Sprinkled Chips Ahoy Cookies
Sprinkled Chips Ahoy appeared in stores in 1990. They didn’t taste very different from standard Chips Ahoy, but they were still a lot more fun to eat.
In 1990, I went to my local Acme Market to pick up some much-needed snacks for a gaming session with my friends. After putting some cheap cola and chips in my cart, I wandered down the cookie aisle to get some store-brand cookies. That’s when I first spotted Sprinkled Chips Ahoy Cookies. I was instantly smitten.
Let me just state that I have yet to meet a sweet treat that could not be improved with the addition of sprinkles. But that was not the reason I was drawn to these particular cookies, it was the packaging. Instead of the familiar blue Chips Ahoy package, this one is white with color sprinkle-colored accents.
It was apt that they would release these cookies at the start of the Nineties. This color aesthetic, which was born in the latter half of the Eighties, would peak in the early part of the Nineties.
After doing some quick math in my head, I figured if I put back the chips and the other cookies, I could get the Sprinkled Chips Ahoy. I was sure no one in the group would have had them yet, surely they would have been mentioned otherwise, so I knew they would be a big hit.
While walking home with them, I got to thinking. Why should they have the Sprinkled Chips Ahoy? I was the one who found them. I was the one who had them! They were mine!
Stale Pretzels and Shasta Cola was all that was served that afternoon while we rolled dice and battled fantasy monsters. My friends were happily exploring mythical realms while my mind was thinking only about those cookies.
That evening, while watching television, I ate at least an entire sleeve of these colorful and tasty cookies. They didn’t taste all that different from standard Chips Ahoy, but their festive tone made them go down easy. That night, my stomach ached a little and I had betrayed my gaming group, but I regretted nothing.
Sprinkled Chips Ahoy were released in 1990 and would be available until at least Christmas of 2000. At least that is the last time I could find mentions of their availability at supermarkets. That might have varied by location. It is probably safe to say that by 2002 you would not have been able to get them anymore, but I have been fooled before.
The earliest mention I could find of them is from May of 1990. A supermarket is selling this “New!” product for $2.49. That is only ten cents more than classic Chips Ahoy and you get two extra ounces!
If that is a little too much for your budget, I found this 50 cent off coupon from a 1990 circular. This might be the very first manufacturer coupon for Sprinkled Chips Ahoy. Even in black & white, you can see the party aesthetic of their advertising and catch both of its apt slogans.
A party in every bite!
&
Topped with colorful sprinkles…packed with fun!
Sprinkles Chips Ahoy
I especially love how the cookies appear to leap off the package and march towards you. 50 cents off is a fantastic deal for Chips Ahoy back then. As you can see, the coupon expired in August 1990, so if they ever re-release them, you will need to dig up a new coupon.
In August 1990, these sprinkled gems were reviewed by the Deseret News Testing Panel. Overall, the reaction to them was universally positive, especially to the kids of the people reviewing them. The review roundup concludes by stating,
How can you improve a great chocolate chip cookie? Nabisco has managed to make Chips Ahoy a party-time treat by adding colored sprinkles. Maybe they don’t taste much different, but they’re sure fun to eat.
In 1992, they started selling a variation, the Holiday Sprinkled Chips Ahoy! The difference, of course, was with the sprinkles. They were changed to red, green, and white for the holiday.
The Sprinkled Chips Ahoy Commercial
Many people who remember Sprinkled Chips Ahoy will recall a commercial featuring Ben Stein. Stein, as a teacher in this commercial, does his famous monotone teacher shtick that he perfected in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Meanwhile, behind him, some kid, bored with his discussion of the planets, decide it’s time to party and what better way to party than with the new Sprinkled Chips Ahoy.
One bite of this cookie and a rock concert breaks out. Complete with fun lighting and hard-driving rock-n-roll music. All of it only in the heads of those who have eaten the mind-altering Sprinkled Chips Ahoy. The teacher is completely oblivious.
It can best be described as a neon-drenched sugar-powered pre-pubescent mosh pit.
It’s a great bit of advertising that was clearly made for the target audience for these cookies. Which according to a press release from the time was ages six to twelve. Good commercials like this make their products even more memorable. So sit back and allow yourself to be transported back in time to 1990 for 30 seconds.
The Chips Ahoy Party Kid
in 1992, you could get yourself a collectible bendable anthropomorphic Sprinkled Chips Ahoy Cookie called the Chips Ahoy Party Kid. He was an adorable 5-inch tall figure with a goofy smile and an amazing Sprinkled Chips Ahoy Cookie baseball cap. I have tried to pick one up several times, but always get beat at auction.
They seem to always being sold out of Canada along with other cookie bendable figure. So I assumed they were part of some giveaway or tie-in there. Lucky Canada.
Update: Well, since originally writing about the Party Kid, I was finally able to get my hands on one. Below are some photos of him in action. I think you will agree it was worth the wait.
Conclusion
Sadly, I don’t think we will see a huge section of the population mobilizing to bring back Sprinkled Chips Ahoy. That’s a shame because it is a simple little riff on the original that is a feast for the eyes. In the meantime, you can recreate them at home. Next time you make some chocolate chip cookies, just hit them with a dash of colorful sprinkles.
You could probably even just pour some sprinkles on Standard Chips Ahoy. They probably won’t stick unless you heat them up, but in a world where you can’t buy a bag of delicious colorful cookies, sometimes you need to compromise.