Doritos
Doritos (pronounced /ˌdɑ.ɹi.(ʔ)oʊz/) is a brand of flavored tortilla chips produced since 1961 by the American food company Frito-Lay (a division of PepsiCo, Inc.). Doritos are sold in many countries worldwide.
The brand is also known for its marketing campaigns, which have included many television commercials featuring the late Avery Schreiber and actress Ali Landry, as well as product placement in movies such as Wayne's World.
Doritos, which translated means "little bits of gold," is made from ground corn, corn oil, and seasoning. The brand name seems to be loosely derived from the Spanish word oro for gold (or dorado for gilded) and the diminutive suffix -ito meaning small (therefore orito without the D would mean little gold). It also rhymes with other Frito-Lay brand names Cheeto, Tostito, and Frito (which is the Spanish word for fried), so the term fits in with the larger corporate theme.
Slogans
- Early 1990s: "Crunch All You Want - We'll Make More"
- Early 1990s: "Bob's Favorite Snack" (Canada)
- 1998-2004: "The Loudest Taste On Earth"
- "Bold Taste You Can Play With"
- 2004-Present: "Play" (Canada)
- 2005-Present: "Snack Strong" (United States)
Doritos in popular culture
- In Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years the female lead, Cathy, refers to how her then Husband Jamie eats them whilst having writer's block.
- Late night talk show host Jay Leno endorsed Doritos in several television commercials in the 1980's prior to his tenure as host of The Tonight Show in 1992.
- The Family Guy episode "From Method to Madness", Peter pays his two Portuguese workers with Doritos.
- The South Park episode "A Million Little Fibers" has a publishing executive mention the fact that chapters four through eight of Towelie's book are all about "the Doritos corn snack".
- In the comic strip FoxTrot, the characters are often seen snacking on "Toridos" (a play on "Doritos" and "Tostitos").
- In the film Wayne's World, Wayne speaks at-length about people "selling out" with product placement and advertising, while simultaneously doing a multitude of "commercials", including one for Doritos.
- In "Superfan", an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Meatwad wins tickets to the Super bowl in a bag of "Enchiladitos"