Tater Tots
It's from 1953, before you were born.
- Maker
- Ore-Ida
- Type
- Fried potato bites
- Debuted
- 1953
- Note
- made from leftover potato scraps
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About
As of 2026, it's 73 years old.
Tater Tots were invented in 1953 to solve a very specific problem: what to do with the potato scraps left over from making fries. The answer — chop them up, season them, press them into little cylinders, and accidentally create a national treasure — is a masterclass in turning garbage into glory.
Crispy outside, fluffy inside, and immortalized by a kid hoarding them in his pocket in Napoleon Dynamite, the Tot is the rare side dish with a film career.
Bite-sized, beloved, and born from waste, Tater Tots are proof that some of the best food is just leftovers with better PR.
Tater Tots through the years
Invented by Ore-Ida
Created to use up the potato scraps left from making fries.
A pop-culture moment
Napoleon Dynamite cements the tots' place in the snack canon.
