Goldfish Wants To Reel In Fans With Potato Chips

Widely beloved as classic baked crackers, Goldfish snacks from Pepperidge Farm are now evolving. The nostalgic bites, famous for their fun fishy shape, will soon be hitting grocery shelves in the form of potato chips. This week, the brand announced the debut of Goldfish Crisps, a fresh spin on the crunchy "snacks that smile back," which takes their signature shape to potato-based crisps.

According to a press release from the company, the new Goldfish potato chips will be larger than the original crackers and will be available in three flavors, including Sour Cream and Onion, Salt and Vinegar, and Cheddar, which is a popular flavor variety of the original Goldfish crackers. The fish-shaped potato chips are expected to be released nationwide in January 2024 for a retail price of $4.79, roughly a dollar pricier than their cracker counterparts.

This isn't the first time the brand has gotten creative with its line of Goldfish offerings. Since Goldfish crackers were first introduced in the United States in 1962, they've branched out to include a range of flavors, colors, and forms. Spanning the savory to the sweet, Goldfish treats have been found in pretzel, graham cracker, and rainbow varieties. Potato chips seem to be a natural progression of the treat's evolution.

Much of that evolution, however, seems to be shaped by the grownup Goldfish consumer. Given their playful shape and easy-to-eat size, Goldfish crackers have typically been considered a children's snack, but according to data gathered over recent years, child-free adults actually make up half of the brand's customer base (per The Harris Poll). Of course, that includes millennial and Gen Z consumers who would have grown up with the bites, and are perhaps drawn to their snackable convenience and sense of nostalgia.

Over the past few years, the Goldfish brand has certainly shifted its focus more toward its older consumers. In 2022, for example, Pepperidge Farm launched Goldfish Mega Bites, supersized versions of the crispy crackers with bolder flavors aimed at adults. The company has also added limited-edition flavors to its lineup to appeal to more mature palates, including Frank's RedHot, Jalapeño Popper, and Old Bay.

Despite the growing demand for Goldfish crackers among grownups, however, potato chips remain one of the most popular snack foods of adults in the United States. Crisps came in just behind cookies in a 2022 consumer survey by Statista, with 58% of respondents indicating that they eat them regularly. Indeed, it appears to be a smart move for the brand to tap into the cross-section of the adult potato chip and Goldfish market and try to offer the best of both worlds.