Goldfish (cracker)

Did You Know?

• In the UK, Goldfish are sold under the name "Finz", but the product is identical.
• In 1999, Pepperidge Farm won a court case against Nabisco's Cheese Nips CatDog crackers that used fish-shaped crackers resembling Goldfish, and Nabisco was ordered to stop using the goldfish shape and recall products.
• Julia Child often served Goldfish crackers on Thanksgiving alongside her famous reverse martini.

History

Oscar J. Kambly created goldfish crackers in 1958 at Swiss biscuit manufacturer Kambly to honor his wife, who was a Pisces. Margaret Rudkin, founder of Pepperidge Farm, introduced the crackers to the United States in 1962 after sampling them on a Swiss vacation. The five initial US flavors were lightly salted (later called original), cheese, barbecue, pizza, and smoky. Cheddar cheese, the brand's most popular variety, debuted in 1966.

In 1988, Goldfish crackers traveled aboard the STS-26 Discovery with astronauts. The smiley face was added in 1997, appearing on about 40% of crackers. Pepperidge Farm has since expanded the brand with Mega Bites in 2022 and limited-edition flavors such as Dunkin' Pumpkin Spice Grahams and Frank's RedHot, the latter becoming permanent. Potato-based Goldfish crisps were also introduced.

By 2024, Goldfish was the fastest-growing cracker brand in the US, with sales up 33% since 2021. In October 2024, online sales were temporarily branded as "Chilean Sea Bass" to appeal to adults.

Flavors

Goldfish crackers come in numerous varieties, though production start and end dates are not recorded. The original flavor is also called Saltine. Other flavors include Cheddar, Whole Grain Cheddar and Colors, Parmesan, Pretzel, Pizza, and Grahams in Vanilla Cupcake and S'mores. Additional varieties are Mix, Frank's RedHot, "Awesome Sauce" (a 2025 limited edition), Old Bay Seasoned (limited time), Jalapeño Popper, and Spicy Dill Pickle (limited time).

Differently shaped or sized variants include Baby Goldfish (smaller), Colors (yellow, orange, red, green), Crisps (Spicy Dill Pickle, Salt and Vinegar, Barbecue, Sour Cream and Onion, Cheddar), Princess (pink), Mickey Mouse (red), Mega Bites (Sharp Cheddar and Cheddar Jalapeño), Star Wars Goldfish, PhysEdibles (whole-grain), Puffs (launched 2013), Giant Sandwich Crackers, Giant Goldfish, Sandwich Snackers, Garden Cheddar, Mac & Cheese, Cars 3 (red Lightning McQueen shapes), Flavor Blasted Grahams, Cinabuddy Snack Bites, and Cookies and Cream.

Recalls

On July 23, 2018, Pepperidge Farm was informed by an ingredient supplier that whey powder used in seasoning for four Goldfish varieties might contain salmonella. The contaminated products were removed from stores immediately after the recall.