You probably did not get your own copy of the press release sent by Nabisco, but you can still taste the excitement.
“After more than 85 years of remarkable success, the world’s best-selling cookie is pleased to announce the arrival of a tiny new sibling — Mini Oreo!”
At 1 inch in diameter, the Mini is one-fifth the size of a regular Oreo. It comes in resealable pouches and vending-machine bags.
So why does this “newest member of the Oreo family” feel so … old? So familiar? As if you’ve seen him before?
Maybe because you have.
Oh, they may call the petite Mini new, but this isn’t the first time a 1-inch miniature Oreo has made the rounds. Back in 1991, Nabisco introduced a Mini Oreo. He, too, was 1 inch in diameter, one-fifth the size of a regular Oreo.
But demand exceeded supply. Distribution was problematic. The Mini was young and unsure. He couldn’t take the heat.
“It disappeared after only a year,” says Nabisco spokeswoman Ann Smith. “This is a brand-new Mini Oreo. It’s not identical. Well, it is pretty much identical. But the packaging, the proposition, is totally different.”
Ah, the proposition. In ’91, resealable pouches did not exist. The Mini came in a plastic “tray,” just like the other Oreos. And if the packaging was different, so was the world. In those days, the Mini was cashing in on a miniature trend.
“Everything was miniaturizing itself,” Smith recalls. “Ritz Bits had just been introduced, as had tiny Teddy Grahams and Dunkin’ Donuts’ miniature doughnuts.”
Now, small is peanuts, compared to “on-the-go.”
“On-the-go hand-to-mouth snacking is what consumers are demanding,” she says. “It takes Oreo out of the home and into the back of the car, or going to the beach.”
