Frito Lay Reveals Official Name for Cheeto Dust

Cheetos have served as a go-to snack for many for nearly half a century, thanks to their [...]

By Jenna Anderson

Cheetos have served as a go-to snack for many for nearly half a century, thanks to their delightfully-cheesy flavor and melt-in-your-mouth quality. Almost as long as Cheetos have been in the mainstream, people have probably complained about one aspect of the snack -- the excess powder that quickly gets on your hands while eating them. If you've been unsure exactly what to call the snack, Frito Lay officially has you covered. As part of a press release announcing their brand-new Cheetos Popcorn earlier this month, the company revealed that the orange and red dust has a proper name -- Cheetle.

"We've seen the way Cheetos lovers don their red- and orange-dusted fingers like a badge of honor, and we're always looking for ways to help them step up their snacking game," Brandi Ray, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay North America, said in a statement. "The only way to truly take popcorn to the next level is to add the iconic Cheetle, the cheesy dust that will entice Cheetos fans to snack on this popcorn all year long."

In the days since the announcement, fans have had quite a lot to say about the "Cheetle" of it all (including a lot of jokes about Marvel Cinematic Universe star Don Cheadle). Some have also questioned the true origins of the "Cheetle" phrase, which appear to be murkier than meets the eye. According to HuffPost, Frito Lay has had that exact spelling of "Cheetle" trademarked for over a decade, with brand mascot Chester Cheetah using the term in a hashtag in a 2015 tweet. But outside of the official channels, many think the term - which has been used on Urban Dictionary since 2005 - originated from Saturday Night Live alum Rich Hall, who used the term in his Sniglets book in the 1980s. Ed Helms, who starred in The Office and The Hangover trilogy, took to Twitter earlier this month to defend Hall's creation of the word.

Either way, "Cheetle" is expected to have an interesting 2020, as the dust appears to play a big role in Cheetos' upcoming Super Bowl ad. The commercial, a preview of which was released this week, shows MC Hammer coming up with the idea of "U Can't Touch This" after almost getting Cheetle on a piano.

What do you think of "Cheetle"? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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