, twisted grilled cheese, sizzlin' hot wings, BBQ), Cheeseburger, X-Treme zingy chile lime, X-treme screamin' hot
Different shapes and colors
These different-shaped Goldfish are all Cheddar flavored:
(There are also different Goldfish mixtures; which are two flavors combined.)
Discontinued products
International distribution
Goldfish are exported and sold in countries around the world. In the UK, they are sold under the name "Finz", but the product is identical.
Spin-offs
Pepperidge Farm has created several spin-off products including Goldfish Sandwich Crackers, Flavor-Blasted Goldfish, Goldfish bread, multi-colored Goldfish (known as Goldfish-American), and Baby Goldfish (which are smaller than normal). There are also seasonably available color-changing Goldfish, colored Goldfish (come in a variety pack). There was reportedly once a line of Goldfish cookies in vanilla and chocolate; chocolate has reappeared in the "100 calorie" packs.
Goldfish noodles also can be found in Campbell's chicken noodle, tomato, and meatball soup. The Goldfish shaped noodles in the tomato soup have been discontinued.
Legal issues
In 1999, Campbell Soup Co.'s Pepperidge Farm won a court case involving Nabisco's cracker that resembled Goldfish. The court ordered Nabisco to refrain from using the goldfish shape and to recall all their products that included the fish shape.
"Flavor-Blasted" varieties
There are several common varieties of Flavor-Blasted Goldfish as well as three varieties in selected locations as well as Pepperidge Farm store locations.