Doritos is planning a new shape for its iconic triangular chips.
A cryptic Instagram post of the brand hinted on Saturday evening at a shift from triangular to square chips. The company confirmed that it is “exploring” the new format.
The post on the UK account features an image of a square Doritos chip with the slogan: ‘The shape of things to come’.
Fans responded quickly. One joked: ‘April 1st already?’, while another begged: ‘Don’t mess with my triangle!’ A third added: “Doritos without a triangle aren’t Doritos!”
A Doritos spokesperson said: ‘The news isn’t quite ready to share yet, but it’s great to know how much interest there is in the shape of our chips.
“As you’ve now seen, square Doritos are something we’re investigating and will officially reveal more later this month.”
The company also shared photos of a “prototype the team has been working on.”
One included an image showing the ideal size of the new square chips – with each side measuring 65mm (2.56 inches). That’s about the same size as each edge on the triangular version.
A post from Doritos emerged on Saturday evening, sparking theories from fans of the chip
The original triangular Doritos chip shown next to a prototype of the new square version
The image shared by Doritos shows a side-by-side comparison of the square and triangular chips
Over the years, Doritos has introduced new flavors in Britain last year and even adapted recipes to reduce fat and salt for a healthier snack.
But one thing has remained unchanged until now: the iconic triangular shape that is ideal for dipping in salsa or guacamole.
In fact, that shape has been a staple since the chips were accidentally created at California’s Disneyland in the early 1960s.
They became the first tortilla chips to be sold nationally in the US in 1966 – and spawned a series of copycats.
Doritos made its UK debut in 1994, five years after PepsiCo acquired Walkers Crisps. It was one of several popular products sold in the US under the Lay’s brand and rolled out to Britain after the takeover.
At launch there were just three Doritos flavors, but the range has since expanded to more than ten, as well as dips.
Saturday’s Instagram post was on Doritos’ UK account. It is not yet clear whether the plans for square Doritos only apply to Great Britain, or also to the US.
Major changes at brands often cause a stir. Recently, Jaguar faced a backlash for a ‘woke’ rebranding.
The company was torn for ditching the iconic “growler” emblem used on grilles and hoods for decades and replacing it with a curved geometric “J” badge.
Doritos shares potential dimensions of each edge and the thickness of the new square chips
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Chocolate fans have expressed their anger after Toblerone enlarged the gaps between the bar’s iconic triangular pieces to reduce the weight of the popular treat
Other controversial changes included the unveiling of a bright pink concept car, which was intended to update Jaguar’s image for the electric age.
Meanwhile, Toblerone suffered a major blow in 2016 when its American makers reduced the number of triangles to make the bars smaller.
The move widened the gap between the triangles, with some critics comparing the new design to a bicycle rack.
Mondelez’s move – which blamed rising costs – resulted in the weight of bars dropping from 400 grams to 360 grams and those from 170 grams to 150 grams, while the price remained the same.
Two years later, Toblerone bars returned to their original form, but with a price increase.
The 170 gram version of the popular chocolate treat was reduced in size to 150 grams in 2016, a decision that sparked public outrage.
Last year, Doritos were rated as the fourth best crisps in Britain according to artificial intelligence.