Fritos is a brand of corn chips created in 1932 by Charles Elmer Doolin and produced since 1959 by Frito-Lay. They are made from a deep-fried extrusion of masa.
Masa is Spanish for dough. Although the word is mostly used to refer to any kind of dough, in some regions (Mexico, parts of Central America and the American South West) it is often short for masa de maíz, a maize (corn) dough made from freshly prepared hominy. It is used for making corn tortillas, tamales, pupusas, and many other Latin American dishes.
An Animatronic vending machine featuring The Frito Kid, 1972
According to popular lore, Fritos hail from San Antonio, Texas, where C. E. Doolin, who apparently had an obsession with making a snack based on corn that would not go stale too quickly, found a local man who had deep-fried corn snacks made from an extrusion of masa. Doolin bought the man's patent and recipe, and with the help of his mother perfected the recipe in his own kitchen (in much the same way that he later invented Cheetos). He began selling Fritos in 1932 under the moniker of the Frito Corporation. Original Fritos ingredients were limited to whole corn, corn oil, and salt.
From 1952–67, the Frito Kid was the company's official mascot but they decided to make a change with a more "adult character".
The Frito Bandito
The Frito Bandito was the cartoon mascot for Fritos corn chips from 1967 to 1971. The Bandito was created by the Foote, Cone & Belding Agency, and animated by Tex Avery. The character was voiced by Mel Blanc, who used an exaggerated Mexican accent not unlike another character of his, Speedy Gonzales. The Frito Bandito spoke broken English and robbed people of their Fritos corn chips, a reference to some stereotypes of the bad-guys in western movies. He also complained that he was being pursued by the "Frito Bureau of Investigation." The Frito Bandito campaign included a song sung to the tune of the well-known traditional Mexican song "Cielito Lindo".
The Muncha Bunch
The Frito Bandito mascot was discontinued due to complaints about the Bandito image. He was initially replaced by the Muncha Bunch, a group of cowboys, which then were replaced by W.C. Fritos, modeled after comedian W.C. Fields.
W.C. Frito
Another use for the snack is something called a Frito Pie. Frito pie is a dish popular in the Southern, Midwestern, and Southwestern United States, whose basic ingredients are chili, cheese, and corn chips (especially Fritos). Additions can include salsa, refried beans, sour cream, onion, rice or jalapeños. There are many variations. Frito pie can be prepared in a casserole dish, but itinerant versions prepare it in a single serve fritos type corn chip bag with various ingredients as toppings. Variations on the dish made in a corn chip bag include pepper bellies, walking tacos, Frito boats, Texas Straw Hat and tacos in a bag. In Mexico, a similar type of dish is tostilocos.
Frito Pie
N 42° A.B W 083° C.DE5
A: Subtract 8 from the Last two digits of the year Fritos was created
B: Subtract 1028 from the year Frito-Lay began producting the snacks
C: Add the number of original ingredients of Fritos to the total number of years the Frito Kid was the company's official mascot
D: Double the total years the Frito Bandito was the mascot for Fritos
E: Fritos are a brand of (how many words)
F: Masa is spanish for (how many letters)