12 things you didn't know about Lay's potato chips

Lay's potato chips are incredibly popular and make up  over a fourth of the US's potato chip market.  
The  popular chip was first sold in 1932 and in 1965 the brand added their popular barbeque flavor.  
The company holds a contest allowing anyone to submit ideas for chip flavors - whoever submits the best flavor can win $1 million.  

Whether you call them  Walkers, Smith's, Chipsy, or  Sabritas, you've probably dug into a bag of what's called in the US, Lay's potato chips. Available in dozens of flavors, the chips have been satisfying salty snack cravings for over 75 years. 

Although you may be familiar with the taste of Lay's, you may not know much about its history. Snack lovers, behold: Here are 12 things you probably didn't know about the popular chips. 

Lay's chips were first sold from the back of a car.

2. After acquiring a potato chip company in 1932, founder Herman W. Lay first sold his chips in Nashville, Tennessee. Later, he would go on to drive across the Southern US, selling the snack out of the  back of his Model A. 

3. Lay's invented region-specific flavors for different parts of the US.

During a campaign called "Tastes of America," Lay's released eight flavors resembling popular region-specific foods like New England Lobster Roll in the Northeast and Cajun Spice near the Gulf. 

4. The flavors also vary from country to country.

Depending on where you are in the world, Lay's flavors will change to reflect  popular cultural foods and tastes in different countries. In Egypt, snackers can buy Chili and Lemon Lay's; in India, they sell flavors like Magic Masala. 

5. There are over 160 varieties of Lay's chips.

Lay's constantly mixes up their flavor lineup with about  164 varieties created to date. The chips range from common flavors like Salt and Vinegar and Barbecue to more unusual ones like Cappuccino, Vegetable Soup, and Beer N' Brats. 

6. The first flavored Lay's chips were Barbeque.

Lay's only sold classic salted chips until the  introduction of Barbeque flavored chips in 1965, followed by Sour Cream and Onion

7. Four to five potatoes go into each bag of Lay's chips.

Lay's buys their potatoes from farms across 25 different states. After being shipped to the manufacturing centers,  four to five medium potatoes get cut and fried to make each bag of chips, 

8. Lay's controls over a fourth of the potato chip market.

In 2017, Lay's  controlled 29.4% of the potato chip market in the United States, according to Statista. Their top products generated approximately $1.7 billion dollars ins sales that year. 

9. Lay's offers a million bucks for great new flavor ideas.

Every year, Lay's holds a  contest to find the next great chip flavor, offering a $1 million prize to whoever submits the best new recipe. In previous years, the contest brought the world flavors like Wasabi Ginger, Cheesy Garlic Bread, and Southern Biscuits and Gravy. 

10. Lay's head chef once owned a sushi bar.

Chef Jody Denton, head chef of the Frito-Lay Flavor Kitchen, once owned both a Mediterranean bistro and a Japanese izakaya and sushi bar before joining Lay's in 2007. 

11. Lay's chips were the first snack food with televised commercials.

In  1944, Lay's became one of the first ever snack food to advertise their products on television. 

12. The Cowardly Lion was the first Lay's spokesperson.

Bert Lahr, best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz, was Lay's first celebrity spokesperson. He appeared in a number of Lay's advertisements and commercials during the 1960s in the popular "Betcha can't eat just one" campaign.