Arnott's Shapes

Arnotts Shapes

Two boxes of cheddar-flavored Shapes
Product type	Snack food
Owner	Arnott's Biscuits Holdings
Country	Australia
Introduced	16 February 1964
Markets	Australia UK (discontinued)
Tagline	Flavour you can See
Website	http://www.arnotts.com.au/products/shapes/

Arnott's Shapes are a popular line of savory biscuits produced by Arnott's in Australia. First produced in Victoria in the 1950s, they were originally made in the shape of potato chips, until bakers realized they were too difficult to cut and were a waste of dough. In 1974, they switched to the flat biscuits, which are sold today. Arnott's Shapes are sold in different packaging including multi-pack bags and boxes. In Australia, during the mid-1990s, Arnott's reduced the box packaging size of the core flavours from 250 grams to 200 grams. During 2011, Arnott's further reduced the packaging size from 200 grams to 175–185 grams. The reason for the name "Shapes" is because of the variety of the individual biscuit shapes, depending on the flavour. Arnott's boasts that Shapes are "[oven] baked, not fried", which is a less fatty method of cooking; however, Shapes are still high in fat at 20–25% and high in sodium.

Over 53 million packets of Shapes are consumed each year in Australia. In 2016, Arnott's changed the recipe of the iconic biscuits, with many customers complaining that they were not happy about the so-called improved updated formula. The company has since backtracked this decision by restoring the original Pizza Shapes recipe, as well as leaving the recipe for Chicken Crimpy intact and offering an 'Original Barbecue' flavor.

These flavors have existed since the snack's inception:

Formulaic changes in the seasoning's makeup plus the omission and addition of flavours have revised the core range:

Hollow, puffy shapes with a crisp texture.

The range was reduced to just Chicken Drumstick, then discontinued.

Flavours around the world.

A one-flavor range commemorating Australia Day.

A flavor exclusive at Coles, available each year during AFL and Australian soccer highlights:

A collection of flavours marketed towards customers more appreciative of 'gourmet' tastes:

Shapes were on sale in the United Kingdom at Asda in early 2011 as an export product. Due to a poor marketing campaign, sales were underwhelming and they are no longer stocked by Asda. They were then stocked by Tesco but are no longer as of March 2013.