Goldfish is a brand of fish-shaped
cracker with a small imprint of an eye and a smile manufactured by
Pepperidge Farm, which is a division of the
Campbell Soup Company.[1] 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
goldfishmascot with
sunglasses.[2] The product is marketed as a "baked snack cracker" on the label with various flavors and varieties.[3][4]
History
Goldfish crackers were originally invented by Oscar J. Kambly at
Swiss biscuit manufacturer
Kambly in 1958[5][6] to celebrate his wife, who was a
Pisces, an astrological symbol whose shape is of a fish.[7] Pepperidge Farm founder
Margaret Rudkin introduced Goldfish crackers to the United States in 1962 after having tried them while on vacation in Switzerland.[8][9][10] The five initial flavors of Goldfish crackers launched in the US were lightly salted (later designated "original"), cheese, barbecue, pizza, and smoky. Cheddar cheese, which later became the brand's most popular flavor, was not introduced until 1966.[1] In 1997, the smiley face was added to Goldfish, appearing on approximately 40% of the crackers.[1][7]
Flavors
Goldfish crackers are available in many varieties, but start/end dates of production are unknown:
Goldfish are exported and sold in countries around the world. In the UK, they are sold under the name "Finz",[19] but the product is identical. In Switzerland, the original Goldfish flavor is marketed under the brand name Goldfischli.[2]
Goldfish was also sold in Australia under
Arnott's branding.
Spin-offs
Pepperidge Farm has created several spin-off products including Goldfish
Sandwich Crackers, Flavor-Blasted Goldfish,[20][14] 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.
Legal issues
In 1999, Campbell Soup Co.'s Pepperidge Farm won a court case involving Nabisco's
Cheese NipsCatDog 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.[21]
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 they were sold at following the recall.[22]
In popular culture
Julia Child liked Goldfish crackers so much, that on
Thanksgiving, she often put out a bowl, alongside her famous reverse martini.[23]
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.
^"Our History". Pepperidge Farm. Archived from
the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011. America gets its first taste of Goldfish crackers in 1962. Margaret Rudkin discovers the snack cracker on a trip to Switzerland and returns with the recipe.