Nik Naks
Encyclopedia
Nik Naks are a type of extruded corn snack previously manufactured by Golden Wonder
Golden Wonder
Golden Wonder is a British company that manufactures snack foods, most notably crisps.-History:Founded in Stoneyburn in 1947 by the Scottish bakery owner William Alexander, the company was named after the Golden Wonder potato. The company was acquired by UK-based Dalgety plc in 1987...

 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, following the successful take over of Sooner Snacks. The brand was purchased by United Biscuits
United Biscuits
__FORCETOC__United Biscuits is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of the BN biscuits, McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, The Real McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets...

 in 2006. KP (United Biscuits) now make Nik Naks and Wheat Crunchies.

They are available in 4 flavours:
  • Scampi 'n' Lemon (Green bag)
  • Nice 'n' Spicy (Orange bag)
  • Rib 'n' Saucy (Purple bag)
  • Pickle 'n' Onion (Red bag)


The first flavours were Cheese (not to be confused with "Cream n Cheesy"), Nice n Spicy, and Scampi & Lemon. The product re-appeared briefly as a Marks and Spencer's own brand, available in family sized packets only in Nice n Spicy flavour; disappearing from the shops entirely in the early nineties.

In the mid 90's, the flavours were Nice n Spicy, Cream and Cheesy, and Rib n Saucy. Rib n Saucy replaced Scampi and Lemon as a move to make consumers feel that Nik Naks was a less smelly brand. Sales of Nik Naks grew by 32% once the "smelly" flavour was removed. At some point a Hard Cheese flavour was introduced and later discontinued.
On Valentine's Day 1994 Golden Wonder released Ltd Edition Naughty 'N' Saucy flavour Nik Naks and for a limited time a Tomato and Mayonnaise flavour, and the aphrodisiac ingredient was 0.01% Guarana Seed Extract. It received mass PR support and featured on page 3 of the Sun as a snack that made a woman pregnant.
Scampi & Lemon made a comeback in 2002, just before being sold to KP and United Biscuits. The Scampi & Lemon then replaced the Cream & Cheesy flavour in multipacks from 2006.

From 2008 the Scampi n Lemon flavour was phased out to make room for the new Pickle n Onion flavour.

The brand ran a notable advertising campaign in the 90s created by animator Bill Plympton
Bill Plympton
William "Bill" Calvin Plympton is an American animator, former cartoonist, director, screenwriter and producer best known for his 1987 Academy Award-nominated animated short Your Face. and his series of shorts Guard Dog, Guide Dog, Hot Dog and Horn Dog.- Biography :Bill Plympton was born in...

, based on his short film Push Comes to Shove, in which two men's heads transform into a variety of shapes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1hGAixvn9A. This was subsequently followed up by 5 second adverts describing how ugly the snack was. In 1993, the brand ran an instant win promotion giving away rubbish. Such things as tummy fluff, 2p piece, bits of string were given away.

During 2004-5, its advertising led with the tag line 'Eat The Freak', coined due to their odd appearance. One commercial, set on a cross-Channel ferry, was a modern parody of the sci-fi classic Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...

, wherein a passenger eats a Nik Nak only to have it explode from his stomach and begin dancing to Le Freak by Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...

. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMF4VpwMS-c

Simba Chips
Simba Chips
Simba is a popular potato chip manufacturer and has been producing its products in South Africa since 1956, when it was established by the Greyvenstein family...

 in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 also produces a corn chip called Nik Naks which claims to be the country's biggest selling snack. The original flavour is cheese but they now also come in fruit chutney and cheese & sweet chilli flavours.

Ingredients

Nice 'n' Spicy Flavour:

Maize,Sunflower Oil (25%) ,Vegetable Oil (13%) ,Nice N' Spicy Flavour [Sugar, Salt, Acidity Regulator: Sodium Diacetate, Dried Glucose Syrup, Lactose, Dried Autolysed Yeast ,Dried Onion, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Curry Powder (Spices, Rice Flour), Flavourings (contains Soya Sauce, Wheat Flour ,Malt Vinegar), Dried Tomato, Spice, Colour: Paprika Extract, Spice Extracts]

Pickle 'n' Onion Flavour:

Maize, Sunflower Oil (25%), Vegetable Oil (13%), Pickled Onion Flavour [Sugar, Salt, Flavour enhancer: Monosodium Glutamate
Monosodium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids....

, Acidity Regulator: Sodium Diacetate, Citric Acid, Rice Flour, Potassium Chloride, Corn Starch, Maltodextrin, Dried Onion]

Rib 'n' Saucy Flavour:

Maize, Sunflower Oil (25%), Vegetable Oil (13%), Rib 'n' Saucy Flavour [Sugar, Salt, Maltodextrin, Flavour enhancer: Monosodium Glutamate
Monosodium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids....

, Spices, Dried Onion, Yeast Extract, Acidity Regulator: Sodium Diacetate, Dried Garlic, Flavourings, Dried Tomato, Citric Acid]

Scampi 'n' Lemon Flavour:

Maize, Sunflower Oil (25%), Vegetable Oil (13%), Scampi 'n' Lemon Flavour [Salt, Sugar, Flavour Enhancer: Monosodium Glutamate
Monosodium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids....

, Acidity Regulator: Sodium Diacetate, Dried Yeast, Citric Acid, Flavourings, Colour: Paprika Extract]

Nutritional information

Rib 'n' Saucy Flavour Nice 'n' Spicy Flavour Scampi 'n' Lemon Flavour Pickle 'n' Onion Flavour
Average Values Per 100g Per Bag Per 100g Per Bag Per 100g Per Bag Per 100g Per Bag
Energy (kJ) 2347 704 2338 585 2341 585 2355 707
Energy (kCal) 564 169 561 140 562 141 571 143
Protein 5.0g 1.5g 4.7g 1.2g 5.1g 1.3g 5.0g 1.5g
Carbohydrate 49.8g 14.9g 49.6g 12.4g 49.5g 12.4g 50.3g 15.1g
of which Sugars 4.0g 1.2g 4.1g 1.0g 4.1g 1.0g 2.6g 0.8g
Fat 38.3g 11.5g 38.3g 9.6g 38.2g 9.6g 38.2g 11.5g
of which Saturates 8.4g 2.5g 8.4g 2.1g 8.4g 2.1g 8.4g 2.5g
Fibre 3.1g 0.9g 3.0g 0.8g 3.0g 0.8g 3.0g 0.9g
Sodium 0.7g 0.2g 1.0g 0.3g 0.9g 0.2g 0.8g 0.2g
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