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Doritos is bringing back its iconic '90s snack: 3D Crunch

Anyone who remembers the '90s Superbowl commercial with Aly Landry is in for a treat.
It's baaaaaack — with a new flavor, too!
It's baaaaaack — with a new flavor, too!TODAY Illustration / Frito-Lay
/ Source: TODAY

Back in the 1998, when 3D movies were state-of-the-art, when Dunkaroos were all the rage in lunchboxes and chunky blonde highlights were booming, Frito-Lay launched Doritos 3D Crunch. And now, after phasing it out in the early 2000s, the brand is bringing back the fan-favorite chip.

Beginning Dec. 28, anyone who once loved these airy, crunchy chips can once again snag a bag at stores nationwide. The beloved '98 version came in Doritos' classic nacho cheese flavor, but now that we're in a new millennia, the brand owned by PepsiCo is looking to appeal to both millennials and Gen Z with its "hot-and-spicy" ranch flavor, too.

“Doritos 3D Crunch is one of our most anticipated product launches ever. What’s exciting is that we didn’t just bring back the original — we’ve evolved it to reflect the snacking trends of a new generation,” Rachel Ferdinando, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Frito-Lay North America said in a press release sent to TODAY Food.

Frito-Lay announces it's bringing back those iconically crunchy 3D chips most millennials remember from childhood.
Frito-Lay announces it's bringing back those iconically crunchy 3D chips most millennials remember from childhood.Frito-Lay

But the chip itself isn't the only the throwback Frito-Lay reached for in its relaunch. The brand also called upon actress Aly Landry, who gained fame for her 1998 role in the Doritos 3D Crunch Super Bowl ad, to help kick off the revamped campaign. Landry became known as the "Doritos Girl" after staring in the hot-and-spicy "Laundromat commercial," alongside Sean Hayes, best known for playing Jack in "Will and Grace," playing a character who is lusting after Landry.

According to Frito-Lay, the former Miss USA, actress and mom-of-three will "pay homage" to the original commercial, where two men try to impress Landry in a laundromat by catching 3D Doritos in their mouths before Landry schools them with her own acrobatic snacking skills. On TikTok rather than cable TV (this is 2020 after all), Landry will host a #Doritos3Dchallenge where she asks fans to catch the crunchy chips in their mouths "in the boldest way possible."

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Actress Aly Landry, once known as the "Doritos Girl" who starred in the brand's 1998 Super Bowl commercial, is revisiting the role to kickoff the relaunch of 3D Crunch with a TikTok contest.Paul Archuleta / Getty Images

The contest will kickoff the same day as the Monday launch, so folks will have to snag their own 6-ounce bag for $4.29 or 2-ounce bag for $1.89 when they hit shelves.

A brand spokesperson did not disclose whether there will be a prize for contestants' hard-earned munching — perhaps some sort of acknowledgement from the lovely Landry? — but the end-of-year challenge should be entertaining to watch, if anything.