1. The name was originally a tiny bit longer.

 

Goldfish as we know them were first sold in Switzerland and called Goldfish Tiny Crackers. After they were introduced in the U.S. in the 1960s, though, the "tiny" part vanished from the name.

Image: tias.com

2. Julia Child was known to put out Goldfish crackers as an appetizer.

 

The French Chef herself gave Goldfish crackers an unexpected gourmet nod of approval. It's said that Julia Child used to put out Goldfish crackers as an appetizer for those lucky enough to attend her dinner parties. Maybe instead of cake, her famous quote should say, "A party without Goldfish is really just a meeting."

3. Pepperidge Farms churns out 142 billion Goldfish crackers each year.

 

Move over, Cheese Nips. Cry me a river, Cheez-Its. Those tiny Goldfish crackers are ranked above every other cheese cracker in the United States. To meet the demand, it's said Pepperidge Farms cranks out 142 billion little fishies every year.

4. Goldfish have even gone into outer space!

 

In 1988, Goldfish crackers boarded the Space Shuttle Discovery and blasted off into space. Their job? To make the trip less tedious for the crew (and likely a lot more snacky). In total, those Goldfish traveled 1.7 million miles, if they survived that long, that is.

5. Nabisco lost a lawsuit that said they copied Goldfish.

 

More than 10 years after Goldfish visited space, it was time for the cracker to head into the courtroom. The problem? Nabisco partnered with Nickelodeon to make a special cracker based on its popular kids show CatDog. The CatDog crackers had tiny cheese fish crackers for the cat, and tiny cheese crackers shaped like bones for the dog. In the end, Pepperidge Farm kept the fish and the bones—it's estimated that Nabisco had already made $3.4 million off their crackers by the time the Goldfish gavel dropped.

Image: Pinterest

6. Goldfish commercials started airing in 1977.

 

Although Goldfish crackers were an instant hit in the U.S., it took about 15 years for Pepperidge Farms to air its first commercials promoting its distinct snack. The reason? That's when it first dawned on the company that they should be targeting kids, not adults.

7. It took almost 40 years before the Goldfish cracker smiled.

 

In 1997, Goldfish made its first-ever change to its iconic cracker in the history of its existence. They gave the fish a face. Now we're used to goldfish crackers staring and smiling back at us (before we down them by the handful, of course).

8. This is why the crackers are shaped like a fish.

 

The biscuit-maker behind the Goldfish cracker was a Swiss man named Oscar J. Kambly. His story is that he wanted to make a cracker for his wife, a Pisces, the symbol for which is a fish. He landed on the goldfish, out of all fish, because he knew it was a symbol of luck. And that's why we're all lucky enough to have cute little fishies swimming in our soups today.

See also: 12 crispy, salty snack foods from the 1960s

 

You may have forgotten about these bygone chips and crackers, but your taste buds have not. Read more.