LAY'S — THE CHICAGO BRAND MUSEUM

A GEM DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Lay's potato chips were founded by Herman W. Lay in Nashville, Tennessee in 1932. Herman Lay started his company during the Great Depression, when many failed he flourished. In 1938, Lay bought the manufacturing company Barrett Potato Chips, where he distributed products later renaming it the H.W. Lay & Company. It wasn't until 1944 when Lay shortened the company name to Lay’s Potato Chips. Lay’s quickly made history, that same year Lay’s became the first potato chip brand to advertise on television. The first Lay’s commercial featured an animated mascot named “Oscar, the Happy Potato”, together Oscar and Lay’s laid the groundwork for all snack food brands. Lays quickly became the leading the largest potato chip manufacturer in the United States.

LAY’S THROUGH THE YEARS

A few years later, in 1961, Lay’s merged with the Frito Company to form Frito-Lay, Inc., creating one of the largest snack food producers in the United States. Shortly afterward, Frito-Lay merged with Pepsi-Cola in 1965, providing the resources needed to expand Lay’s products into markets around the world while continuing to introduce new flavors and snack varieties. Under PepsiCo, Lay’s released popular flavors such as Barbecue, Sour Cream & Onion, Salt & Vinegar, and Cheddar & Sour Cream. By the mid-1990s, Lay’s products were available in international markets, including India and Mexico. The brand continued to introduce new flavors and redesigned its packaging in 2019 with a more modern and colorful appearance. In 2025, Lay’s began updating its potato chip recipes to remove artificial flavors and colors. Today, Lay’s remains the best selling potato chip brand globally and one of the world’s most recognizable snack brands, with its vastly wide variety of flavors and international reach securing its lasting place in snack food history.