Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Tear-Away Pringles Canister

Yum!
  (+52, -10)(+52, -10)(+52, -10)
(+52, -10)
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For those who don't know what Pringles are, they are these wonderously delicious chips that come stacked in a tube. They are what I am eating as I type this.

As I reach in to grab another chip, the only problem is that I have now eaten more than half, and my hand is too big to reach all of the way down the tube, without distorting the tube, hurting my hand, and crushing some of the chips.

To solve this problem, a new Pringles canister must be designed. It shall be designed as thus: One Pringles canister is actually made of three stacked and attached to each other. Once the first third of the chips are eaten, the top 1/3 of the tube easily tears away when you pull the tear-tab. The lid can also still close the remaining 2/3 of the canister. Same thing for the second 1/3 of the canister.

DesertFox, Apr 06 2005

Pringles http://www.pringles...pringles_main.shtml
Mmmmm.... [DesertFox, Apr 06 2005]

Pringles Main Page http://www.pringles.com/index2.html
Don't forget to highlight different countries to see the motto in the appropriate language. Incidentally, it used to be "Once you pop, you can't stop!" I'm sure the obesity problem in the US spurred the change. [AfroAssault, Apr 07 2005]

Individually wrapped potato chips Individually_20wrapped_20potato_20chips
by 1kester. [calum, Apr 08 2005]

similar Pringles_20for_20big_20hands
[dentworth, Apr 08 2005]


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Annotation:







       What flavor are you eating?   

       This reminds me of the recently departed comedian Mitch Hedberg's theory that the Pringles company was first started to package tennis balls but they received a shipment of potatoes instead.   

       I have biggish hands myself, so I think this is a great idea.
Machiavelli, Apr 06 2005
  

       I have also struggled, needlessly and profoundly, with the too-long Pringles tube. In vain I then try to "pour" the crisps out of the tube, but ah! they never come singly; whilst a particular force is too weak to move even one, a millionth of a trifle more sends the entire contents flying in a clump onto the floor. +
phundug, Apr 06 2005
  

       Sour Cream & Onion. (My favorite)   

       Phundug, I know exactly how you feel.   

       What's your favorite, phundug & Machiavelli?
DesertFox, Apr 06 2005
  

       I like the regular ones the best. Cheezums comes in a close second.
Machiavelli, Apr 06 2005
  

       I'd like to see a spring-loaded mechanism in the cannister so the pringles are always at the top (similar to plate stackers found in restaurants).
xaviergisz, Apr 06 2005
  

       [xaviergisz], that is eminently sensible. Sour Cream & onion here too.
phundug, Apr 06 2005
  

       the Pizza flavored Pringles are my favorite. Talking about chips in general, has anyone had the Guacamole flavored Doritos? To die for!
natewill, Apr 07 2005
  

       Ironically, I just sent a complaint to Pringles because of a nearly half-empty can I opened about 3 days ago (even more ironic about the "half" thing here. We have our iron supplements taken care of for a few weeks). Haven't heard back since; anyone want to start a "get Afro Assault a free can of Pringles" letter writing campaign?

For the record:
1. Original
2. Sour Cream 'n Onion
3. Mesquite BBQ
My favorites.

//Is there anywhere in the world that doesn't have Pringles?//
See second link.

Oh, and given the size of my hands, I always wanted them to do this.
AfroAssault, Apr 07 2005
  

       On the shelves for 20 years? They don't sell very well in Oz then?
half, Apr 07 2005
  

       //Mitch Hedberg's theory that the Pringles company was first started to package tennis balls but they received a shipment of potatoes instead.// Very sad to hear he is now Late.
I laughed & laughed when he did the bit on that. Pringles being a very laid back company, he said.
Didn't anyone learn anything from Dan Quayle?
aw fuedalism, tilt the can at an angle & put the quantity you don't want back into the can.
Zimmy, Apr 07 2005
  

       [Bubba], it's that powdered potato and sawdust flavor I enjoy so much. That and a glass of Diet Vanilla Coke and I'm in junk food heaven.   

       Yeah, [Zimmy]. Very sad, he was such a funny guy and I loved his style. On the Comedy Central website they have cartoon "Shorties" on a couple of his bits.
Machiavelli, Apr 07 2005
  

       //"Once you pop, you can't stop!" //

More like: "You can't stop until you pop!"

A good idea about the 3 part container. I don't think the spring system would work as well as for the plates; aren't the plates pushed up against something to counter for the changing weight? The pringles would be broken when sliding them out to one side.

What about a sliding "false" floor? It could be pushed upwards and set at a new height.
Ling, Apr 07 2005
  

       //What about a sliding "false" floor? It could be pushed upwards and set at a new height.// excellent. a little tab on the side of the tube to move the floor up and down.
po, Apr 07 2005
  

       I am also sorry to hear about Mitch Hedberg. He was really funny. :(
phundug, Apr 07 2005
  

       Loving the false floor idea. Is there anyone out there who shares my enjoyment of the simple yet elegant Salt and Vinegar?
hidden truths, Apr 07 2005
  

       I haven't seen Salt and Vinegar Pringles around here but if they had them I'd share your enjoyment with a tall glass of cold water.
Machiavelli, Apr 07 2005
  

       I'll eat any Pringles - they're all equally good, as far as I'm concerned.   

       //Pringles taste like powdered potato and sawdust, to me.// Face it, [UB], we yanks love tasteless food.
shapu, Apr 07 2005
  

       The new Chili flavored ones are good. Sour Cream & Onion is always my favorite. The Salt & Vinegar flavor was unusual, but they have zing. Cheezums are very good, too. White Cheddar is great for relaxing. Sweet Mesquite, very nice. Original is addictive. Pizzalicious is delicious. And so on......   

       Why hasn't Pringles made Ranch flavored chips? Or have they?
DesertFox, Apr 07 2005
  

       "Pringles Ranch-rageous"
half, Apr 07 2005
  

       Ahhhh....   

       I haven't seen it. I would definitely like to try them.
DesertFox, Apr 07 2005
  

       I'm just posting a useless anno, figuring that some Pringles marketing dude will read this page, implement the idea, and the reward all of us with a free year's supply.....   

       Oh, and no need to make the bottom 1/3 resealable. It's not like there's really a market for the leftovers.
sophocles, Apr 07 2005
  

       I have nothing to say except that I think this is a jolly good idea.
Basepair, Apr 07 2005
  

       I love it. It needs a twistaway mechanism instead of a pull-thingy. [+]
Blumster, Apr 08 2005
  

       You're supposed to take them out of the can first. Who wants to eat a Pringle after you've had your stinky mitt shoved in there?   

       Who wants to eat a Pringle anyway, for that matter? I guess I'm just not that big a fan of the taste of cardboard. But hey, people like 'em, so whatever.
waugsqueke, Apr 08 2005
  

       what about a spring in the base instead, like toothpaste pumps. I'm with you though [waugs] Pringles are the (tasty) spwan of the devil.
neilp, Apr 08 2005
  

       I thought much of the appeal of Pringles was the hunter gatherer instinct associated with peering down the tube, choosing what your'e after and then working out how to get it. Once its in your hand, you deserve to eat your 'prize'.
benfrost, Apr 08 2005
  

       So, not an idea for novel packaging for golfing knitwear?
AbsintheWithoutLeave, Apr 08 2005
  

       re: Ian's. there you used to be a party game - trying to consume cream crackers in 2 minutes without any form of water. I forget the maximum that was humanly possible. 15?
po, Apr 08 2005
  

       Perhaps what might be better is a heavy duty and heavily branded long handled Pringles Hammer, which the prospective Pringle eater rams repeatedly (and perhaps even Freudianly) into the canister, reducing the reconstituted powdered potato snacks to easily pourable and potentially snortable unreconstituted powdered potato.   

       If the problem exists such that this solution gains such approval, surely the those self-loathing apathetics who must make up at least a minority of the snack-munching population will reject Pringles as a depressing reminder of their corpulence and hamfistedness. Perhaps it is time for indivudualy wrapped Pringles.
calum, Apr 08 2005
  

       Yeah, po, we used to do that with marshmallows. It usually led to a game of "Chubby Bunny", which involved cramming as many marshmallows as was humanly possible into your mouth and then trying to say chubby bunny. Not as easy as it sounds.
salachair, Apr 08 2005
  

       <laughs> I can just picture your family doing that.
po, Apr 08 2005
  

       [Ling] see link, this has been proposed before.
dentworth, Apr 08 2005
  

       15 [po]? I must say that I am very impressed. Having made repeated attempts today, I have found myself unbable to pass 5
hidden truths, Apr 08 2005
  

       In fact, according to the Guinness World Records, the world record for 3 cream crackers is 49.15 seconds. If you were serious about that number then there could be rather impressed
hidden truths, Apr 08 2005
  

       //So nobody else uses the simple strategy of opening a tube, tipping it up to ones mouth and consuming the contents in one go?//
I just use my frog tongue.
AfroAssault, Apr 08 2005
  

       I was going to suggest that the floor could raise up when you twisted the walls of the tin, like lipsalves do. But now I think the pringles hammer is better.
Loris, Apr 08 2005
  

       I dragged 15 completely out of thin air. I was originally going to guess at 10 but it did seem a staggeringly small amount. I seem to remember that old big mouth was quite good at the game.
po, Apr 08 2005
  

       Along those lines, Ian Tindale, has anyone ever tried eating, including swallowing, six standard, salty, saltine crackers in one minute?
bristolz, Apr 08 2005
  

       bris. ahem! eh?
po, Apr 08 2005
  

       chubby bunny?   

       I remember that. <tears of laughter> Hahahaha!!   

       Can you eat an entire piece of bread in 30 seconds? And swallow it all?
DesertFox, Apr 08 2005
  

       With a big steel-press or vice, more than 7 times. Else, by hand, 7 times is the limit.
DesertFox, Apr 08 2005
  

       Stop talking about Pringles you bastards. We're doing a low carb diet til the wedding [sigh]
hazel, Apr 08 2005
  

       Pringles Mmmmmmmm......   

       Whens the wedding?
DesertFox, Apr 09 2005
  

       dentworth, yes the 'push up' idea is almost the same as your link. But po's tab comment has given me another idea:
The false floor should have two vertical strips of paper attached to it, so that they are on the inside of the tube, near the top. When the false floor needs to be raised, pull on the two tabs and then bend them over the top of the tube.
This means that the basic tube is not changed: sealing is the same, and the cost is minor.

Pringles: if you use this idea, then put the hb name on the tube.
Ling, Apr 09 2005
  

       Definitely.
DesertFox, Apr 09 2005
  

       Ling, not quite what I meant but that is far superior in its simplicity.
po, Apr 09 2005
  

       Cool. You could play the cans in 3 different notes, then.
RayfordSteele, Apr 09 2005
  

       I like the tab idea, it might work better if the paper tabs had a wire in the center to help them stay bent over the top rim. like twist ties do. the problem then would be how do you keep the lids airtight seal?
RBStimers, Apr 10 2005
  

       those plastic lids will go over a bit of wire, no problem
po, Apr 10 2005
  

       Shows what I know about health. I wasn't aware that there were carbohydrates in pringles. I wasn't even aware that they were technically food. Also good luck for the big day [hazel] and [jon], and are you that surprised that we are talking about pringles in the "Tear-Away Pringles Canister" idea?
hidden truths, Apr 11 2005
  

       Perhaps a plastic loop track that vertically encircles the can. The track has many small spokes where each Pringle is held separately. Pull down with thumb on the outside bank for next Pringle to rise out of the can and lift up vertically for easy consumption and fingerless sharing.
Widgit, Apr 11 2005
  

       //Whens the wedding?//   

       July 2nd - then we're over to the States for a Pringle-filled honeymoon.
hazel, Apr 14 2005
  

       A honey-filled pringle moon pie. Sounds like a tasty treat.
spiritualized, May 03 2005
  

       If your hand is too fat to reach into the tube, that's nature's way of telling you to stop eating Pringles!
MikeOliver, Sep 11 2006
  

       From memory the challange was to take many Pringles in a stack, place in mouth and eat without using hands and with no crumbs. Standing record was 17 and provided hours of entertainment.
lolo, Mar 26 2007
  

       i hate pringles, but endorse this idea [+]
lilsis, Mar 26 2007
  

       I only got to 4 saltines before one minute came.
Aet Lindling, Mar 26 2007
  

       I was rather hoping this would take the form of a stack of flexible pringles stuck together, which could be peeled from one another like those tear-off strips on motor-racing helmet visors.   

       The adhesive would then have mere seconds to pull the deformed Pringle back to its normal, curvy shape, and then harden and dry out, leaving naught but flavoursome processed potato to cram into your processed-potato-snack-hole.   

       Of course, in order to do this, the Pringles would need to be staggered (like documents coming out of a copier) so you could reliably grab the edge of a single one to peel it off the stack.   

       This way, they'd be robust enough to stand on their own, so you wouldn't have to package them in the cardboard tubes - just shrink-wrap them. You may need a moulded stand at the bottom to stop them rolling on their curved edges and falling off the shelves.   

       (spicy hot, for the record)
Defiler, Mar 27 2007
  

       I like the false floor idea. Rather like a push-up ice cream, or the old stick underarm deodorants.   

       Recently saw a Food network piece on Pringles. Oddly enough, the recipe is powdered dry potatoes and sawdust.
Noexit, Mar 28 2007
  

       //the recipe is powdered dry potatoes and sawdust.//   

       I wonder if plain pringles are good for keeping pet termites?
Ling, Mar 29 2007
  

       Sounds like you need individual tubes. Each chip can have its own metal floor, brief walls, and plastic ceiling.   

       All the cans will be in a big sack.   

       Bon appetit.
GutPunchLullabies, Mar 29 2007
  

       Brilliant idea
can1073, Dec 01 2007
  

       When I used to enjoy Pringles (I guess my taste buds evolved - one day they all just started to taste like UB's powdered potato and sawdust - every flavour) I would lay the tube on its side once the chips got out of easy reach. This would cause the stack to fan out toward the opening, making them easy to reach and remove individually.
Canuck, Dec 01 2007
  

       Have a Pringles tube that opens at both ends.
r_kreher, Aug 30 2008
  

       There's an easy solution: Put your hand over the top of the container, turn the container upside down, turn the container sideways, and take your hand away from the container. You will now have a small number of chips in your hand.
goldbb, May 12 2009
  

       Perhaps a better solution might be to get pringles to make larger diameter chips.
goldbb, May 12 2009
  

       Bun for you. This is precisely the reason I quit buying Pringles.
threelefts, May 13 2009
  

       i suspect that with proper flavor engineering you could get people to eat acoustic ceiling tiles. Nothing i have ever put in my mouth has offended me more than the time i ate a stale pringle. It was clear to me that i would never come near them again. It wasn't stale or rancid, it literally revealed it's true and absolute artifice. I have never been so sick since.
WcW, May 13 2009
  

       I notice that in recent weeks the cans have gotten longer than ever before.   

       I see someone else posted a variant of my own solution, which is very simple. Just put the lid on the can, tilt the can so the contents flow to the lid, then tilt the can so it is horizontal, then take the lid off (using hand to catch any crumbs) and start eating.
Vernon, May 13 2009
  


 

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