Nik Naks
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Nik Naks are a type of extruded corn snack manufactured by the Golden Wonder company in the United Kingdom. The brand was purchased by United Biscuits in 2006.
First invented by mistake in the company's Scunthorpe factory.
Available in 4 flavours:
- Scampi & Lemon (Green bag)
- Cream & Cheesy (Yellow bag)
- Nice & Spicy (Orange bag)
- Rib n Saucy (Purple bag)
Scampi & Lemon - also known as 'unsociables' - were discontinued along with the 'Hard Cheese' flavour but were brought back due to popular demand.
It had a notable advertising campaign in the 90s created by animator Bill Plympton, based on his short film Push Comes to Shove, in which two men's heads transform into a variety of shapes.
During 2004-5, its advertising led with the tagline 'Eat The Geek', coined due to their odd appearance. One commercial, set on a cross-Channel ferry, was a modern parody of the sci-fi classic Alien (film), wherein a passenger eats a Nik Nak only to have it explode from his stomach and begin dancing to Le Freak by CHIC (band) .
The Nik-nak is also a slang term for a well known basketball shot. Many believe that the 'nobbly shape' is derived from the position usually taken by a center upon laying off the shot, the contorsion of the players body aiding in increasing the accuracy of the play.
