This Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of General Mills’ popular snack bugles in a horn shape. You can count back from May 18, 1964, when the first press release was issued about them.
Bugles was launched in May 1964, with regional launches in Seattle and Portland, Omaha, Des Moines. Buffalo, Syracuse, and Des Moines. The national launch was made in 1966.
chinese buffet was one of three new General Mills snacks which represented our entry into snack food markets fifty years ago. We haven’t looked back since then, as our snack range has grown in size and variety.
Bugles snack siblings back then were Whistles, a cheddar-flavored corn product that looked like a whistle with a “taste similar to grilled cheese on bread, but crunchy”; and Daisy*s, a flower-shaped snack with the flavor of “puffed popcorns”.
Although Whistles’ and Daisy*s disappeared in a matter of years, Bugles lasted for many years. However, there were many varieties that have come and gone or been offered only on a limited basis.
There have been salsa, sour cream, onion, hot buffalo, hot barbecue, food hoodies and fat free and baked bugles to name a few. They are still manufactured at our West Chicago facility, where they were first made in the 60s. And what started with a small-scale launch in the U.S. in the 60s has expanded to other parts of the globe.
Today, Bugles can be found in Canada, China and Saudi Arabia. France, South Korea, and Thailand are other countries that have tried Bugle.
As we discovered in Canada, Bugle fans are dedicated. People demanded their return when General Mills discontinued selling them in Canada in 2008. We brought them back after a four year absence from Canada.
China is the most enthusiastic of all the Bugle markets, despite the fact that they are not available in the U.S. Bugle was introduced in China in 1999. It has 16 varieties, including ketchup, which is the most loved flavor among Chinese teenagers and adults.
General Mills also has other flavor options that are tailored to Chinese tastes. These include Korean kimchi and spring onion, spicy chickens, tomato beef, tomato seafood, tomato steak, roasted rib, seaweed, and tomato seafood. General Mills China recently introduced Bug les Crispy Potato Stick snacks, in tomato and original flavors. Two years ago, they were even featured in “Mad Men” television show. Also, I have fond memories of Bugles.
- As a child, I would place individual Bugles on each of my fingers to scare my brothers. However, it didn’t work.
- But the “nails” were soon gone, one at a time, thanks to my mouth. Mmm. I can’t imagine anything better than those salty, crunchy corn snacks.
- It’s not me. Every day, we see people sharing photos on social media of the Bugles they have put on their fingertips.
Are you still hungry for Bugles?
Grab a bag and Celebrate 50 Years of Bug les! Editor’s Note: Images and information were provided by the General Mills Archives team for this article.
This weeks blog will focus on the bugle, an instrument that is used in military bands around the globe. We will discuss the history and present some calls, as well as the current importance of the bugle.
A simple Brass Instrument?
Bugles are 4ft 6″ long tubes with a conical bore. This bore is what gives the instrument its soft, flugel-like tone. The instrument is pitched in Bb. However, the music is notated in C. Because it has no valves or slides, estuaries food web pitch control is left to the player by adjusting their embouchure. The bugle can only be played within the harmonic series. It is not easy to play, and it can take several months to perfect the embouchure.
Today’s bugles can be found in many pitches and are often used together
- Soprano (high pitch)
- Alto (medium pitch).
- Baritone (tenor pitch).
- Contrabass (bass pitch)
The History of the Bugle
The early development of communication instruments using animal horns was the bugle. These instruments were used during hunts to communicate. Bugles have been used by armies for centuries. Even the ancient Romans used a bugle called a “buccina”. A half-moon-shaped brass bugle was first used as a military tool in Hanover, Germany in 1758. It was popularly used in foot regiments and spread to England in 1764. These instruments were used to show daily routines in the camp or relay orders from soldiers to officers during battle. This task was originally performed by drums, but they were eventually replaced with a louder, more versatile brass instrument.
Bugle Calls
A bugle call can be described as a short tune that only contains notes from one overtone series. This requirement is for calls that must be played on a bugle or trumpet, but without moving the valves. Click here to hear some British Army calls and click here to hear Royal Navy and Royal Marines call.
This is a list of all the bugle sounds and their uses
- “Assembly”, – Signals troops that they must assemble at a specified place
- “Attention” is a sound that warns troops that they are being called to attention
- “Boots and Saddles”, a sound that allows mounted troops to mount rays food place and take their places in line
- “Charge” – Signals troops to conduct a charge or gallop forward with deadly intent into harm’s path.
- “Last Post”: The Last Post was used in the past to signify the end. It is used most often at Remembrance Day commemorative services and military funerals.
- “Dinner Call” signals mealtime
- “Sunset” is used to signal the end the official military day
- Marines use “Reveille” to signal troops to wake up for the morning roll call.
- “The Rouse” is a signal to soldiers to get up by the Army.