Yes, that Pirate’s Booty rebrand is real

Pirate's Booty unveiled a significant rebrand this month, featuring a new color palette, simplified text, an updated wordmark, and a redesigned pirate mascot. The creative agency Pearlfisher, which also recently rebranded SkinnyPop, a fellow subsidiary of The Hershey Co., led the rebranding effort. This new packaging began appearing on store shelves earlier this month and will be available nationwide within the next week. Alongside the visual overhaul, the recipe has been enhanced with an additional dose of cheese. Eric Bowers, vice president of marketing for Hershey’s Salty Snacks, stated that these changes coincide with Pirate's Booty receiving its first major marketing investment from Hershey in several years. This investment will support new partnerships, product innovations, and both digital and real-world activations. To appeal to Gen Alpha consumers, the brand's mascots, Captain Bob and his parrot Crunchy, have been reimagined as more flexible and social media-friendly characters. Pirate's Booty, originally launched in 1987 by Robert Ehrlich as a healthier snack alternative made with real cheddar, was acquired by Hershey in 2018. Its current formulation lists cheddar cheese as the fourth ingredient and contains no artificial flavors, attributes that are highlighted as key advantages in the current wellness-focused snacking market.