They've been on supermarket shelves since the late 1960s - but it wasn't until 2006 when gave their mascot a first name.
Invented by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1968, the stackable potato-based chips are now sold in more than 140 countries across the .
The brand was sold to Kellanova in 2012 before Kellogg's parents company agreed to be purchased by Mars Inc in 2024. While their logo has changed eight times, the Pringles man is visible on them all, sporting his iconic moustache throughout all six decades. However, social media users have been left gobsmacked after discovering the mascot has a name - with many in hysterics after learning how it came about.
Prior to 2006, the Pringle man didn't have a name - but this all changed during a Wikipedia hoax pulled off by two college students. Justin Shillock, who goes by Platypus222 on X (formerly ), and Michael Wiseman, known as @therealwiseman on the social media platform, edited the Pringles Wikipedia page for a joke.
After noticing the mascot was nameless, they named him Julius Pringle - but much to their surprise, the company ran with it and have continued to call him by this moniker. Sharing the unusual story on X, Justin said: "Short version is that I made up a name for a moustached snack food mascot, added it to Wikipedia, and over time due to luck and a change of ownership it stuck and the company now claims ownership of it."
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In another confession, posted on , Michael explained: "Justin and I have been friends since third grade, we roomed together in College, this was in our Freshman Year dorm (2006). He was eating a can of Sour Cream & Onion Pringles, I was watching the Carolina Panthers play, and he asked me what I thought the Pringles mascot was named. I saw Julius Peppers, quickly made that connection and just said stupidly, 'Julius Pringles'.
"Because he was already a Wiki mod, it was easier to slip in (and because Wikipedia wasn't locked down as much at the time), but we created an Encyclopedia page about it as well and created a Facebook group later to help spread the lie.
"We (or maybe just me) were really into Wikipedia hoaxes at the time — most of them just using my name and attributing it to stuff, and letting Justin as a mod verify it. Because we were on a college campus, it was also easier to mask IP addresses if you did it from a lab or from a different spot on campus, so less likely to get banned from editing."
Adding to this, Justin clarified that he wasn't a 'Mod', instead explaining how he was "a user with enough activity and positive edits to not be immediately questioned". He added: For Uncyclopedia, there actually was already a page on 'Boris Pringle' but I copied it wholesale, changed the name, and made a new page before (I think) getting the old one deleted.
"I was very surprised when it seemed like Pringles officially adopted it, but based on the timing I always assumed that after the sale of the brand from Procter & Gamble to Kellogg's, some intern didn't know 'Mr. P's' first name and looked it up, assuming that P&G came up with this, and used it, thus setting all of this in motion (it also helps that 'Julius Pringles' is perfect as a full version of "Mr. P"). I don't think P&G would have made the mistake."
Since then, Pringles have well-and-truly adopted the moniker - with even their Funko POP icon sporting this name, prompting one Reddit user to share: "I didn't know the Pringle's guy had a name". Commenting on this, one user said: "I didn't know he had legs and arms... he's always just kind of been a floating head." Another user added: "I didn't know the Pringles guy had a Pop!"