Pour out your Cracker Jacks and make way for “Cracker Jill,” a new mascot from Frito-Lay to honor women’s sports.
In a press release on Tuesday, Frito-Lay announced it will commit $200,000 to the Women’s Sports Foundation and that the new Cracker Jill character seeks to “celebrate the women who break down barriers in sports.” The character features five different renditions from multiple different ethnicities.
“We are constantly inspired by the many women who are making history by breaking the mold, and we want to celebrate their achievements while supporting the progress,” said Tina Mahal, vice president of marketing at Frito-Lay North America.
“Cracker Jack has been part of sports for over a century, as records were made and rules changed. We’ve been so inspired by how girls and women are changing the face of the game, so in this spirit, we introduce Cracker Jill to show girls that they’re represented even in our most iconic snacks,” Mahal added.
Frito-Lay created a whole new commercial featuring singer Normani doing a rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game, in which the lyrics are switched to make it more female-centric.
“Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jills,” sings Normani, “No one can stop you if you have the will. So let’s root, root, root for a girl’s team.”
Women’s Sports Federation CEO Danette Leighton said it’s “wonderful to see Cracker Jill come to life, emphasizing the power that representation can have by celebrating women who’ve broken barriers.”
Normani added she was “proud to be part of a campaign entrenched in inclusivity and empowerment because it’s vital for young girls to see themselves represented and join in on the celebration of the achievements made by the women before them.”
The new Cracker Jill ad celebrating women’s sports comes as women’s sports face near extinction with the sudden inclusion of biological males competing alongside biological women due to transgender activism. Several prominent female athletes, including tennis icon Martina Navratilova and British Olympian Nicole Cooke, have publicly called for a new category of competition that will allow transgender athletes to compete with each other.