Although they aren’t the inventors of the cheese puff snack, Frito-Lays Cheetos are definitely the leading brand of cheese puffs having grown to more than $4 billion in annual worldwide sales. The original crunchy Cheetos, invented in 1948, are still being sold today, nearly 70 years later. In addition to the original crunchy Cheetos, there are 21 other current flavors in North America, with even more variations worldwide. The timeline we have created, The History of Cheetos Timeline, shows the variety of flavors and when they were introduced (and some subsequently discontinued).
Event | Date |
---|---|
Crunchy Cheetos | 1948 |
Cheetos Puffies | 1971 |
Cheetos Paws (discontinued in 1993) | 1990 |
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos | 1992 |
Cheetos Cheesy Checkers (discontinued in 1998) | 1995 |
Crunchy Nacho Cheetos (discontinued in 1997) | 1996 |
Cheetos Zig-Zags (discontinued in 2002) | 1998 |
Cheetos X’s and O’s (discontinued in 2000) | 1999 |
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Puffs | 1999 |
Cheetos Salsa Con Queso (Crunchy) (discontinued in 2008) | 2000 |
Cheetos Pizza Puffs (discontinued in 2006) | 2001 |
Cheetos Twists (discontinued in 2012) | 2002 |
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos con Limon | 2002 |
Baked Cheetos | 2004 |
Flamin’ Hot Baked Cheetos | 2006 |
Cheedar Jalapeno Cheetos | 2007 |
Xtra Flamin’ Hot Cheetos | 2008 |
White Cheddar Cheetos (discontinued in 2010) | 2010 |
Honey BBQ Cheetos Puffs | 2012 |
Salsa con Queso Cheetos | 2012 |
Cheetos Xxtra Xxtra Flamin’ Hot (discontinued in 2013) | 2013 |
Cheetos Super Flamin’ Hot (discontinued in 2013) | 2013 |
Crunchy Cheeto Tapatio | 2013 |
Cheetos Mix Ups Xtra Cheesy Mix | 2013 |
Pepsi-flavored Cheetos (Japan Only) | 2013 |
A Brief History of the Cheetos Mascot
As you can see in the Cheetos timeline above, Chester the Cheetah imagery is featured quite prominently. Many would be surprised to learn that Chester wasn’t always the brand’s mascot. In 1971, Cheetos adopted the Cheetos Mouse who lasted as the brand mascot until the late seventies. See one of the original Cheetos Mouse commercials here. It wasn’t until the mid-eighties that sly-talking Chester the Cheetah was introduced. Chester has grown immensely in popularity since then, starring in many commercials, video games and other promotional materials such as plush toys, t-shirts and figurines. You can even follow him on Twitter.
Free Trial Download and Timeline Links
This timeline chart was created using Timeline Maker Professional, which is available as a free trial here. You can also download the timeline using the links on the right side of this page.
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