Cheeto dust: it’s a dangerous thing

News from Lake Wobegon the motherland: police followed a trail of Cheetos to find and catch three teenage vending-machine burglars in St. Paul. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the kids had nineteen bags of Cheetos in their possession when the cops nabbed them. AP describes the trail as “orange” and “dusty.”

For your consideration, some random trivia about the dangerously cheesy brand:

• Korea sells a strawberry-flavored puff snack, sold by our guy Chester the Cheetah (ala Bill Murray’s character in Lost in Translation, I assume).
• Frito-Lay’s effort to release Cheetos to the Chinese market was, well, disgusting. Focus groups rejected flavors like ranch dressing, peanut satay, North Sea crab, coconut milk curry, smoked octopus, caramel and cuttlefish before settling on “Zesty Japanese Steak” and “Savory American Cream” (whatever the heck that is). That was back in 1994, though–who knows what those crazy kids are eating now.
• The largest Cheeto on record is about the size of a lemon; it’s preserved and on display in Iowa (of course).
• There is a Cheeto out there that is known as Cheesus, due to its (questionable!) resemblance to a crucified Christ figure. It’s being kept in a safe deposit box in Missouri (of course).
• And, of course, Saddam Hussein developed a taste for them while in custody.