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Hula Hoops

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This article is about the snack food. For the toy, see hula hoop.
One (open) packet of Hula Hoops (original flavour)

Hula Hoops are a popular snack made out of potatoes that are sold in the United Kingdom, in the shape of short, hollow cylinders. They were first introduced in 1973. Hula Hoops come in several flavours. They are produced by KP Snacks. In 2008, KP launched a new variety made with corn, called 'Hula Hoops Tortilla', which come in Cool Original, Chilli Salsa, and Nacho Cheese flavours.[1]

Description

Two packets of Hula Hoops

Hula Hoops are golden-brown hoops. Their main ingredients are potatoes, sunflower oil, rice flour, and salt.

Original flavour Hula Hoops come in a small 34g foil pack. The front of the package is a light to medium red, with a picture of a large mustard hoop, which covers three quarters of the pack, with the words ‘HULA HOOPS’ inside the hoop. Underneath it says ‘original’, then ‘potato rings’.

Danisco Flexible produced exclusive packs of Hula Hoops for KP Foods to make a 10 year-old boy's dream come true. James McKelvie won the chance to have his own invented flavour of Hula Hoops – Olive and Caper – produced when he appeared on the BBC's What Ever You Want television show. In 2009, a Hula Hoops advert featured The Village People song '"Y.M.C.A." in the background, as two hands with a couple of Hula Hoops on their fingers danced. In the UK, puzzle games are included on the packs, such as "Hula Ball" and "Hoop 'Boules'".

Flavours and packet colours

  • BBQ Beef (Brown)
  • Cheese & Onion (Green)
  • Original (Red)
  • Salt & Vinegar (Blue)
  • Roast Chicken (Orange)
  • Smoky Bacon (Purple)
  • Sour Cream and Chive (Dark Green)
  • Sweet Chilli (Pink)

Former flavours

The following flavours were available for a short time either because they tied-in with special promotions, or failed to meet sales expectations:

  • Prawn Cocktail (Purple)
  • Beef and Mustard (Black XL bag)
  • Cheese (Yellow)

Variations

Shoks

For a short while in the early 2000s, KP produced Hula Hoops Shoks[2][3] These were miniature versions of the classic Hula Hoop, but had a much more intense flavour than the bags. They were packaged in either a stiff flexible plastic cube, or in a small resealable pot. They were available in the following flavours:

  • Totally Cheesy (orange, cube)
  • Beef (brown, pot)
  • Pickled Onion (green, cube)
  • Sweet Chilli (pink, cube or pot)
  • Salt and Vinegar (blue, cube)
  • Rib and Saucy (purple, cube)

Hula Hoops XL

In 2001, KP launched Hula Hoops XL,[4] which were larger-than-normal Hula Hoops. They were packaged larger bags and were available in a limited range of flavours, but recorded poor sales and were soon dropped. Each bag was black with a large XL logo on the front, with the flavour overlaid. They were available in the following flavours:

  • Beef & Mustard
  • Chilli
  • Nacho cheese
  • Curry

Frozen Hula Hoops

In late 1999, KP produced Hula Hoops that could be cooked at home. Frozen Hula hoops were not a crisp based snack, they were more like Hash Browns. They began production again in 2013 as part of a range of frozen versions of crisps, this time exclusive to Iceland stores.[5]

Big Hoops

In 2011, XL had a successor with Big Hoops.[6] Essentially the same design as the XL range, they were targeted towards adults who had memories of placing regular sized hoops onto their fingers, but could no longer do so. They are currently available in 160g bags intended for sharing. Big Hoops are available in the following flavours:

  • Original (Red)
  • Sour Cream & Chive (Dark Green)
  • Sweet Chilli (Pink)
  • BBQ Beef (Brown)

Nutritional information

Each 25g bag of the original Hula Hoops contains around 129 calories. They also contain 0.8g of protein, 15.4g of carbohydrates, 7.1g of fat, 0.5g of fibre, and 0.2g of Sodium. These values vary between flavours.

In no way are Hula Hoops to be considered 'crisps'.

Actually they are 'crisps'.

No, Michael, they're not. They're hoop-shaped, for starters.

Marketing slogans/formula

  • Now 55% less Saturated Fat - Same great taste.
  • Made with 100% Sunflower Oil.
  • Best ever flavour.
  • Amazing taste and satisfaction
  • Now no artificial flavours, colours, or MSG. Same great taste!

Charity

In 2010, Hula Hoops partnered with Sport Relief to organize mass hula hoop displays. The Hoopathons were on Sunday 21 March, and 1,388 people took part to set a Guinness World record-breaking largest number of people to hula-hoop simultaneously across the United Kingdom for two minutes.[7]

References

  1. ^ http://www.talkingretail.com/products/product-news/10182-hula-hoops-launches-new-tortilla-range.html
  2. ^ http://snackspot.org.uk/thread.php?story=0311111305cas
  3. ^ http://en-gb.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=165427870178794&oid=122365227841098&comments
  4. ^ http://snackspot.org.uk/thread.php?story=1110022206cas
  5. ^ https://www.facebook.com/icelandfoods/posts/10151648510933137
  6. ^ http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=articles&ID=219778
  7. ^ "Hooray for Hula Hoops!". Sport Relief 2010.
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