Goldfish (cracker)

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Fish-shaped cracker

title: "Goldfish (cracker)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["brand-name-crackers", "campbell's-brands", "products-introduced-in-1958", "american-snack-foods", "goldfish-in-culture", "food-for-children"] description: "Fish-shaped cracker" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish_(cracker)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Fish-shaped cracker ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox brand"]

FieldValue
nameGoldfish
logoGoldfishLogo2024Better.webp
logo_size200
imageGoldfish-Crackers.jpg
captionCheddar Goldfish crackers
typeCrackers
currentownerPepperidge Farm
originSwitzerland
introduced
marketsWorldwide, except for Armenia, Iran, North Korea, and Syria
previousownersKambly
tagline"The snack that smiles back"
website
::

| name = Goldfish | logo = GoldfishLogo2024Better.webp | logo_size = 200 | image = Goldfish-Crackers.jpg | caption = Cheddar Goldfish crackers | type = Crackers | currentowner = Pepperidge Farm | producedby = | origin = Switzerland | introduced = | related = | markets = Worldwide, except for Armenia, Iran, North Korea, and Syria | previousowners = Kambly | trademarkregistrations = | ambassadors = | tagline = "The snack that smiles back" | website = Goldfish is a brand of fish-shaped crackers with a small imprint of an eye and a smile manufactured by Pepperidge Farm, which is a division of the Campbell Soup Company. The brand's current marketing and product packaging incorporate this feature of the product: "The snack that smiles back! Goldfish!", reinforced by Finn, the smiling goldfish mascot with sunglasses. The product is marketed as a "baked snack cracker" on the label with various flavors and varieties.

History

Oscar J. Kambly originally invented goldfish crackers at Swiss biscuit manufacturer Kambly in 1958 to celebrate his wife, who was a Pisces, an astrological symbol whose shape is of a fish. Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin introduced Goldfish crackers to the United States in 1962 after having tried them while on vacation in Switzerland. The five initial flavors of Goldfish crackers launched in the US were lightly salted (later designated "original"), cheese, barbecue, pizza, and smoky. Cheddar cheese, the brand's most popular flavor, was not introduced until 1966. In 1988, astronauts brought Goldfish Crackers with them on the STS-26, Discovery. In 1997, the smiley face was added to Goldfish, appearing on approximately 40% of the crackers.

2000s

Pepperidge Farm has expanded the Goldfish brand significantly in recent years, introducing numerous limited-time flavors and varieties beyond the traditional cheddar and pretzel options. These included Mega Bites (more giant Goldfish crackers) in 2022 and limited-edition flavors such as Dunkin' Pumpkin Spice Grahams and Frank's RedHot. Due to its popularity, the Frank's RedHot flavor has since been added to the permanent lineup. The company has also experimented with potato-based Goldfish crisps to achieve a potato chip-like flavor.

According to Campbell Soup Company, these innovations have contributed to Goldfish's position as the fastest-growing cracker brand in the United States in 2024, with sales increasing by 33% since 2021. In October 2024, the company announced that online sales of the product would be branded as "Chilean Sea Bass" for one week to appeal for adults.

Flavors

Goldfish crackers are available in many varieties, but start/end dates of production are unknown:

  • Original, also known as Saltine.
  • Cheddar
  • Whole Grain Cheddar and Colors
  • Parmesan
  • Pretzel
  • Pizza
  • Grahams (Vanilla Cupcake and S'mores)
  • Flavor Blasted (Xtra Cheddar, Cheddar & Sour Cream (discontinued), Salt and Vinegar (discontinued), Cheddar Jack'd, Sour Cream & Onion (discontinued), Sharp White Cheddar (discontinued), Xtra Cheesy Pizza)
  • Mix
  • Frank's RedHot
  • "Awesome Sauce" (2025 limited edition variety)
  • Old Bay Seasoned (limited time offering)
  • Jalapeño Popper
  • Spicy Dill Pickle (limited time)

Different shapes and colors

These are differently shaped or sized Goldfish variants.

  • Baby Goldfish (these are several sizes smaller than the original Goldfish, but they have the same flavor).
  • Colors (same shape and flavor as the cheddar variety but with different colors that are derived from natural sources. The current colors are yellow, orange, red, and green)
  • Crisps (currently available in Spicy Dill Pickle, Salt and Vinegar, Barbecue, Sour Cream and Onion, and Cheddar varieties).
  • Princess (colored pink, same flavor as the original cheddar variety).
  • Mickey Mouse (red crackers in the shape of Mickey's head)
  • Mega Bites ( they are several times larger in size than the original. They currently come in both Sharp Cheddar and Cheddar Jalapeno varieties).
  • Star Wars Goldfish (shaped differently, same as the cheddar variety).

Discontinued products

  • PhysEdibles – prepared using whole-grains
  • Puffs – launched in the United States in 2013
  • Giant Sandwich Crackers
  • Giant Goldfish
  • Sandwich Snackers
  • Garden Cheddar
  • Mac & Cheese
  • Cars 3 (red crackers in the shape of Lightning McQueen)
  • Flavor Blasted Grahams
  • Cinabuddy Snack Bites
  • Cookies and Cream

International distribution

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Goldfish_crackers.jpg" caption="Goldfish crackers in a bowl"] ::

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. In Switzerland, the original Goldfish flavor is marketed under the brand name Goldfischli.

Goldfish was also sold under Arnott's branding in Australia.

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 and colored Goldfish (come in a variety pack). There was once a line of Goldfish cookies in vanilla and chocolate; chocolate has reappeared in the "100 calorie" packs.

Legal issues

In 1999, Campbell Soup Co.'s Pepperidge Farm won a court case involving Nabisco's Cheese Nips CatDog crackers that had fish-shaped crackers 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.

Recalls

On July 23, 2018, Pepperidge Farm was notified by one of its ingredient suppliers that whey powder (in a seasoning applied to four varieties of Goldfish crackers) may have the presence of salmonella. The Flavored Blasted Xtra Cheddar crackers were recalled due to a possible risk of the salmonella outbreak. Three other Goldfish varieties (Flavored Blast Sour Slammin' Cream and Onion, Whole Grain Xtra Cheddar, and Goldfish Mix Xtra Cheddar and Pretzel) were also recalled due to contamination of the salmonella bacterium caused by the same affected whey powder used in The Flavored Blasted Xtra Cheddar GoldFish crackers. The contaminated varieties of Goldfish were immediately removed from all stores where they were sold following the recall.

In popular culture

Julia Child liked Goldfish crackers so much that on Thanksgiving, she often put out a bowl alongside her famous reverse martini.

In Season 1, Episode 9 of The West Wing, character Danny Concannon gives C. J. Cregg a pet goldfish after misunderstanding a comment about C.J.'s affinity for the crackers.

References

References

  1. Myers, Dan. (May 4, 2015). "Things you didn't know about Goldfish crackers is that The Goldfish crackers also contain high amounts of sodium, 250 mg per serving. In both children and adults, high intake of sodium can have dire side effects, including cognitive degeneration, kidney damage, high blood pressure, and heart problems.".
  2. Smith, A.F.. (2012). "Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat". ABC-CLIO.
  3. (2015). "The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising". Taylor & Francis.
  4. Borsari, Karen. "Fun Facts About Goldfish Crackers: Pepperidge Farm Turns 75".
  5. "Goldfish - the Original". Kambly SA.
  6. Sauer, Patrick J.. (19 December 2018). "How Goldfish crackers took over the world".
  7. "Our History". Pepperidge Farm.
  8. Dan Myers. "Things you didn't know about Goldfish crackers". Fox News.
  9. Pepperidge Farm (Media Release). (10 January 2005). "Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Character Brought to Life in New Advertising Campaign; Television Spots Are First Chapter in Brand Update". Business Wire.
  10. Only, Subscription. (2022-09-12). "How the Goldfish Cracker Swam Its Way Into Space".
  11. Doering, Christopher. (2024-04-29). "An inside look at the innovation of Campbell Soup's $1B Goldfish crackers brand". Industry Dive.
  12. Valinsky, Jordan. (October 23, 2024). "Goldfish is changing its name to 'Chilean Sea Bass.' Here's why".
  13. Bregel, Sarah. (October 23, 2024). "Goldfish gets a sophisticated makeover to woo adult snackers".
  14. (January 1, 2017). "Goldfish Original Baked Snack Crackers". Pepperidge Farm.
  15. (April 24, 2015). "5 Things You Didn't Know About Goldfish Crackers".
  16. "Jalapeno Popper Crackers".
  17. "Spicy Dill Pickle Crackers".
  18. (2006). "Brandweek". Adweek L.P..
  19. Hunn, N.. (2015). "Gluten-Free Classic Snacks: 100 Recipes for the Brand-Name Treats You Love". Da Capo Press.
  20. "Pepperidge Farm’s Goldfish Puffs launched in US." Progressive Media : 2. LexisNexus - Archives. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
  21. (2004). "The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter". Simon & Schuster.
  22. "Pepperidge Farms - International".
  23. Netzer, C.T.. (2011). "The Complete Book of Food Counts, 9th Edition: The Book That Counts It All". Random House Publishing Group.
  24. Bloomberg, News. "Pepperidge Farm wins appeal in cracker dispute; Federal judge rules that Nabisco cannot sell goldfish-shaped snacks." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 01 Sept. 1999: 2. NewsBank — Archives. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
  25. {{cite court. (1999). [link](https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=7762026987922971443, ''aff'g'' {{cite court). (1999). link
  26. (23 July 2018). "Pepperidge Farm® Announces Voluntary Recall of Four Varieties of Goldfish® Crackers".
  27. (2015-11-19). "Thanksgiving, Julia Child's way".
  28. Mediocre Movie Club. (2009-02-22). "CJ Danny Goldfish 0001".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

brand-name-crackerscampbell's-brandsproducts-introduced-in-1958american-snack-foodsgoldfish-in-culturefood-for-children