May 28, 2013

PLANO, Texas, May 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- More than a century ago, America fell in love with a sweet and savory crunchy snack, now synonymous with baseball games, the backyard barbecue, neighborhood block parties and relaxing with friends and family. In celebration of its 120-year anniversary, the iconic Cracker Jack brand from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division has evolved for today's consumers with modern prizes, more peanuts and exciting new flavors joining the fold.

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"After 120 years, we knew it was the right time for the Cracker Jack brand to modernize to really suit the changing snacking preferences among our biggest fans – while still remaining true to our nostalgic roots," said David Skena, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay. "By offering improved prizes, more peanuts and delicious new flavors, we're giving our fans a new and improved product experience that still celebrates what they've loved about Cracker Jack snacks all these years."

The new and exciting modifications being made to Cracker Jack snacks include:

  • Two delicious new flavors rolling out nationwide this spring - new Cracker Jack Kettle Corn popcorn, offering a sweet and savory flavor profile and new Cracker Jack Butter Toffee popcorn, which includes a buttery toffee taste that makes it the perfect snack to unwind with after a long day of work or play.
  • More crunchy delicious peanuts in two of the most popular Cracker Jack Original snack packages (4 and 8 oz.).
  • Modernized Cracker Jack snack prizes with new digital components, including classic stickers with fun facts and special codes that offer surprises online.
  • A new Cracker Jack-branded mobile app, featuring two nostalgic games (Baseball and Pinball) available free for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch mobile devices and all Android devices at www.crackerjackapp.com.

Working with one of the most recognizable brands in baseball, the recently reinvented Louisville Slugger, the Cracker Jack brand is participating in an online sweepstakes through the Louisville Slugger Facebook page (facebook.com/louisvilleslugger) where fans can enter to win exciting prizes, such as exclusive Cracker Jack-branded gear, customized Louisville Slugger items and even a chance to win enough products to meet every need for an entire baseball team. Cracker Jack snacks is also proud to partner with Macy's in a variety of activities, including a featured appearance in Macy's "American Icons" 2013 summer catalog, as well as several sampling events around the country.

Earlier this month, Frito-Lay launched a new brand called Cracker Jack'D snacks, which was developed specifically to fit the on-the-go lifestyle of today's young men. Cracker Jack'D is an independent, stand-alone brand developed specifically for millennial male consumers with a collection of intense flavors developed to meet their unique tastes. 

The delicious blend of caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts known today as Cracker Jack snacks was first introduced in 1893 by F.W. Ruechkheim at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago's first world's fair. Since its introduction, enough Cracker Jack product has been sold to stack end-to-end more than 63 times around the world.  

The new Cracker Jack products, Cracker Jack Butter Toffee Popcorn Snack (4 oz. SRP $1.49, 8.5 oz. SRP $2.29), Cracker Jack Kettle Corn Popcorn Snack (3 oz. MSRP $1.49) and Cracker Jack Original Caramel Coated Popcorn and Peanut snacks with "More Nuts" (4 oz. SRP $1.49, 8.5 oz. SRP $2.29), will be available nationwide wherever Cracker Jack brands are sold.

About Cracker Jack
Cracker Jack brand has been an American favorite for more than 120 years and is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY.  Learn more about Cracker Jack on www.facebook.com/crackerjack or Frito-Lay at the corporate Web site, http://www.fritolay.com, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/fritolay.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales.  Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world.  PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo.  We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate.  For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

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SOURCE Frito-Lay North America