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Pringles have shrunk. We repeat: PRINGLES HAVE SHRUNK.

 

First Freddo Frogs shrunk by 20 per cent, reducing them to mere tadpoles in the global confectionery pond.

Then it was insultingly small Wagon Wheels, Cadbury family blocks that could barely feed a family of one and new and “improved” Shapes, which did nought but leave a bad taste in the mouths of Australian snack lovers.

And now this. Teenie tiny packets of Pringles SO SMALL one might be forgiven for asking if perhaps their hands were growing.

Pringles are shrinking, people, and they’re shrinking fast.

What is this travesty? Source: Facebook

Shoppers were quick to have notice the changes to the saddle-shaped starchy staple, despite supermarkets' best efforts to hide them.

The new Pringles cylinders, narrower in diameter but similar in height, are being hidden and sold among the older, larger tubes.

In some cases, they cost just 10 cents less (which according to maths by the Daily Mail, equates to a COST BLOW OUT of $2.70 per 100g to $2.98).

Diminished tubes also means smaller chips, which means hangry, hangry computer-literate customers.

"I thought my arm was getting fatter from enjoying Pringles too much," furious young man Kurt Gasparini wrote on the Pringles Down Under Facebook.

"Turns out you've just gone and shrunk your tubes on the sly ... Please explain?"

PLEASE EXPLAIN, PRINGLES.

"So you thought you could just change the packaging and nobody would notice?" writes chip connoisseur Nicole Woods.

"I knew as soon as I saw the new tubes that they were thinner than the old ones. Then I was in a different grocery store which happened to have both old and new Pringles in stock. Imagine my surprise when I noticed you had not only changed the packaging, but also the amount of Pringles we get - even though we're being charged the SAME price! Is this happening all over the world or is it just the Australian public being duped as per usual...?"

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Good bloody question, Nicole. Good bloody question.

Apparently, there's also fewer Pringles in the new packs.

"You made your self smaller and only pack your self half full," Shaun McKay say, hashtagging he was ‪#‎extremelydissapointed‬.

The physical manifestation of Shaun's extreme disappointment. Source: Facebook

Pringles, which are manufactured by the Kellogg company and sold in more than 140 countries, originated in Tennessee.

Apparently increased production costs and customer demand have led to a new manufacturing location  being opened in Malaysia, which is where the teenie chips are coming from.

"We’ve tried to keep the RRP for Pringles as competitive as possible. Since 2012, we’ve kept the price of Pringles flat. During that time the cost of business has gone up. As a result the price/kg on Pringles has gone up slightly as we could no longer absorb the cost," the enigmatic 'Mr P' wrote on one Facebook post.

"Due to the incredibly high demand of Pringles worldwide, we've expanded our production to a brand new factory in Malaysia. Since the plant was already serving Pringles to this part of the world, it made sense for us to standardise production which has brought in minor changes to packaging and size for Australia. Enjoy crunching," he said on another,

Meanwhile it's possible Mr P has finally been found and we're certain he can expect some furious private messages.