Step into the time machine, folks, and back into a world where every snack felt like a celebration. Forget your modern-day avocado toast; we’re talking about the rustle of foil wrappers, the fizz of cola tabs, and the sweet scent of artificial cherry. These weren’t just foods they were moments, memories, and pure joy wrapped in crinkly packaging, defining an era where fun flavors reigned supreme.
There’s something undeniably powerful about the taste of nostalgia. A single bite or even just the memory of one can transport us back to childhood lunchboxes, Saturday morning cartoons, or after-school snacks devoured straight from shiny foil wrappers. For anyone who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s, food was more than just sustenance; it was pure joy, pumped full of sugar, and often delivered by cartoon mascots with catchphrases we’ll never forget.
Ever wonder what happened to those fabulous bites of the ’70s and ’80s that went belly up in the dead of night, carrying away a piece of our childhood with them? Pondering 14 lost but not least favorite extinct sweets, prepare yourself for an emotionally devastating ride down memory lane-toward flavors that once made life easier, sweeter, and altogether more carefree. Pass the tissues this is gonna hurt, but it’s gonna be okay. Hungry for a retro snack time revival? Let’s dive into the crave-worthy classics we’ll never forget.
Hi-C Ecto Coolers
With its lone sweet-tart flavor and not-to-be-forgotten neon color, Hi-C Ecto Cooler truly was the crown of lunchboxes across the land. Though formally retired in 2001, the sheer power of fan passion created many limited returns on its own, such as a good return for the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot. And for die-hard die-hards, even fans were able to reverse-engineer the recipe for making their own dupes, showing that some urges never perish.
Jell-O 1-2-3
This 1969 chart-topper was an epic sweep through the ’70s and ’80s, and this dessert was totally show-stopper stuff at any dinner gathering. The kids were amazed at the science behind it, holding their faces over clear glasses and nervously observing as those clean layers somehow magically came together. Though it had its loyal following, General Foods sadly suspended production of about this wonder in 1996, forcing home cooks to try multi-step copies that, all honesty, just never captured the original’s laid-back cool and tasty allure.
PB Max Candy Bar
Mars brought this new treat on board in 1989, and within no time, it achieved a $50 million hit. How is it that anything can make its exit show so completely confounding? It goes that the Mars company relatives themselves hated peanut butter separately, and opted to phase it out despite still being in favor a move which continues to confuse and infuriate candy fans to this day, leading us singing its tasty tune long after it was gone.
Reggie Bar
Reggie! Bar promotion was the stuff of legend on opening day in 1978 at Yankee Stadium, as the candy was notoriously handed out to 54,000 delirious fans. What transpired subsequently? When Jackson homered, delirious fans showered thousands of Reggie! Bars onto the field in jubilation, as a classic, spontaneous moment of sheer exhilaration and confectionary chaos.
Fruit Brute Monster Cereal
Its packaging was an art form, featuring a vibrantly colored werewolf mascot dressed up in rainbow-colored overalls and smiling to its heart’s content about the cereal’s extremely fruity taste. Though it had a loyal and somewhat offbeat fan base, Fruit Brute itself was regrettably the first monster to meet the chopping block, vanishing in 1982. The cereal eventually achieved full cult status after filling out cameo roles on Quentin Tarantino movies, and as a result sporadically basked in highly hyped limited reimaginings during the Halloween seasons.
Keebler Fudge Magic Middles
Keebler’s mischievous elves never failed with this 1980s-retro-style treat. The classic two-textured treat a crunchy, buttery cookie shell giving way to that warm, flowing, plain gooey center captivated loyal followers who to this day still demand their return in all its tacky glory. No cookie in the recent past has even come close to that same magic blend of crunchy outside giving way to that melt-in-your-mouth chocolate or peanut butter inside.
Jell-O Pudding Pops
Come in traditional flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and the popular swirl. These classic frozen treats became giantly popular, most famously with endearing television commercials. Though they were extremely popular and had a loyal following, the original Jell-O Pudding Pops faded from freezers in the 1990s as they were selling fewer and fewer. Whereas other companies attempted to copy their magic, no one has emulated the same creamy nostalgia.
Nabisco Swiss Cheese Crackers
What made them so special? These crackers had genuine Swiss cheese included in the dough, giving a tangy, nutty taste that was light years more advanced than the processed cheese of the times. While Canada can continue to indulge in Christie Swiss Cheese Crackers, we in the United States are left to dream about that slice of cheesy heaven.
Hubba Bubba Soda
Children totally went crazy for this delicious drink, downing it with the same gusto they showed for blowing giant, slimy bubbles with the real gum. It satisfied your thirst with an unmistakable fun flair, every drink a mini celebration. But like most of the sweet era’s trends, though, Hubba Bubba Soda’s fizzy existence eventually ended, leaving just the sweetest, fizziest memories.
Giggles Cookies
Keebler’s elves absolutely outdid themselves with these magical treats. The union of a crunchy cookie crust and a two-flavored creamy filling was absolute magic. These mischievous cookies vanished so rapidly from our snack bars, leaving in their wake a crunchy, creamy, and unbeatably delightful memory.
Screaming Yellow Zonkers
Screaming Yellow Zonkers weren’t divided by bizarre taste and hue alone, but by wacky packaging and quirky advertising that embodied the lighthearted flavor of the time. They were promoted as “a snack so wild, it’s gone!” and did. Although only around for a relatively short amount of time, they have contributed to snack history in a lasting way.
Oreo Big Stuf
Sneaking in at a whopping 316 calories per cookie, Oreo Big Stuf featured the same old standby familiar iconic chocolate cookie and white cream filling, but supersized. Although certainly a hit, this gigantic snack perhaps was too much of a good thing for its era. Although they’re no longer around, Oreo Big Stuf continues to be a tasty legend among cookie enthusiasts.
Squeezit
Squeezit was offered in a rainbow of colors and flavors, each with a fun character on the label. Children loved the playfulness and feeling of control when squeezing out their own beverage. It was sugary, messy, and just fun, great for lunch at school or simply a cool summer treat on a hot day.
Bonkers Fruit Chews
What made Bonkers! so iconic wasn’t so much their palate; it was their cult commercials with a massive chunk of fruit masticating miscellaneous items. The crunch and sustained flavor gave them an edge of uniqueness in the candy shop. Although no longer on the shelves, these chews are a colorful, flavorful recollection of an unapologetically bonkers moment in the history of candy.
And that’s a wrap, folks, your friendly neighborhood nostalgia junkies! But another classic odyssey into the sweet, flavorful, and sometimes downright weird realm of foods of yore, defunct foods of the 70s and 80s. From oversized cookies to interactive beverages and everything in between, these are snacks that were less snacking than they were cultural references, foodie artifacts that bring strong memories of a flashier, less complicated era. They’re all gone, but their tasty legacies live on, forever filling our hearts with song.
