Cracker Jill Enters Frito-Lay Snack Lineup

Cracker Jack, meet your new counterpart, Cracker Jill.

After more than 125 years as one of sport’s most iconic snacks, the famed packaged caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts mix is adding a new face to the brand’s roster: Cracker Jill, who celebrates the women who break down barriers in sports.  

“We are constantly inspired by the many women who are making history by breaking the mold, and we want to celebrate their achievements while supporting the progress,” says Tina Mahal, vice president, marketing at Frito-Lay North America. “Cracker Jack has been part of sports for over a century, as records were made, and rules changed. We’ve been so inspired by how girls and women are changing the face of the game, so in this spirit we introduce Cracker Jill to show girls that they’re represented even in our most iconic snacks.”

The packaging taps the product’s rich history and association with America’s favorite pastime, baseball, through the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” that includes the verse “buy me some peanut and Cracker Jack.” It’s a 7th-inning-stretch tradition and highlight at Chicago’s famed Wrigley Field every home game and at stadiums across the country, which is why the product launch anticipates the start of the Major League Baseball season this week.

Meet the five Jills.

Cracker Jill’s all-American red, white, and blue color scheme features five different female representations on a series of special-edition bags. Each sports a different outfit. These illustrated ladies aren’t just posing, they’re flexing.

The brand’s vision was executed by artist and model Monica Ahanonu, an expert in color theory and a trailblazer for Black artists. Her portrait illustrations echoed the campaign’s goal of highlighting and celebrating women in sports through strong, determined, and vibrant Jills.

According to the Frito-Lay release, “each Jill was inspired by the most represented ethnicities in the US per data from the US Census Bureau.”

While Cracker Jack is represented by Sailor Jack and his dog Bingo on every pack, Cracker Jill has a dog, too.

The bags will be available at the start of this year’s baseball season in professional ballparks across the country and through a donation of $5 or more to the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), a national non-profit that conducts research and advocacy and supports community programming, to help girls and women across the country reach their potential in sport and life. The brand is also donating $200,000 to the WSF.

“Our Foundation is an ally, advocate and catalyst to help unlock the possibilities in every girl and woman through the power of sport,” says Danette Leighton, WSF CEO. “Representation matters — it encourages and inspires the next generation. It’s wonderful to see Cracker Jill come to life, emphasizing the power that representation can have by celebrating women who’ve broken barriers.”

The Cracker Jill packaging collection was created to coincide with the opening of the 2022 baseball season, but the intention is for Jill to continue as a part of the brand ethos.

To learn more about Cracker Jill and to donate to the Women’s Sports Foundation, fans can visit www.CrackerJill.com