Golden Wonder in Administration

10 January 2006

Golden Wonder - Cheese & Onion, the first flavoured crisps

Another name from the 60s and 70s is about to disappear for ever.  Golden Wonder, the crisp manufacturer, went into administration yesterday. 

Golden Wonder is a name I fondly remember from my childhood, though I must confess most of the crisps I have eaten recently have been made by rivals Walkers, who are blamed for Golden Wonder's collapse.  The Golden Wonder name goes back to 1947 when William Alexander, a Scottish mining engineer, started to make crisps.  Their achievements included replacing greaseproof paper bags with plastic ones, thus keeping the crisps fresher for longer and the first flavoured crisps - cheese & onion - launched in 1962.  By 1964 their Corby factory was the largest crisp manufacturer in the world. 

Golden Wonder crisps were a part of the fabric of the 60s and 70s.  More flavours were added to cheese & onion in the 60s including:

The brand I most remember them for, "Wotsits" launched in 1970, was sold to Walkers in 2002 in an attempt to keep the business alive.  In the true spirit of retro, Golden Wonder brought back "Ringos" in response to an internet petition.

Perhaps a last minute nostalgic rush can save the brand from going under. After all "Ringos" date from around the same time as "Life on Mars".

Go to:

Golden Wonder website

"Ringos" on BBC 70s page

Tell us about your favourite snacks from the 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s

Email: info@retrowow.co.uk