While they are now commonplace, partnerships between snack producers and fast food companies did not truly take off until Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos.
The taco shell made of the same stuff as the cheesy, crunchy chips immediately amassed a cult following and set off a wave that continues to this day.
Only in the last few months, we saw Krispy Kreme DNUT and General Mills GIS's Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Pepsi PEP- flavored pizza and a Buffalo Wild Wings BWLD sauce made from Frito-Lay's Doritos.
It All Started On Reddit
Given the popularity of Locos Tacos, any new partnership the Yum! Brands (YUM)-owned Taco Bell has a high bar to meet as well as a large number of fans tracking the slightest of menu updates.
And rumor has it that the Tex-Mex chain is once again banking on people's love of cheesy things.
On June 22, a Reddit user posted an image of an Irvine, California Taco Bell menu with two items that had not been seen before: a tostada on a giant Cheez-It and Crunchwrap with what looks like the same big Cheez-It inside.
The photo was predictably met with squeals of approval from those who follow the Taco Bell subreddit.
"Why have many cheez-its when you can have one cheez-them," wrote user u/james_the_human05.
"Okay but hear me out, that big cheez it Crunchwrap is going to be FIRE," wrote u/hypocriticalthoughts. "Everyone thought Doritos loco [sic] was a bad idea and now here we are, permanent menu item."
A Kellogg (K)'s brand, the cheddar-flavored cracker carries some weight in American food culture -- many have fond memories of eating Cheeze-Its after school or during lunch hour breaks.
The nostalgia factor can be a powerful marketing tool since they take into both the curious and those who have memories of eating it as kids.
"The Cheez-It is literally a wide Cheez-It cracker!" writes one Reddit user who claims to have tried both the tostada and the crunchwrap. "If you like cheese, then you WILL enjoy the tostada. As a cheese lover myself I will be coming back for that tostada because it was delicious!"
What Else Has Been Happening At Taco Bell?
In new menu items that have actually been confirmed, Taco Bell recently also launched the Mango Freeze and Mango Whip Freeze — mango-based frozen drinks released just in time for summer.
But while a drink can also have a viral following (see the Baja Blast), partnerships have been Taco Bell's strongpoint — some recent ones include Pepsico (PEP)'s Brisk for the Dragon Paradise Sparkling Iced Tea and the Cinnabon Delights Coffee.
The Big Cheez-It Tostada also comes on the heels of a protracted fiasco of the Mexican Pizza. Fans repeatedly demanded the return of what was supposed to be a limited-time item; Taco Bell brought it back but quickly had to pull it off the menu after underestimating just how many would want to buy it.
Hopefully that doesn't happen with the yet-to-be-confirmed Cheez-It items, but, as the above incident has shown, it can be hard to gauge which limited-edition dish will fizzle out and which will become a cult classic remembered over generations.
"Our menu is full of fan-favorites, but the Mexican Pizza is at the top of that list," Taco Bell CEO Mark King said in a statement.
