Cheetos

Cheetos, the bright orange cheese puff snack, has been a staple of American junk food since 1948. Charles Elmer Doolin, the creator of Fritos, invented the crunchy corn snack and quickly turned it into a national hit. Frito-Lay, formed in 1961 when The Frito Company merged with H.W. Lay & Company, now produces Cheetos under the PepsiCo umbrella. The brand's early success helped fuel that merger, and by 1965, Frito-Lay joined forces with Pepsi-Cola, creating the snack and beverage giant that still owns Cheetos today.

By 2010, Cheetos had become the top-selling cheese puff brand in the United States, with annual global retail sales hitting $4 billion. The original Crunchy Cheetos remain in production, but the lineup has expanded to 21 varieties in North America alone. Internationally, the snack adapts to local tastes: China offers Savory American Cream, while Japan has Strawberry Cheetos. Sold in over 36 countries, Cheetos is a global snack phenomenon that balances a simple premise, cheese-flavored puffed corn, with endless regional twists.[edit]