Combos, officially called Combos Stuffed Snacks, are cylindrical tubes of cracker, pretzel, or tortilla, available with various fillings.
History
Combos Snacks, created in the early 1980s, are a snack food distributed by
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$40 billion in annual sales in 2021.
Mars was ranked as the fourth-largest priva ...
, and sold throughout
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. Though the pretzel form was produced first, Combos were first released in cracker form. They are also available with tortilla shells.
In mid-June 2016, some varieties of Combos were affected by an undeclared nut-related recall.
Production
Combos are produced by forming a soft bread-like dough, which is hollowed out into a tube-shaped form. A cutter slices the dough into bite-sized lengths. The snacks are then baked, cooled, and filled with the appropriate filling.
Flavors
![6301Photos taken in Poblacion, Baliuag, Bulacan 70](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/6301Photos_taken_in_Poblacion%2C_Baliuag%2C_Bulacan_70.jpg)
Combos are available in seven standard flavors:
* Cheddar Cheese Pretzel
* Pizzeria Pretzel
* Pepperoni Pizza Cracker
* Cheddar Cheese Cracker
* Buffalo Blue Cheese Pretzel
* Seven Layer Dip Tortilla
* Sweet & Salty Caramel Crème Pretzel
* Sweet & Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzel
They also offer several limited edition or exclusive flavors:
* Honey Sriracha Pretzel
* Spicy Honey Mustard
* Jalapeño Cheddar
* Cheddar Cheese Bacon Pretzel (Walgreens exclusive)
* Sweet Barbeque Baked Cracker (Walgreens exclusive)
* Garlic Parmesan Baked Cracker
Discontinued flavors include:
* Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Cracker
* Cheeseburger Cracker
* Mustard Pretzel
* Nacho Cheese Pretzel
* Zesty Salsa Tortilla
* Peanut Butter Pretzel
* Peanut Butter Cracker
Advertising
In 2006, Combos worked with TBWA and Agency.com to create the Man Mom campaign, and in 2008, Combos worked with Agency.com to create th
Combos Nation campaign Combos is an official sponsor of
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing and part-t ...
,
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
driver of the number 18
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Camry ...
, whose car features other
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$40 billion in annual sales in 2021.
Mars was ranked as the fourth-largest priva ...
products as well. Busch won the
2008 Best Buy 400 benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks with Combos as the primary sponsor of his car. It is the official cheese-filled snack of NASCAR.
In popular culture
* The 2000
Morphine
Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...
song "Top Floor Bottom Buzzer" on the album ''
The Night'' contains the lines, "There's a muchacha, teachin' me to mambo. There's my buddy Pete eyein' a bowl of Combos."
* Rodney Rush played the character of Christian "Combo" Ortega on the show ''
Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
'', named after the snack.
* Comedian and actor
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ismail Ansari (; born February 23, 1983) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC series ''Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015) and as creator and star of the Netflix series ''Master ...
references the snack in his 2015 book ''
Modern Romance: An Investigation'', saying, "Should I go out with this girl even though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack foods? Combos!!?"
* The snack was featured on a February 2020 episode of the
''Bon Appétit'' YouTube channel series ''Gourmet Makes'' with
Claire Saffitz.
References
External links
*
{{Mars brands
Brand name snack foods
Food and drink introduced in the 1980s
Mars confectionery brands