Doritos
An American Frito-Lay brand of boldly seasoned tortilla chips recognized for its triangular shape, intense flavors, and youth-focused marketing.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Doritos is a global flavored tortilla-chip brand owned by PepsiCo and produced primarily through its Frito-Lay snack-food business. The brand developed from a simple snack served at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. At the Casa de Fritos restaurant, surplus tortillas were cut into pieces, fried, and seasoned in a style influenced by Mexican totopos. Frito-Lay marketing executive Arch West noticed the product's popularity and arranged for its commercial development in 1964. Early regional production was first supplied by Alex Foods before Frito-Lay moved manufacturing to its own facilities. The name is derived from the Spanish doradito, meaning a small golden item. Doritos entered national distribution in the United States in 1966, becoming the first tortilla chip brand launched nationally there. The original product was a lightly seasoned toasted-corn chip. Taco flavor followed in 1967 after research suggested that consumers in parts of the country considered the original insufficiently seasoned, and nacho cheese was introduced nationally in 1972. Nacho cheese became the brand's defining mainstream flavor, while Cool Ranch, introduced in 1986, developed into another enduring international offering. Flavor naming and recipes vary substantially by country, reflecting regional tastes and local food regulations. The brand's portfolio has expanded beyond standard triangular chips. It has included rolled products such as Rollitos and Dinamitas, mixed-flavor Collisions products, limited-edition spicy varieties, mystery flavors, and products using the Doritos name in restaurant partnerships. Taco Bell has used Doritos-seasoned shells in Doritos Locos Tacos, illustrating the brand's extension into co-branded foodservice products. Doritos has also experimented with limited releases, unusual flavor combinations, interactive flavor-development programs, and entertainment tie-ins. Doritos is positioned as a mass-market snack with a deliberately bold, playful, and youth-oriented personality. Its visual identity, strong seasoning, loud flavor language, triangular geometry, and irreverent advertising distinguish it from more traditional tortilla-chip brands. The brand became especially associated with Super Bowl advertising and consumer-created commercials. Its Crash the Super Bowl program invited members of the public to submit and vote on advertisements, making user participation part of the brand's media strategy. Other initiatives have used mystery flavors, music, digital participation, gaming, and social causes. The brand has undergone several significant product and packaging changes. A major 1994 redesign made the chips larger, thinner, more rounded, and more heavily seasoned after research indicated growing competition from restaurant-style tortilla chips. In the United States, Frito-Lay removed trans fat from Doritos varieties in 2002 and adopted nutrition-labeling practices ahead of mandatory federal requirements. Doritos has also faced criticism concerning the nutritional profile of highly processed snack foods and was involved in a product-liability lawsuit in the 1990s, although the cited scientific evidence was excluded by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Today Doritos remains one of Frito-Lay's best-known international snack brands. It is sold in numerous markets, with flavors, product formats, packaging, and promotional partnerships adapted locally. Its principal business remains flavored corn tortilla chips, supported by limited editions, cross-brand collaborations, event advertising, and extensions designed to keep the brand culturally relevant.
History
Doritos originated at Disneyland's Casa de Fritos restaurant in Anaheim during the early 1960s. Restaurant staff repurposed surplus tortillas by cutting, frying, and seasoning them as a snack inspired by Mexican tortilla preparations. Arch West, then a Frito-Lay marketing executive, observed the product's popularity and pursued its commercial development. Frito-Lay initially worked with Alex Foods, a supplier to the Disneyland restaurant, before moving production to its own Tulsa facility when demand exceeded the supplier's capacity. The brand was introduced regionally in 1964 and distributed nationally in the United States in 1966. The first Doritos product was a toasted-corn flavor. Taco flavor was added nationally in 1967, followed by nacho cheese in 1972. The latter became the brand's most recognizable flavor family. During the late 1970s and 1980s, Doritos tested varieties including sour cream and onion, sesame seed, and Monterey Jack-style cheese, while Cool Ranch became a major product after its 1986 introduction. International markets subsequently adopted different names and flavor profiles, including Cool Original in the United Kingdom and Cool American in parts of Europe. Doritos grew into a major Frito-Lay brand during the 1990s. In 1994, Frito-Lay undertook a large-scale redesign based on a two-year study of approximately 5,000 chip consumers. The redesigned chips were larger, thinner, rounder at the corners, and more heavily seasoned. The change was intended to answer competition from restaurant-style tortilla chips and reduce breakage during production. The brand also expanded into collaborations with PepsiCo restaurant businesses, including Taco Bell and Pizza Hut-related flavors. After PepsiCo separated its restaurant division in 1997, some of these flavors were renamed or modified. The 2000s brought repeated flavor innovation and more participatory marketing. Frito-Lay removed trans fat from U.S. Doritos varieties in 2002. Product experiments included Rollitos, Late Night varieties, Degree Burn spicy flavors, X-13D and other mystery-flavor programs, Collisions bags containing two flavors, and regional releases such as Tapatio and Canadian flavor contests. In 2007, Crash the Super Bowl made consumer-created advertising a central part of the brand's media activity. The brand later continued to use digital participation, music, sports, entertainment, gaming, and social-purpose partnerships. Doritos has also been the subject of criticism and legal controversy. A 1993 product-liability lawsuit alleged that the shape and hardness of the chips could injure a consumer's throat; the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that proposed supporting research did not meet the applicable scientific standard for admission. Separately, commentators and health advocates have criticized the high salt, fat, flavoring, and additive content associated with flavored snack foods. These issues have not displaced the brand's core strategy of emphasizing intense taste, novelty, and cultural visibility. In the 2010s and 2020s, Doritos continued to refresh its visual identity, introduce spicy and unusual formats, revive earlier recipes, and launch limited editions. A new logo and the For the Bold slogan were introduced in 2013. Rainbow Doritos connected a limited product to support for LGBT youth in 2015. Dinamitas extended the brand into rolled snack formats, while Roulette and other products used surprise or variable heat as a point of difference. Doritos remains an active international brand under PepsiCo's Frito-Lay organization, with products and campaigns adapted to individual markets.
- 2015
Rainbow Doritos promotion
[1]A limited-edition product supported the It Gets Better Project through consumer donations.
- 2013
New logo and For the Bold slogan
[1]The brand adopted a refreshed logo and the For the Bold advertising platform.
- 2007
Crash the Super Bowl begins
[1]Doritos introduced a public competition for consumer-created Super Bowl commercials.
- 2002
Trans fat removed in the United States
[1]Frito-Lay eliminated trans fat from U.S. Doritos varieties.
- 1994
Major package and product redesign
[1]Frito-Lay changed the chip's dimensions, shape, and seasoning after extensive consumer research.
- 1986
Cool Ranch launches
[1]Cool Ranch Doritos debuted, becoming a major flavor line in the United States and related markets.
- 1972
Nacho cheese reaches national distribution
[1]Nacho cheese became a nationally distributed flavor and later the brand's most prominent mainstream offering.
- 1967
Taco flavor introduced
[1]Taco-flavored Doritos were added after research indicated demand for stronger seasoning.
- 1966
National U.S. distribution
[1]Doritos became the first tortilla chip introduced through national distribution in the United States.
- 1964
Regional Doritos launch
[1]Frito-Lay began commercial regional sales of the tortilla-chip product developed from the Casa de Fritos snack at Disneyland.
Products and positioning
Mass-market, bold-flavor, youth-oriented snack brand with strong pop-culture and participatory marketing associations.
Flavored tortilla chips · 1972
Doritos Nacho Cheese
The brand's signature cheese-flavored tortilla-chip line. It combines corn chips with cheese, dairy-derived flavor components, salt, spices, and savory seasonings. It is sold in multiple package sizes and serves as a reference point for many regional variations and co-branded products.
Flavored tortilla chips · 1986
Doritos Cool Ranch
A ranch-seasoned tortilla-chip line introduced in the United States in the 1980s. The product is marketed under different names in some countries, including Cool Original in the United Kingdom and Cool American in parts of Europe, reflecting regional familiarity with ranch-style flavoring.
Flavored tortilla chips · 1967
Doritos Taco
A taco-seasoned product that traces back to the brand's second nationally distributed flavor. Its formulation has changed over time, including a sour-cream element added during the 1980s, and it has been periodically revived through retro and limited-edition releases.
Rolled corn snacks · 2013
Doritos Dinamitas
A rolled, tube-shaped extension of the Doritos format. Dinamitas was developed from the earlier Rollitos concept and has been sold in strongly seasoned varieties, including chili-lime and garlic-and-citrus profiles.
Limited-edition tortilla chips · 2015
Doritos Roulette
A novelty product in which most chips have a conventional appearance while a minority deliver substantially higher heat. The format uses surprise and social sharing as part of its product proposition.
Controversies
2015
Doritos Roulette breathing-difficulty incident
A school reported that an asthmatic student experienced breathing difficulty after eating a particularly hot chip from a Doritos Roulette package. The incident drew attention to the product's variable-heat design.
1993
Doritos throat-injury product-liability lawsuit
A plaintiff alleged that the chips' rigid, angular design made them inherently dangerous and caused throat injury. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that proposed supporting research did not satisfy scientific standards for admission as evidence.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Rainbow Doritos
United States
Doritos offered a limited rainbow-colored product to consumers who made a qualifying donation to the It Gets Better Project.
Outcome. The promotion reportedly raised $100,000 for the organization.
- 2007Crash the Super Bowl
United States
Consumers were invited to submit Doritos commercials, after which the public voted on finalists for Super Bowl placement.
Outcome. Two highly competitive finalist advertisements were ultimately aired during the relevant Super Bowl broadcast.
- 2007X-13D Flavor Experiment
United States
Doritos sold a mystery flavor in unmarked black packaging and asked consumers to identify and name it.
Outcome. The program extended the brand's use of mystery and consumer participation in product marketing.
- 1998Ali Landry Super Bowl campaign
United States
Doritos featured Ali Landry in a widely remembered Super Bowl commercial filmed in a laundromat. The campaign helped establish her public association with the brand as the Doritos Girl.
Outcome. The commercial generated substantial attention and led to a reported three-year relationship between Landry and Frito-Lay.
Brand decisions
2013
Adopt the For the Bold platformStrategyBackground
Doritos sought to reinforce its established association with strong flavors, experimentation, and assertive youth culture.
Action taken
The brand introduced a new logo and adopted For the Bold as a central advertising slogan.
Aftermath
The platform became a recurring expression of Doritos' global brand personality.
2002
Remove trans fat from U.S. DoritosStrategyBackground
Nutrition concerns and changing U.S. labeling requirements were increasing pressure on packaged-food producers.
Action taken
Frito-Lay eliminated trans fat from U.S. Doritos varieties and began following applicable labeling practices before they became mandatory.
Aftermath
The change aligned the brand with evolving nutrition expectations without altering its core flavored-chip positioning.
1994
Reengineer the chip formatGeneration changeBackground
Frito-Lay identified stronger competition from restaurant-style tortilla chips and commissioned extensive consumer research.
Action taken
The company made the chips larger, thinner, more rounded, and more heavily seasoned.
Aftermath
The redesigned products were released in four flavors beginning in January 1995.
Recent events
Reported
PepsiCo India partnered with Dunzo for product delivery[3]
PepsiCo India said it tied up with Dunzo to deliver products from four food brands to consumers, launching the initiative as a pilot in Bengaluru.
Reported
Doritos announces Snacks and Tracks campaign livestream[4]
Doritos announced that it would launch its Snacks and Tracks campaign with a livestream performance by Lime Cordiale on Saturday, 4 April, in partnership with Junkee.
Weekdays and relative dates follow the original report; their exact calendar dates have not been verified.
Reported
Frito-Lay announces Doritos Flamin' Hot Limòn chips[5]
Frito-Lay announced a new Doritos Flamin' Hot Limòn chip flavor, which the article said would hit shelves that week.
Reported
Frito-Lay announces a Doritos Cool Ranch recipe change[5]
Frito-Lay announced that it was changing the Doritos Cool Ranch recipe by adding more flavor powder, and had created a new label to indicate the change.
Sources5 sources
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