Funyuns


Funyuns is the brand name of an onion-flavored corn snack introduced in the United States in 1969, and invented by Frito-Lay employee George Bigner. Funyuns consist primarily of cornmeal, ring-shaped using an extrusion process, representing the shape and texture of fried onion rings. A salt and onion mix gives them their flavor. They are a product of PepsiCo's Frito-Lay company. In Brazil, Funyuns are sold under the name "Cebolitos".

History

They were named "Funyuns" by University of North Texas professor and copywriter Jim Albright, after it was discovered that the first choice of name for the product, "OnYums", was a registered trademark of Rudolph Foods. Initial television advertising for the snack featured a variation of Susan Christie's 1966 song, "I Love Onions".
They were invented in 1969 where "they stand as the apogee of weird Space-Age food innovation and rival the moon landing and Woodstock as that year’s primary American cultural events".
In 2005, the "window cutout" showing the actual product inside the bag was replaced by a photograph of the product, falling in line with the design of the rest of Frito-Lay's product line. The big-bag Funyuns was one of the last Frito-Lay brands to completely phase out the "window".
Over the years, several recipes have come out that use Funyuns as an ingredient, including one using the product as a replacement for fried onions in green bean casserole and using the crushed snack food as a Thanksgiving turkey coating.

Flavors

In the AMC television series Breaking Bad, Funyuns are a favourite snack of starring character Jesse Pinkman. They are also a favourite of Marshall Eriksen in How I Met Your Mother, as well as a prized possession of Foxxy Love on Drawn Together.