Brandon Goodwin / TODAY.com

White Chocolate Peppermint is the oddest flavor of the bunch, while Cinnamon and Sugar tastes a lot like cereal.

Pringles has carved out a comfortable niche in America's snack food psyche with its salt-laced and impossibly thin potatocrisps. When the chips first became available in America in 1968, we popped — and we really couldn't stop.

But there comes a time in every popular snack's life when its makers decide that something new is in order. Remember Crystal Pepsi? New Coke? We know how successful those were. Now it's Pringles' turn. Come November, you’ll find three new holiday flavors — White Chocolate Peppermint, Cinnamon and Sugar and Pumpkin Pie Spice — next to the standard flavors of our favorite curvaceous crisps. And like many holiday-themed treats, they’re sweet. Well, sweeter.

They’re actually both sweet and savory, at the same time. The classic Pringles chip flavor you know and love is still packed in there somewhere; it’s just gussied up with sugar and seasonal ingredients.

So why didn’t the people behind Pringles just spring for a fully sweet chip? Well, they don’t seem to think we’re ready for a potato crisp revolution.

“We wanted to explore unique flavor offerings, while remaining loyal to the savory flavor varieties our fans know and love,” Pringles’ associate marketing director Angela Gusse told TODAY.com.

As anyone who enjoys a bag of kettle corn or cinnamon sugar pita chips will insist, salty-sweet flavor combinations can actually be quite good. So how do these Pringles flavors fare?

The cinnamon sugar variety rated best in our office taste test, probably because its flavor is reminiscent of two nostalgic foods: Classic Pringles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Unfortunately, the cinnamon is a little too subtle — not that that stopped any of our staffers from going back for more.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Pringles pack a more distinctive punch, actually tasting something like their name suggests — at least at first. The pumpkin pie spice quickly faded, leaving a soapy taste lingering on the tongue. But some stood by the crisps, deeming them their favorite of the bunch.

Last and decidedly least came the real black sheep of the holiday pack: White Chocolate Peppermint. The Huffington Post referred to them as a “horrible abomination to humanity,” and we, unfortunately, have to agree. As one staffer described it, it tastes like a Pringle with "a thin layer of toothpaste on it." We now know the result of knocking over a  bottle of mouthwash on an open container of Pringles. We've learned our lesson: No Pringles in the bathroom. No one went for seconds.

While this is the first time Pringles has ventured into sweet territory in the U.S. market, they’ve experimented more freely abroad with interesting flavors like Cinnamon Sweet Potato and Blueberry Hazelnut.

For now, this year’s limited edition holiday pack left us wanting. Pick up a tube for yourself when they debut nationwide in early November for $1.79. Note: Pumpkin Pie Spice is only available at Walmart. 

Danika Fears is a TODAY.com intern who prefers Lays to Pringles, but would consider a conversion if offered those Cinnamon Sweet Potato chips.

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TODAY

Donate online to TODAY's Toy and Gift Drive here.

TODAY has kicked off our Holiday Toy and Gift Drive.

Since 1994, we've distributed more than $285 million in donations to more than 200 organizations across America and to U.S. military bases abroad. 

How do you donate? 
Come down to the TODAY plaza if you're near New York City — celebrity "elves" collect toys daily during the broadcast. (If you arrive after 10 a.m. ET, drop off your gift at the Rockefeller Center NBC Experience Store, in the special TODAY Toy Drive bin.)

Celebrity "elves" will start collecting on Nov. 26. Celebs who have helped in past years include George Clooney, Jon Hamm, Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, former Vice President Al Gore, and Olympians Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte. Who knows who will be wearing the Santa hat when you visit?

You can also donate online at Amazon.com/TODAY. Click the Amazon link, add as many items as you like to your cart, complete the checkout, and Amazon will do the rest. 

Pledge your time for TODAY's toy drive. Hasbro will donate a toy for every volunteer, up to 100,000 gifts. 

If you're interested in making a contribution in a different way, please email todayshowtoydrive@nbcuni.com or call (212) 664-7508.

All donations are appreciated, no matter how big or small. We are most in need of toys for boys of all ages, and tweens and teens up to age 18.

Why this cause?
Every 29 seconds, a child in the United States is born into poverty, with limited access to food, medical care and basic human services. For many, TODAY is their ONLY source of gifts for the holidays. There will be no toys this holiday season for these children unless you choose to help. 

The program is designed to provide gifts and essentials for impoverished children and teenagers up to age 18 nationwide. It has also expanded to include gifts that children are able to give their parents, because giving provides joy in itself.

These items go to millions of kids in all 50 states. Recipients include homeless shelters, children's group homes, schools, foster family services, domestic abuse shelters, Native American missions, military bases, hospitals, preschools, after-school programs, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Read more about some of the participating organizations in our Charity Spotlight series.

Need more convincing? Matt and Savannah touted the program in a USA Weekend Magazine cover story. 

The smallest gift can mean the world to a child in need. As you celebrate with your family, take a moment to let these children know they're loved. 

More on the Toy Drive:
The TODAY Show Toy Drive is a project of the TODAY Show Charitable Foundation, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent the law allows. In 2010, it was awarded the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Foundation Philanthropy Award, and in 2008, it was honored with a President's Volunteer Service Award.

Let's work together in making this year's toy drive the most successful ever. It comes at a time of great need.

2012 Donors

Our sincere thanks go to the following organizations for their generous contributions:

Mary Kay ,  Thirty One Gifts , Stride Rite, Microsoft , PartyLite Gifts , Abrams Books , DK Publishing , Kohl's Department Store , Southwestern, Stampin' Up! , Sun Products Corporation, Initials, Inc , Amway , 4Life, Essential Bodywear , Mattel ,  Avon ,   Cheerios , Goody , Hillshire Brands ,  Tupperware,  Hasbro , Arbonne , Toy Industry Foundation , Music Together , UPPAbaby , Cra-Z-Art , TOMY,  ABCmouse.com ,  Playhut , Ugly Dolls, Jakks Pacific, Inc. , lia sophia, Sanrio, Udderly Smooth , Caboodles, , Direct Selling Association, Amazon.com, HomeGoods, Shaklee , Blessings Unlimited , Kay Jewelers , Cutco , Crest ,Lego , Kind Snacks , Senegence, Pink Papaya, Prestige Toy Corporation, B'nai B'rith International, Signature Homestyles, DeTech , Vantel Pearls in the Oyster

A special thanks to Cra-Z-Art for auctioning off a Lite Brix guitar with proceeds benefiting the Today Show Charitable Foundation.

Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus rolled out its annual holiday catalog Tuesday, and the priciest gift this year is a pair of "his and hers" timepieces for just over $1 million from Van Cleef & Arpels.

The watches depict a tale of lost love on the faces and come with a trip to romantic Paris and Geneva. 

Dallas-based Neiman Marcus is known for featuring expensive and often outrageous "fantasy gifts" in its Christmas Book. The 86th edition also includes a red special edition McLaren 12C Spider for $354,000, a hen house inspired by France's Versailles palace for $100,000 and a walk-on role in Broadway's "Annie: The Musical" for $30,000. 

Neiman Marcus

These his and hers watches are the priciest gifts in this year's Neiman Marcus holiday catalog, starting at $1,090,000 for the pair.

Those with smaller budgets can take heart, though — almost 40 percent of the items offered in the catalog cost less than $250. The cheapest item is a $10 monogrammed mug. 

The "his and her" watches each show a scene from the love story. One depicts a scene of a woman on the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower, gazing toward Notre Dame. The other watch features a man on top of Notre Dame looking toward the Eiffel Tower. 

"It's a classic love story. Boy meets girl, a romance is sparked, but fate has intervened and they are separated, but both are left longing to find one another," said Marisa Neira, watch product manager for Van Cleef & Arpels. 

Neiman Marcus

This French-inspired custom-made hen house can be yours for a mere $100,000, $3,000 of which will be donated to The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

The watches and the trip cost $1,090,000. While in Geneva, buyers receive a tour that includes the Van Cleef & Arpels watchmaking workshops. 

Ginger Reeder, Neiman Marcus' vice president of public relations for Neiman Marcus, said the fantasy gifts are a nod to the spirit of the holiday season and the fantasies children have about what they want for Christmas.

"All we've done is notched up what's on the list or what's available to be on your list," Reeder said.

Other offerings include a $90,000 gaming machine, a $150,000 woody tailgate trailer complete with a sound system and stocked bar, a $99,500 water-propelled jetpack, a $250,000 private dinner for 10 featuring four famous chefs and a $70,000 piece of art by Robert Wilson that features a video portrait of a snow owl.

All nine of the fantasy gifts are paired with a charity that will benefit from their sale.  

Slideshow: Neiman Marcus' 2012 fantasy gift guide

Neiman Marcus

For 86 years, Neiman Marcus has offered one-of-a-kind holiday gifts in its yearly Christmas Book. This year continues the tradition of extravagant gift possibilities costing up to more than $1 million, including a walk-on role in "Annie: The Musical."

Launch slideshow