Combos
 | |
| Type | snack |
|---|---|
| Region or state | North America |
| Creator | Mars, Incorporated |
| Invented | 1970's |
 Cookbook: Combos  Media: Combos | |
Combos, officially called Combos Baked Snacks, are cylindrical tubes of cracker, pretzel, or tortilla, available with various fillings.
History
Combos Snacks, invented in the mid-1970s, are a snack food distributed by Mars, Incorporated, and sold throughout North America.[1] The product was originally created by the Anheuser-Busch brewery's snack food arm, Eagle Snacks, before Mars purchased the assets when Eagle Snacks was dissolved in 1996. Though the pretzel form was produced first, Combos were first released in cracker form. They are also available with tortilla shells.
In mid-June 2016, some varieties of Combos were affected by an undeclared peanut related recall.[2]
Production
Combos are produced by forming a soft bread-like dough, which is hollowed out into a tube-shaped form. A cutter slices the dough into bite-sized lengths. The snacks are then baked, cooled, and filled with the appropriate filling.
Advertising
In 2006, Combos worked with TBWA and Agency.com to create the Man Mom campaign,[3][4] and in 2008, Combos worked with Agency.com to create the Combos Nation campaign. Combos is an official sponsor of Kyle Busch, NASCAR driver of the fix 18 Toyota Camry.[5] It is the official cheese-filled snack of NASCAR.[6]
In popular culture
- The 2000 Morphine song "Top Floor Bottom Buzzer" on the album The Night contains the lines, "... There's a muchacha, teachin' me to mambo. There's my buddy Pete eyein' a bowl of Combos. Ramona and a man do a tango dip. Cheek to cheek, hip to hip, come on. ..."
- Rodney Rush played the character of Christian "Combo" Ortega on the show Breaking Bad, named after the snack.
- Comedian and actor Aziz Ansari references the snack in his 2015 book Modern Romance: An Investigation, saying, "Should I go out with this girl even though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack foods? Combos!!?"[7]
References
- ↑ Pederson, Jay P. (1998). International directory of company histories. St. James Press. p. 528. ISBN 1-55862-363-9.
- ↑ "Combos snack recall: What you need to know". al.com. 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ↑ "2007 Creativity Award Winner: Combos "Man Mom" Campaign - The Creativity Awards". Creativity Online. 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ↑ "Combo Snacks: What Your Mom Would Feed You If Your Mom Were A Man". Adpunch. 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ↑ "NASCAR Daily News Headlines * June 3, 2008". Insiderracingnews.com. 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ↑ Official Release (2008-12-22). "Mars' multiyear contract extends NASCAR brand - Dec 22, 2008". Nascar.Com. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ↑ Ansari, Aziz. "Modern Romance". AzizAnsari.com. Retrieved 8 April 2015.