Lay's Do Us A Flavor Parodies are photoshopped mockups of Lay's potato chip bags that swap the real contest flavors for absurd, gross, or joke names. The format traces back to a 2012 Tumblr post but exploded in January 2014 when Lay's launched an official web app that let anyone design a bag.
Origin
On September 29, 2012, Tumblr user CoryDoctorow posted a screenshot compiling parody flavors submitted to the first US Lay's contest, including World's Meanest Dad, Gargled Milk, and several weeping scenarios[7]. That post picked up more than 4,800 notes over the following two years and set the visual template for the joke[7]. The real contest had launched earlier that month with a million dollar prize for the winning flavor, which in 2013 went to Wisconsin resident Karen Weber-Mendham for cheesy garlic bread, beating out sriracha and chicken and waffles submissions[3].
- Platform: Tumblr (source) / Reddit (viral spread)
- Creator: CoryDoctorow (Tumblr)
- Date: 2012
Overview
Lay's Do Us A Flavor Parodies are user-made mockups of Lay's potato chip bags that swap the real contest submissions for absurd, unappetizing, or joke flavor names[1]. They copy the branded yellow bag layout, but the flavor text is something like Gargled Milk, White People Tears, or Toothpaste and Orange Juice[4][2].
The joke worked because Lay's actually ran a crowdsourced flavor contest and even shipped a web tool that let anyone design a bag with custom text, which made polished fakes easy to produce[6]. What started as a small pile of Tumblr screenshots in 2012 blew up in January 2014 when the second round of the contest gave the internet a fresh excuse to flood feeds with custom bags[3].
How It Spread
The parodies only turned into a full trend once Lay's opened a second Do Us a Flavor contest on January 13, 2014 and released an official web app that let people design a Lay's bag with any flavor text they wanted[6]. Two days later, a dedicated Do Us a Flavor Tumblr blog launched to collect the best fake bags in one place[1].
On January 26, 2014, Tumblr user Moist Chunky Slurp posted a compilation of photoshopped Lay's bags that pulled in more than 83,100 notes over the next four days[4]. The next day, user AerosmithHearts posted another set featuring Beer, White People Tears, You Don't Want to Know, and 'Murica, which added over 21,600 notes in its first 72 hours[5].
On January 30, Redditor TheIndicaProphecies uploaded a bag reading Toothpaste and Orange Juice to r/funny, where it collected more than 20,700 upvotes and 1,000 comments in roughly three hours[2].
How to Use
People typically use the official Lay's Do Us a Flavor web app or a photoshop template to drop a joke phrase in place of the flavor name on the yellow bag, then post the image to Tumblr, Reddit, or Twitter[6]. Common conventions include gross-out food combos, political jabs, and self-deprecating in-jokes rather than plausible chip flavors[5].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lays Do Us A Flavor Parodies?
They are photoshopped Lay's potato chip bags that replace the real crowdsourced contest flavor with an absurd, gross, or joke name like Gargled Milk or White People Tears[1][5].
Where did Lays Do Us A Flavor Parodies come from?
The format traces to a September 29, 2012 Tumblr post by user CoryDoctorow that compiled real parody submissions from Lay's first US Do Us a Flavor contest[7].
What does Lays Do Us A Flavor Parodies mean?
It is a marketing parody format that mocks Lay's crowdsourced flavor contest by using its own official bag design to promote fake, ridiculous flavors[3].
How do you use Lays Do Us A Flavor Parodies?
Users typically drop a joke phrase into the official Lay's Do Us a Flavor web app or a photoshop template of the yellow bag, then share the result on Tumblr, Reddit, or Twitter[6].
Is Lays Do Us A Flavor Parodies still popular?
The format peaked during the January 2014 contest cycle, when posts like Toothpaste and Orange Juice on r/funny cleared 20,700 upvotes in about three hours[2].
