In the 1990s, getting a free plastic disk, trading card or other little freebie was commonplace. Mostly these came in single and multipacks of chips, but plenty of other places gave them out too. So much so that “Tazos”, the most popular of these promotions, became the generic term for these freebies for a lot of Australians.
What makes researching these in Australia confusing is that the chip brands changed hands over the years. That means the cartoons and promotional items attached to different chips were inconsistent from one year to the next.
The scope of this article is just the real heyday of Tazos and its impersonators, which was the 1990s. Beyond that, the concept kept trying to reinvent itself to the point that it kind of killed its own popularity.
A Quick Note on Tazo Numbering
As far as I can tell, the first green folder ran from 1 to 220, which is why the Looney Tunes, Chester Cheetah, Simpsons and Time Warp sets all share one running count. The Space Jam folder then started again from 1, and the Star Wars folder carried on from 81 to 160, according to this Australian Tazos guide. I’ve kept my own “Series” numbering below because it’s easier to follow than the folders.
Looney Tunes Blue Back Tazos 1995 (Series 1)
This first series had 40 round plastic disks with illustrations of classic Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Marvin the Martian, Tweety, Road Runner, Pepe Le Pew, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Tasmanian Devil, Elmer Fudd, Marc Antony, Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester Jr.
These were numbered 1 to 40 and were available in Frito Lay products including Cheetos, Ruffles, Tostitos and Thins (Th!ns). Each disk was worth 1 point.
Australian Tazos Series 1 Checklist
- 1 Bugs Bunny
- 2 Wile E. Coyote
- 3 Daffy Duck
- 4 Porky Pig
- 5 Marvin The Martian
- 6 Tweety
- 7 Marvin The Martian
- 8 Road Runner
- 9 Bugs Bunny
- 10 Wile E. Coyote
- 11 Pepe Le Pew
- 12 Sylvester
- 13 Yosemite Sam
- 14 Tasmanian Devil
- 15 Elmer Fudd
- 16 Sylvester
- 17 Marc Antony
- 18 Henery Hawk
- 19 Foghorn Leghorn
- 20 Wile E. Coyote
- 21 Bugs Bunny
- 22 Foghorn Leghorn
- 23 Foghorn Leghorn
- 24 Sylvester
- 25 Speedy Gonzales
- 26 Speedy Gonzales
- 27 Bugs Bunny
- 28 Tasmanian Devil
- 29 Pepe Le Pew
- 30 Sylvester
- 31 Tweety
- 32 Bugs Bunny
- 33 Yosemite Sam
- 34 Porky Pig
- 35 Daffy Duck
- 36 Tasmanian Devil
- 37 Sylvester Jr.
- 38 Bugs Bunny
- 39 Sylvester
- 40 Bugs Bunny
Looney Tunes Purple Back Tazos 1995 (Series 2)
A similar set came out with an additional 20 Tazos, adding Petunia Pig and Penelope to the cast. They were available in the same range of chips and were also worth 1 point each. These portraits each had a Looney Tunes character on their own, with some rectangles and other shapes in the background. Very 90s looking.
Australian Tazos Series 2 Checklist
- 41 Bugs Bunny
- 42 Wile E. Coyote
- 43 Daffy Duck
- 44 Porky Pig
- 45 Marvin The Martian
- 46 Tweety
- 47 Speedy Gonzales
- 48 Road Runner
- 49 Tasmanian Devil
- 50 Yosemite Sam
- 51 Elmer Fudd
- 52 Sylvester
- 53 Petunia Pig
- 54 Henery Hawk
- 55 Foghorn Leghorn
- 56 Sylvester Jr.
- 57 Marc Antony
- 58 Penelope
- 59 Pepe Le Pew
- 60 Looney Tunes
Chester Cheetah Techno Tazos 1995 (Series 3)
This series of 40 Tazos introduced a new “techno” shape with little slits in them, which let Tazos join together as construction toys. The gimmick kind of made up for the fact that the whole series was just Chester Cheetah, the Cheetos mascot, playing various sports or musical instruments. As a character, he was much less interesting than the Looney Tunes, which must be why they went back to those for the next set. This set was numbered 61 to 100 and each disk was worth 1 point again.
I haven’t bothered with a checklist for this one, or for Series 6. When every disk is Chester doing something athletic, there’s only so much to list.
Looney Tunes Techno Tazos 1995 (Series 4)
This series combined the best of the previous two, the classic Looney Tunes characters and the new techno design. The same characters were back, with the first 20 disks showing them inside the classic Looney Tunes circles. The other 20 were done in mostly super-90s fashion, which mostly involves bright colours and a backwards cap. These were again available in each of the Frito Lay brands, being Ruffles, Cheetos, Thins and Doritos. This time each disk was worth 2 points in the game. This set was numbered 101 to 140.
Australian Tazos Series 4 Checklist
- 101 Looney Tunes
- 102 Tweety
- 103 Bugs Bunny
- 104 Wile E. Coyote
- 105 Daffy Duck
- 106 Porky Pig
- 107 Marvin The Martian
- 108 Speedy Gonzales
- 109 Road Runner
- 110 Tasmanian Devil
- 111 Yosemite Sam
- 112 Elmer Fudd
- 113 Sylvester
- 114 Petunia Pig
- 115 Pepe Le Pew
- 116 Henery Hawk
- 117 Foghorn Leghorn
- 118 Marc Antony
- 119 Sylvester Jr.
- 120 Penelope
- 121 Bugs Bunny
- 122 Daffy Duck
- 123 Pepe Le Pew
- 124 Tweety
- 125 Yosemite Sam
- 126 Porky Pig
- 127 Wile E. Coyote
- 128 Sylvester
- 129 Elmer Fudd
- 130 Speedy Gonzales
- 131 Foghorn Leghorn
- 132 Tasmanian Devil
- 133 Road Runner
- 134 Marvin The Martian
- 135 Tasmanian Devil
- 136 Wile E. Coyote
- 137 Yosemite Sam
- 138 Sylvester
- 139 Elmer Fudd
- 140 Looney Tunes
The Simpsons Magic Motion Tazos 1996 (Series 5)
The Simpsons set was particularly exciting because the Tazos had the illusion of motion, thanks to lenticular art. Two of them featured Bart Simpson’s bare bottom, and the one of him actively mooning you (#149) was particularly offensive to some people. This series was a return to the full round shape and each Tazo was worth 2 points again, according to this set listing. They were available in the same Frito Lay chips as the earlier sets. This set was numbered 141 to 180.
Every one of them was lenticular, so each Tazo showed an animation or two different scenes depending on the angle you tilted it. The back lists the character (or just “Simpsons” when there are several), the Tazo number and the point score. The set also belonged in the original green folder, the same one the Looney Tunes sets filled.
If you like checking your collection closely, the Spakatak listing notes a few variations. The copyright text is missing from the back of #148 on a version that is apparently far more common than the one with it. It also documents a miscut #151 and an offset back print on #171. Those are the ones to check if you’re hunting for oddities.
Australian Tazos Series 5 Checklist
- 141 Bart Simpson
- 142 Bart Simpson
- 143 Homer Simpson
- 144 Homer & Marge
- 145 Lisa Simpson
- 146 Homer Simpson
- 147 Homer Simpson
- 148 Marge Simpson
- 149 Bart Simpson
- 150 Bart Simpson
- 151 The Simpsons
- 152 Homer Simpson
- 153 Krusty The Clown
- 154 The Simpsons
- 155 The Simpsons
- 156 Lisa Simpson
- 157 The Simpsons
- 158 Barney
- 159 Marge Simpson
- 160 Maggie Simpson
- 161 Marge Simpson
- 162 Lisa Simpson
- 163 The Simpsons
- 164 Bart Simpson
- 165 Bart Simpson
- 166 Maggie Simpson
- 167 Bart Simpson
- 168 The Simpsons
- 169 Bart Simpson
- 170 The Simpsons
- 171 The Simpsons
- 172 Homer Simpson
- 173 The Simpsons
- 174 Itchy & Scratchy
- 175 Homer Simpson
- 176 Bart Simpson
- 177 Bart Simpson
- 178 Bart Simpson
- 179 The Simpsons
- 180 Bart Simpson
Chester Cheetah Techno Tazos 1996 (Series 6)
This was a smaller set of only 20 techno disks after the previous few had been 40, which was a good thing because it was the most boring series. It’s just the Cheetos mascot doing sports or driving vehicles. These were only available in Cheetos, were numbered 181 to 200 and were worth 2 points each.
Time Warp Looney Tunes Tazos 1996 (Series 7)
This was another small set of 20 techno Tazos, but with a new gimmick, which was a glow effect. The collectable folder sheet for the binder included facts about the historical figures featured, which made this set slightly educational. The Looney Tunes characters dressed up as a mix of scientists, explorers, rulers and artists, and even Ned Kelly made the cut.
Each of the Time Warp Tazos was worth 3 points, making them the most valuable in the game’s scoring system so far. This set was numbered 201 to 220, completing the original green Tazos folder.
Australian Tazos Series 7 Checklist
- 201 Alfred Nobel
- 202 Alexander Graham Bell
- 203 Thomas Edison
- 204 Albert Einstein
- 205 Louis Pasteur
- 206 Isaac Newton
- 207 Yuri Gagarin
- 208 Orville & Wilbur Wright
- 209 Marco Polo
- 210 Christopher Columbus
- 211 Confucius
- 212 Ned Kelly
- 213 Julius Caesar
- 214 Marc Antony
- 215 King Arthur
- 216 Napoleon
- 217 Leonardo Da Vinci
- 218 Mozart
- 219 Jules Verne
- 220 Pablo Neruda
Space Jam Tazos 1996 (Series 8)
The 1996 hit film Space Jam was certainly a cultural phenomenon. It was probably the biggest thing the Looney Tunes did in the 90s, or since. Given how most of the previous Frito Lay Tazo promotions featured Looney Tunes characters, a new binder and 80-disk set was a no-brainer.
The set was really three mini sets in one. There were 20 lenticular Movie Motion disks, 40 techno disks and 20 limited edition 3D disks. One collector guide says the techno disks were first printed in an octagonal shape, then quickly replaced by standard round ones. I can’t confirm that myself.
Not only was the marketing for the film huge, but the Tazos cross-sell was big too. There were accessories too. This guide lists a collectors album, Tazo Slammers, tournament tubes, a basketball game and even yo-yos.
Australian Space Jam Movie Motion Tazos Checklist
- 1 MJ Gets Kidnapped
- 2 Bugs Kisses Michael
- 3 Daffy The “Ducktor”
- 4 MJ’s Headache
- 5 Nerdlucks Jump For Joy
- 6 Monstars “Mean Team”
- 7 MJ Jams
- 8 Lola vs Pound
- 9 MJ Plays Basketball
- 10 Bupkus Loses His Head
- 11 Sylvester vs Tweety
- 12 Tweety Gets Flicked
- 13 Bang Headbutts Foghorn
- 14 The Tune Squad
- 15 Bugs Grows Muscles
- 16 Michael Jams #2
- 17 MJ Victory
- 18 Blanko & MJ
- 19 Yosemite Gets Zapped
- 20 MJ vs Nawt
Australian Space Jam Techno Tazos Checklist
- 21 Bang
- 22 Bupkus
- 23 Blanko
- 24 Pound
- 25 Nawt
- 26 Monstars
- 27 Bang
- 28 Bupkus
- 29 Blanko
- 30 Pound
- 31 Nawt
- 32 Nerdlucks
- 33 Space Jam
- 34 Space Jam
- 35 Space Jam
- 36 Tune Squad
- 37 Taz
- 38 Michael Jordan
- 39 Space Jam
- 40 Tune Squad
- 41 Michael Jordan
- 42 Space Jam
- 43 Space Jam
- 44 Michael Jordan
- 45 Space Jam
- 46 Space Jam
- 47 Space Jam
- 48 Monstars
- 49 Michael Jordan
- 50 Michael Jordan
- 51 Michael Jordan
- 52 Tune Squad
- 53 Nerdlucks
- 54 Bugs & Lola
- 55 Lola Bunny
- 56 Marvin The Martian
- 57 Swackhammer
- 58 Moron Air
- 59 Moron Mountain
- 60 Sludge Summit
Australian Space Jam 3D Limited Edition Tazos Checklist
- 61 Bang
- 62 Bupkus
- 63 Blanko
- 64 Pound
- 65 Nawt
- 66 Bang
- 67 Monstars
- 68 Nawt
- 69 Nawt
- 70 Swackhammer
- 71 Minion
- 72 Bugs & Lola
- 73 Looney Tunes
- 74 Space Jam
- 75 Taz
- 76 Marvin The Martian
- 77 Michael Jordan
- 78 Michael Jordan
- 79 Michael Jordan
- 80 Tune Squad
Star Wars Tazos 1997 (Series 9)
The last of the big 90s Tazo sets was a celebration of the Special Edition Star Wars films returning to cinemas. It also had the most variety of any set so far, with 80 disks split across four formats. There were 20 round lenticular Magic Motion disks, 30 octagonal techno disks, 10 3D disks and 20 holograms, according to this Star Wars collector’s guide. That page also mentions three Connect-A Tazo models, being an X-Wing, a TIE Fighter and an Imperial Shuttle. The techno disks were worth 4 points each, the most valuable yet.
A small warning on the year. That guide dates these to 1997, but some other listings say 1996. I’ve gone with 1997 and I wouldn’t swear to it.
On the collecting side, one collector guide says holograms #141, #144 and #150 are incredibly rare. If you’ve got those three in a shoebox, you might want to check them.
Australian Star Wars Magic Motion Tazos Checklist
- 81 Grand Moff Tarkin & Darth Vader
- 82 Darth Vader & Princess Leia
- 83 Luke Skywalker practising with a seeker
- 84 Han Solo & Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
- 85 Luke Skywalker & Princess Leia
- 86 Stormtrooper
- 87 Darth Vader & Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
- 88 TIE Fighter
- 89 Aboard the Millennium Falcon chased by a Star Destroyer
- 90 Han Solo & Chewbacca
- 91 An AT-ST Firing
- 92 Emperor Palpatine & Luke Skywalker
- 93 Imperial TIE Interceptor Exploding
- 94 Rebel Alliance Fighter Pilots
- 95 Princess Leia & R2-D2
- 96 Jedi Master Yoda & Luke Skywalker
- 97 C-3PO & Wicket the Ewok
- 98 Lando Calrissian & Luke Skywalker
- 99 Han Solo & Luke Skywalker
- 100 Wedge Antilles & his X-Wing (Red Two)
Australian Star Wars Techno Tazos Checklist
- 101 Owen Lars & Luke Skywalker
- 102 Jawa firing weapon
- 103 C-3PO & R2-D2
- 104 Tusken Raider with his Gaderffii stick
- 105 Luke Skywalker with his father’s lightsaber
- 106 Piloting the Millennium Falcon
- 107 Grand Moff Tarkin & Darth Vader
- 108 Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
- 109 Luke Skywalker
- 110 Stormtroopers
- 111 Han Solo firing quad cannon
- 112 Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter with wingman
- 113 Luke Skywalker riding a Tauntaun
- 114 Probe Droid
- 115 Chewbacca
- 116 Jedi Master Yoda
- 117 Lando Calrissian & Han Solo
- 118 Captured by Imperial Stormtroopers
- 119 Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader in battle
- 120 Millennium Falcon & Star Destroyer
- 121 Princess Leia & Bib Fortuna with Jabba
- 122 Luke Skywalker
- 123 Admiral Ackbar, Rebel Commander
- 124 Han captured by Ewoks
- 125 Wicket with R2-D2 & C-3PO
- 126 Princess Leia
- 127 Imperial Scout Trooper riding a speeder bike
- 128 Ewok Logray, Medicine Man
- 129 Princess Leia & Han Solo held captive
- 130 Darth Vader
Australian Star Wars 3D Movie Motion Tazos Checklist
- 131 Sand Trooper on a Dewback
- 132 Wampa Ice Creature
- 133 Luke Skywalker
- 134 Darth Vader & Boba Fett
- 135 Han Solo
- 136 Jabba the Hutt
- 137 Greeata & Rystall
- 138 Rancor
- 139 Princess Leia & Luke Skywalker
- 140 B-Wing
Australian Star Wars Hologram Tazos Checklist
- 141 R2-D2 & C-3PO
- 142 Princess Leia & C-3PO
- 143 Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter with wingman
- 144 Darth Vader Battles Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
- 145 Stormtroopers
- 146 The Millennium Falcon
- 147 Han Solo & Chewbacca
- 148 C-3PO
- 149 R2-D2
- 150 The Battle of Hoth
- 151 Jedi Master Yoda
- 152 Leia, Luke & R2-D2
- 153 Chewbacca
- 154 Luke Skywalker & Yoda
- 155 Luke Skywalker & R2-D2
- 156 The Millennium Falcon
- 157 An Imperial AT-ST in the forest of Endor
- 158 Luke Skywalker on Sail Barge
- 159 Darth Vader & Storm Troopers
- 160 Darth Vader
Did I Miss Any?
I’m calling Star Wars the end of the main 90s run, mostly because that’s where the formula started feeling stretched.
Which of these sets did you collect, and did I miss any series? Let me know over on my Facebook profile.
