We’ve all heard of Jacuzzi, Kleenex, Post-It, Xerox—and all those other brand names that became the generic term for all forms of that product by all manufacturers.

But did you know that the humble TATER TOT lives amongst their midst?

I started to suspect something was amiss when I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some frozen tots before heading to a friend’s house. (She was making homemade tomato soup and vegan grilled cheese. I felt tots would be an appropriate side dish. Feel free to agree with me.)

Standing there, in the freezer aisle, I realized something.

Potato puffs. Tater puffs. Potato rounds. Tater treats.

Why weren’t they called tater tots? I’d always called them tater tots.

Naturally, I consulted Wikipedia. The knowledge repository informed me that “Tater Tots” were trademarked by Ore-Ida.

The little registered trademark symbol on Ore-Ida’s website confirms this to be true.

“If it’s not Ore-Ida, it’s not Tater Tots.”