Goldfish (cracker)

Goldfishis a brand of fish-shapedcrackerwith a small imprint of an eye and a smile manufactured byPepperidge Farm, which is a division of theCampbell Soup Company.The brand's current marketing and product packaging incorporate this feature of the product: "The Snack That Smiles Back! Goldfish!", reinforced by Finn, the smilinggoldfishmascotwithsunglasses.The product is marketed as a "baked snack cracker" on the label with various flavors and varieties.
Oscar J. Kambly originally invented goldfish crackers atSwissbiscuit manufacturerKamblyin 1958to celebrate his wife, who was aPisces, an astrological symbol whose shape is of a fish.Pepperidge Farm founderMargaret Rudkinintroduced Goldfish crackers to the United States in 1962 after having tried them while on vacation in Switzerland.The five initial flavors of Goldfish crackers launched in the US were lightly salted (later designated "original"), cheese, barbecue, pizza, and smoky. Cheddar cheese, the brand's most popular flavor, was not introduced until 1966.In 1997, the smiley face was added to Goldfish, appearing on approximately 40% of the crackers.
Pepperidge Farm has expanded the Goldfish brand significantly in recent years, introducing numerous limited-time flavors and varieties beyond the traditional cheddar and pretzel options. These included Mega Bites (more giant Goldfish crackers) in 2022 and limited-edition flavors such asDunkin'Pumpkin SpiceGrahams andFrank's RedHot. Due to its popularity, the Frank's RedHot flavor has since been added to the permanent lineup. The company has also experimented withpotato-based Goldfish crisps to achieve apotato chip-like flavor.
According to Campbell Soup Company, these innovations have contributed to Goldfish's position as the fastest-growing cracker brand in the United States in 2024, with sales increasing by 33% since 2021.In October 2024, the company announced that online sales of the product would be branded as "Chilean Sea Bass" for one week to appeal for adults.
Goldfish crackers are available in many varieties, but start/end dates of production are unknown:
These different-shaped Goldfish are all cheddar flavored. There are also different Goldfish mixtures, which are two flavors combined.
Goldfish are exported and sold in countries around the world. In the UK, they are sold under the name "Finz",but the product is identical. In Switzerland, the original Goldfish flavor is marketed under the brand name Goldfischli.
Goldfish was also sold underArnott'sbranding in Australia.
Pepperidge Farm has created several spin-off products, including GoldfishSandwichCrackers, Flavor-Blasted Goldfish,Goldfish bread, multi-colored Goldfish (known as Goldfish-American), and Baby Goldfish (which are smaller than normal). There are also seasonably available color-changing Goldfish and colored Goldfish (come in a variety pack). There was once a line of Goldfish cookies in vanilla and chocolate; chocolate has reappeared in the "100 calorie" packs.
In 1999, Campbell Soup Co.'s Pepperidge Farm won a court case involving Nabisco'sCheese NipsCatDogcrackers that had fish-shaped crackers that resembled Goldfish. The court ordered Nabisco to refrain from using the goldfish shape and to recall all their products that included the fish shape.
On July 23, 2018, Pepperidge Farm was notified by one of its ingredient suppliers that whey powder (in a seasoning applied to four varieties of Goldfish crackers) may have the presence ofsalmonella. The Flavored Blasted Xtra Cheddar crackers were recalled due to a possible risk of thesalmonellaoutbreak. Three other Goldfish varieties (Flavored Blast Sour Slammin' Cream and Onion, Whole Grain Xtra Cheddar, and Goldfish Mix Xtra Cheddar and Pretzel) were also recalled due to contamination of the salmonella bacterium caused by the same affected whey powder used in The Flavored Blasted Xtra Cheddar GoldFish crackers. The contaminated varieties of Goldfish were immediately removed from all stores where they were sold following the recall.
Julia Childliked Goldfish crackers so much that onThanksgiving, she often put out a bowl alongside her famous reverse martini.
In Season 1, Episode 9 ofThe West Wing, character Danny Concannon givesC. J. Cregga petgoldfishafter misunderstanding a comment about C.J.'s affinity for the crackers.