Costco has turned on its head the notion that a store brand is a notch below a national brand. How? By using its coast-to-coast strength to strong-arm suppliers to put quality as well as value into its Kirkland Signature offerings. A quarter of Costco's annual sales now reportedly come from its Kirkland product lines, which first hit store shelves in 1995.

It's no surprise. Costco has continually upped its array of Kirkland products, often produced by the same manufacturers who make the name brands. You'll find the red Kirkland Signature logo on everything from toilet paper to tennis shoes. We took a closer look at several Kirkland products getting accolades from customers and critics. You should check them out, too.

Kirkland Animal Crackers

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Whether you're feeding your children or your own inner child, Kirkland Signature Organic Animal Crackers are off the leash. The sweet snacks, in case you forgot, are in the shape of bite-size animals. Kirkland animal crackers come in a 64-ounce barrel, priced at $9.99 (supermarket chain Wegmans sells its own version of organic animal crackers for the same price, but you get 4 fewer ounces).

If you're not a Costco member, you can order the same barrel of animal crackers on Amazon.com, but you'll pay nearly double: $17.98. Shipping is free for Prime members. A small package (just 9 ounces) of the classic Barnum's Animal Crackers made by Nabisco run nearly $3 at some local supermarkets (in our case, Giant, in Northern Virginia).

Kirkland Bacon

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If everything is better with bacon, put bacon to the test and deemed Costco's store-brand regular sliced bacon the top dog - make that the top pig. Testers raved about the taste, "noting its crispiness and balance of fat and meat flavors."