THE DISCREPANCY // 114
The moustache is unmistakable. The bow tie may appear next. Then comes a detail some people expect to find over one eye: a monocle. The Pringles face in the brand’s redesign announcement has none. A tiny lens can make a familiar mascot feel like a stranger when it disappears from the picture you expected.
DRAW AROUND THE EYE
Which eye carries the glass? Is there a chain, and where does it end? A monocle is more than a circle: it changes the expression of the whole face. Try drawing only that side of the mascot. The place where your pencil stops can reveal whether you remember an object or a general impression of a distinguished little man.
THE FACE REALLY DID CHANGE
Pringles announced a substantial refresh at the end of 2020, rolling into 2021. That is a dated design event, so comparisons need to identify the older or newer face. Hair, eyebrows and the arrangement around the moustache cannot be treated as timeless. The missing monocle question belongs beside those versions, with the package and year kept visible.
THE LENS IN YOUR VERSION
Does the face still look complete without it? Return to your sketch after opening the reference. If you remember a lens, look for an intact can, advertisement or photograph that contains it. The archive is interested in the exact face you recall, not a newly drawn mascot that only resembles the answer.
Source trail & editions
Kellogg Company — Pringles refresh announcement, 2020 ↗
Primary manufacturer announcement with redesign artwork and rollout dates. It does not catalogue every historic or promotional use.
Reported monocle memory — community thread ↗
First-person report of a monocle on the Pringles mascot.