Bugles were developed by a food engineer, Joe Appelbaum, who also created Daisies. Bugles were test-marketed in 1965 and introduced nationally in early 1966 as one of several new General Mills snacks, including flower-shaped Daisies, wheel-shaped Pizza Spins and tube-shaped Whistles, all of which were discontinued in the 1970s. From the time of their creation in the mid-1960s, General Mills' Bugles were manufactured at a plant in West Chicago, Illinois, until that plant's closure in 2017. Bugles and the other snacks were also produced in Lancaster, Ohio starting in 1966. It is now a Ralston Foods Plant part of Con-Agra.
Ingredients and varieties
General Mills Bugles are fried in coconut oil, which contributes to their being significantly higher in medium-chain triglyceridesaturated fat than similar snack foods, which are typically fried in soybean or other vegetable oils. Bugles contain no hydrogenated oils. The ingredients of Original Bugles are degermed yellow corn meal, coconut oil, sugar, salt, baking soda, and BHT. Ingredients for all variations of Bugles are listed on the General Mills website. Bugles produced under the Tom's Snacks label no longer use coconut oil, but rather "vegetable oil." They have been available in the following flavors: Original, Nacho Cheese, Salt & Vinegar, Sour Cream & Onion, Ranch, Chili Cheese, Salsa, Smokin' BBQ, Churros, Southwest Ranch, Sweet and Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter, Sweet and Salty Caramel, Cheddar, Ketchup, Coriander, Cookies and Cream, Hot Buffalo, Shrimp, Jalapeño Cheddar, and Hot & Spicy BBQ. Bugles are so-named because of their "horn" or bugle shape.
International sales
As of November 2014, Bugles were sold as Bugles in the United States, Canada, China, Denmark, Iraq, The Netherlands, and several more countries in Central America and the Caribbean. Bugles were discontinued in Canada in early 2010 due to a decrease in demand but brought back in November 2011 due to renewed consumer demand. In the United Kingdom, Bugles were available in the early 2000s and manufactured by Golden Wonder. They were discontinued after several years and brought back in 2016. General Mills also licenses the name and shape to other manufacturers of the same product:
In Cyprus, Bugles are manufactured by People's Coffee Manuf. Ltd and are being marketed and distributed by Laiko Cosmos Trading Ltd. They are available in 3 flavors, Original, Nachos and Vinegar.
In Kuwait, Bugles are manufactured and marketed by the KITCO parent company.
In the United Arab Emirates, Bugles manufactured by IFFCO UAE under their Tiffany subdivision, and is marketed and sold as Bugles with similar styling to the U.S. Bugles.
In France, Bugles are manufactured and marketed by the Benenuts marque of Groupe Pepsico of France under the name 3-D's Bugles in various flavors, including natural, cheese, bacon, ketchup, and ham & cheese.
In Japan, Bugles are named "Tongari Corn" have been manufactured by House Foods since 1978.
