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My immediate thought is it sounds like Kellogg's/Pringles could get a lot of free positive marketing by just switching to a "100% biodegradable" bag? Nobody li

My immediate thought is it sounds like Kellogg's/Pringles could get a lot of free positive marketing by just switching to a "100% biodegradable" bag? Nobody likes Pringles because they're in a tube.

crazygringo 6y ago
The tube is far more space-efficient. Also, I imagine Pringles in a bag would be destroyed -- they're far more fragile than a potato chip, tortilla chip, or pretzel.
gridlockd 6y ago
Not true, the tube makes sure the chips stay mostly intact. The shape of the chips fits neatly around your tongue. Pringles are made of flour, they would turn to dust in an ordinary bag.
James_Henry 6y ago
A lot of those biodegradable containers you see are coated in short chain PFAS/PFOA which build up over time in the ground and end up in the water (and maybe plants) and then give you cancer.
analog31 6y ago
Pringles are a good example where the packaging is the product to a large degree. I was around when Pringles were introduced, and saw the ads on TV. The tube was central to the marketing appeal. There were already reconstituted potato chips in bags on the market, though I can't for the life of me remember the name. Pringles were molded to a uniform size and shape, and the tube protected them from breakage. There was a satisfying snap when you opened the lid. There are other examples where the packaging is the product, such as "Lunchables" from Oscar Mayer.
hinkley 6y ago
Kids might. Or at least did. Packing tubes were magic, and Pringle’s cans are musical.
RandallBrown 6y ago
I buy Pringles because they're in a tube. Ever take a bag of chips on a backpacking trip?
munificent 6y ago
The tube and the product are part of a holistic design whole. Pringles are made by pressing ground up potato paste into a disc shape and drying them. That makes them weaker than regular potato chips, necessitating a rigid tube container. You might ask why make chips that way in the first place? My hunch is that they exist as a way to use up byproducts produced by other potato products. Sort of like how sawdust from lumber production is used to make particleboard. Pringles are essentially edible particleboard.
- kthejoker2 6y ago
  So why not just package them Ritz Cracker style, cardboard box outside, wax paper inside? Again, seems more like a failure of imagination.
  - munificent 6y ago
    > Again, seems more like a failure of imagination. Sure, but on the designers' part or ours? I certainly would not be surprised if there were reasons why the Ritz approach wouldn't work.
  - spaceribs 6y ago
    Honestly, how cool would it be if it popped open like a pillsbury crescent roll can?

My immediate thought is it sounds like Kellogg's/Pringles could get a lot of free positive marketing by just switching to a "100% biodegradable" bag? Nobody likes Pringles because they're in a tube.

crazygringo 6y ago

The tube is far more space-efficient. Also, I imagine Pringles in a bag would be destroyed -- they're far more fragile than a potato chip, tortilla chip, or pretzel.

gridlockd 6y ago

Not true, the tube makes sure the chips stay mostly intact. The shape of the chips fits neatly around your tongue. Pringles are made of flour, they would turn to dust in an ordinary bag.

James_Henry 6y ago

A lot of those biodegradable containers you see are coated in short chain PFAS/PFOA which build up over time in the ground and end up in the water (and maybe plants) and then give you cancer.

analog31 6y ago

Pringles are a good example where the packaging is the product to a large degree. I was around when Pringles were introduced, and saw the ads on TV. The tube was central to the marketing appeal. There were already reconstituted potato chips in bags on the market, though I can't for the life of me remember the name. Pringles were molded to a uniform size and shape, and the tube protected them from breakage. There was a satisfying snap when you opened the lid. There are other examples where the packaging is the product, such as "Lunchables" from Oscar Mayer.

hinkley 6y ago

Kids might. Or at least did. Packing tubes were magic, and Pringle’s cans are musical.

RandallBrown 6y ago

I buy Pringles because they're in a tube. Ever take a bag of chips on a backpacking trip?

munificent 6y ago

The tube and the product are part of a holistic design whole. Pringles are made by pressing ground up potato paste into a disc shape and drying them. That makes them weaker than regular potato chips, necessitating a rigid tube container. You might ask why make chips that way in the first place? My hunch is that they exist as a way to use up byproducts produced by other potato products. Sort of like how sawdust from lumber production is used to make particleboard. Pringles are essentially edible particleboard.

kthejoker2 6y ago
So why not just package them Ritz Cracker style, cardboard box outside, wax paper inside? Again, seems more like a failure of imagination.
- munificent 6y ago
  > Again, seems more like a failure of imagination. Sure, but on the designers' part or ours? I certainly would not be surprised if there were reasons why the Ritz approach wouldn't work.
- spaceribs 6y ago
  Honestly, how cool would it be if it popped open like a pillsbury crescent roll can?