30 Discontinued Snacks That You Forgot You Were Missing
Share
Interests
Posted in these interests:
My best friend and I took a trip down memory lane recently. It was her daughter’s 13th birthday, so we grabbed iced coffees and went shopping. As we strolled the isles of 90s businesses that disappeared, we were reminded of a simpler time when cellphones were big enough that they came with their own suitcases, and we played house with our Cabbage Patch Dolls and Pound Puppies, caught lightning bugs, and ate discontinued snacks like Fruit Roll-Ups and Ring Pops.
In thinking of those simple childhood memories, our time shopping was filled with nostalgia and giggles as we realized many of our favorite toys are still available for purchase. Before I knew it, we were reminiscing about our favorite foods and discontinued snacks growing up, our favorite candies. This got me thinking, what of our favorite childhood drinks and snacks are still available? Which ones have been discontinued, never to be tasted again?
Here is a list of 30 of the most memorable but discontinued treats I can remember from growing up. They span from the ’80s to the ’00s and are sure to make you as nostalgic as we were.
1 – Watermelon Laffy Taffy with seeds
This sticky, stretchy watermelon-flavored Laffy Taffy had a crunchy surprise scattered throughout: candy watermelon seeds! They were a favorite treat of mine growing up, and when given a chance to pick a treat at the gas station, these large Laffy Taffys were my go-to. The crunchy seeds added a unique texture to the soft and sugary taffy, but these sweet-treats were discontinued in the late ’90s or early ’00s.
While Wonka still produces watermelon flavored taffy, they no longer have the seeds they once did. People loved them so much that there are still ongoing petitions to bring them back, though these petitions have been consistent throughout the years and have never been successful.
2 – Flinstones Push-Up pops
These Push-Up pops were huge during the ’90s, while Push-Ups were already produced by Nestle, everyone knew the Flinstone’s Push-Up Pops were the best. This method of rebranding didn’t change the taste of Push-Ups at all, but it didn’t change public opinion that these Push-Up Pops were elite.
If you are still a super fan of Flinstone Push-Up Pops, check out this Push-Up Pops magnet.
Flavors
- Yabba Dabba Doo- Orange
- Bedrock Berry
- Lime Rock Lime
3 – Squeezit
These fruit drinks were the perfect drink for any kid’s lunch box or pool party from the ’80s to the ’00s. The soft, plastic bottle the juice came in was squeezable, hence the name “Squeezeit,” allowing you to squeeze the juice out instead of sipping from a straw. In 2001, the product was discontinued. While it has reemerged briefly since then in 2011, it remains discontinued.
Main flavors
While these are the main, popular flavors, other flavors were made from 100% fruit juice like the ones pictured. There was even a “mystery” flavor.
- Grumpy Grape (my personal favorite)
- Smart Arty Orange
- Chucklin’ Cherry
- Berry B. Wild
- Rockin’ Red Puncher
- Mean Green Puncher
- Silly Billy Strawberry
- Troppi Tropical Punch
4 – Creme Savers
Bags of these were always laying around my house. Whenever a sweet-tooth hit, I knew one of these was swimming around inside my mother’s purse. Creme Savers were made in the late ’90s and were later discontinued in 2011.
However, if you still crave this fruity candy you can buy other versions of it such as Campino Yogurt Fruit Candies. They aren’t made by the original company, Nabisco, but the flavor is very similar.
Main flavors
These are the main, core flavors, but there were other flavors including some sugar-free versions of the following flavors.
- Strawberries & Creme (the most popular)
- Orange & Creme
- Butter Toffee & Creme
- Raspberry & Creme
- Chocolate & Caramel (my personal favorite)
5 – Surge
Surge soda is a citrus-flavored soda that came out in the US in the late ’90s. Anybody who was anybody drank Surge soda, and today the soda still has a cult-like following.
The soda, made by Coca-Cola, was the center of a lot of controversies in terms of some supposed health effects and though it was discontinued in the early ’00s, you can buy it today on Amazon and eBay if you are willing to pay a hefty price for a small amount of soda.
6 – Trix Yogurt
Trix yogurt was just the thing we needed in the ’00s to make yogurt fun to eat. Most of them came in two flavors and bright, exciting colors. It was discontinued in 2013, but It must have been popular because there is a petition to bring the multi-colored yogurt back to the masses.
Apparently, however, there are some special stores places you can buy Trix Yogurt from.
Main flavors
- Strawberry Banana Bash
- Cotton Candy
- Triple Cherry
- Raspberry Rainbow
- Strawberry Punch
- Very Berry
- Berry Bolt
7 – Altoids Sours
In the early ’00s, Altoids came out with Altoids Sours and, though they really did nothing to freshen breath, they were absolutely delicious and addictive. I know I am not alone when I say that there were several occasions where I ate an entire tin until my tongue went tingly and numb.
If you could get past the initial sourness, they became sweet and tangy. Despite their popularity, they were discontinued in 2010 and never made a comeback. If you look hard enough, you can purchase them on eBay, sometimes Amazon, and other candy stores that specialize in discontinued candies.
Flavors
- Mango (My personal favorite)
- Apple
- Raspberry
- Tangerine (The most popular)
- Lime
8 – Milkfuls
These toffee-like candies had a “milky filling” inside their hard shell, and they were extremely popular. Milkfuls were the kind of candy you savor. It was an unspoken rule not to bite into them but instead to let their hard-candy shell dissolve until you reached the milky center, which tasted a lot like marshmallows and cream.
While they were discontinued in the US, they still sell them in other countries. The candies were created by a German company and are still sold in Germany and on Amazon as Vollmilch Brocken. Some are unsure if the candies are the same as the classic Milkfuls, but they are the same candies made by the same company, Storck.
9 – Oreo Cakesters
These fan favorites were all the cookies n’ cream goodness that comes with an Oreo with a more cake-like texture and flavor. Two sweet Oreo cookie cakes and Oreo cream filling made for a delicious snack that came out in 2007. They were discontinued in 2012, leaving most consumers baffled.
If you remember this commercial, then you remember how good they were!
Main flavors
- Regular Cakesters
- Double Stuf Cakesters
- Golden Cakesters
- Chocolate Creme
- Mini Cakesters
10 – Pizzarias
In 1991, Keebler launched these pizza-flavored chips that, much like Surge, developed a massive cult following. They were covered in a delicious pizza flavoring that, though there have been many pizza-flavored chips made since, cannot be rivaled.
Discontinued in the late ’90s, Pizzarias left behind many disappointed consumers who loved the chips. They were so popular that there are even Pizzarias t-shirts.
11 – Swoops
Swoops, made by Hershey’s, came out in the early ’00s and became a must-have afternoon snack for kids and adults alike. I’m pretty sure my dad stole these chocolaty chips from me at least a handful of times. Easily a snack worth fighting over, these chips, which didn’t actually include a chip and were purely made of chocolate and other ingredients, came in lunch-sized sets of 6 in each package.
They were discontinued in 2006, for the most part, because they were misleading. Many people were confused by the shape and marketing because they believed there would be a salty chip inside the delicious chocolate.
Main flavors
Though these were the main flavors, there were other limited, special-edition flavors such as Strawberries & Creme.
- Reese Swoops (The most popular)
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate
- Almond Joy
- White Chocolate Reese
- York Peppermint Patty
12 – Fruitopia
I know I am not the only one who had this with my lunch every chance I got. It was often out of stock in my junior high’s vending machine, and even came in bigger juice containers for the whole family to enjoy. Coca-Cola came out with Fruitopia in the early ’90s but didn’t make it in the US past the early ’00s.
While Fruitopia can apparently be bought in other countries, in the US the closest you might get are fruity Minute Maid drinks.
Main flavors
- Strawberry Passion Awareness
- Kiwiberry Ruckus
- Fruit Integration
- Blueberry Watermelon Wisdom
- Beachside Blast Fruit
- Tangerine Wavelength
- Orange Undercurrent
- Raspberry Psychic Lemonade
13 – Oreo O’s
Oreo O’s were the best cereal of the late ’90s and early ’00s. There I said it. I remember the sound of my brother slurping up milk, and click of his spoon against the bowl and he shoveled up this cereal in big spoonfuls. Made by Kraft, these crunchy Oreo-flavored O’s were delicious, adding milk only made them better. Oreos + Cereal + Milk = cookies and cream cereal. Sounds good, right?
While the recipe changed in the early ’00s, and they were then discontinued in 2007, they actually made a comeback. You can go to the store right now and buy them. This is not a drill. If you want to avoid the store, try buying Oreo O’s on Amazon!
Remember this commercial from 1998?
14 – SqueezePops
Squeezing food and drinks was apparently a big thing in the ’80s, ’90s, and early ’00s. These were no exception. I can remember vividly the unique cherry flavor of a cherry Hubba Bubba SqueezePop and how sticky my fingers would get after eating them. They were discontinued in the 00’s and haven’t made a comeback, but there are petitions to bring them back.
Flavors
- Watermelon
- Cherry
- Blue Raspberry
15 – Sparkle Cherry Laffy Taffy
Sparkle Cherry Laffy Taffys were glorious and are sorely missed. These huge, sprinkle-filled taffy were extra stretchy and came with a surprise crunch in the form of sprinkles. I used to use mine as a fairy wand in the ’90s while running around in my jelly shoes.
Did you know you can still purchase Sparkel Cherry Laffy Taffys on Amazon and some other specialty candy stores?
16 – Munch ’ems
If you ever ate these crackers, you know they had a special type of crunch unique to chips. Keebler marketed them as a type of chip and cracker hybrid, and they really delivered. While Munch ’ems were delicious, crunchy snacks that were very popular in the late ’90s, the sales weren’t correlating that popularity.
In the early ’00s, they were discontinued, and
Main flavors
- Cheddar Munch ’ems
- Ranch Munch ’ems (My personal favorite)
- Sour Cream And Onion Munch ’ems
- Chill Cheese Keebler Munch ’ems
- Nacho Munch ’ems
- Mesquite BBQ Munch ’ems
- Salsa Munch ’ems
- Southwest Chili Munch ’ems
- Southwest Salsa Munch ’ems
- Reduced-Fat Sour Cream And Onion Munch ’ems
- Reduced Sodium Munch ’ems
Watch this blast from the past:
17 – Kudos
In the late ’80s, these candy-flavored Granola bars came out and made breakfast fun again. Part candy, part granola with a big sugary hit, these were the perfect snack to fit in your purse or lunch box. I used to eat these on the bus on my way to school. Kudos granola bars, made by Mars, were discontinued in the late 2010s.
Flavors
- M&M
- Chocolate Chip
- Snickers
- Peanut Butter
18 – Tiny Size Chiclets
These tiny, colorful chiclets were the most fun way to eat handfuls of fruity gum. They had a crunchy outer coating and came in all the colors of the rainbow. What’s not to love?
Did you know they came out in the early 1900s in the flavor peppermint? Though the companies changed over the years, and the gum evolved, the gum remained tiny and wonderful. In 2016, the tiny gum was discontinued by the original brand. Though the gum was discontinued, you can buy huge bags of Chiclets and reminisce on simpler times.
19 – Guacamole Doritos
For a small, brilliant, blip between 2003 and 2006, these guacamole flavored chips ruled the chip world. They were disappointingly discontinued to everyone’s surprise. Guacamole flavoring + Chips = flavor explosion.
Currently, you can buy a version of them on Amazon, but the reviews are extremely cautious, so I did not include them here. Turns out, they are sadly not the real thing.
20 – Pop Tarts Snak-Stix
I’m not really sure what the appeal of Pop-Tarts Snak-Stix was, but they were definitely popular and found a special place in the cupboards of kids everywhere in the early ’00s. The Kit-Kat of Pop-Tarts, these Pop-Tarts broke into sticks that were great for snacking in the back of the classroom when your math teacher wasn’t looking.
They only lasted on the market for about a year, because they were really just Pop-Tarts in stick form, but they had their 15 minutes of fame.
Flavors
- Cookie and Creme
- Frosted Berry
- Frosted Double Chocolate
- Frosted Caramel Chocolate
21 – Philadelphia Snack Bars
In the ’00s, these were a snack favorite. These snack bars were like little portable cheesecakes that were somehow acceptable for breakfast, which is pretty much why there were so beloved. They were delicious—pure snack-sized magic. Like many snacks on this list, there is currently an active petition to bring them back.
Main flavors
These main flavors don’t include some of the Snack Bites and specialty flavors that came out, such as Turtle or Marble Brownie.
- Classic
- Strawberry (The most popular)
- Chocolate Chip (My personal favorite)
- White Chocolate Raspberry
For a little extra nostalgia, take a peek at this classic ’00s commercial:
22 – Pepsi Twist
Pepsi Twist. I can literally smell Pepsi Twist as I write these words– that bright, sweet, citrusy cola spray when I first cracked open the can. Originally, Pepsi Twist came to the US in the early ’00s and found itself in vending machines everywhere. This and a bag of Gardettos was the ultimate combination.
While Pepsi Twist was temporarily discontinued in the early ’00s, it was introduced only a couple of years later. Luckily, you can still buy Pepsi Twist today, and it’s just as tasty as it always was.
23 – DunkAroos
In the late ’80s early ’90s, DunkAroos took the world by storm. Everyone who has ever had DunkAroo dip, knows the creamy, sugary deliciousness is like no other. I remember begging for these in the grocery store. Originally, Dunkaroos came in the shape of Sydney the Kangaroo and came with chocolate or vanilla frosting (it didn’t yet come with sprinkles as we know it today). However, it had other shapes and even many other frosting flavors as the product become more popular.
DunkAroos were sadly discontinued in the US temporarily between 2012 and 2016. Lucky for us, though the product has changed and evolved, it is still available today due to petitioning by consumers. You can buy DunkAroos on Amazon as well as many of your local grocery stores.
Main Flavors
- Vanilla
- Chocolate
- Rainbow (The most popular)
- Cinnamon
- Chocolate chip
- Peanut butter
24 – Bubble Beeper
They were part chewing gum, part cute accessory. I thought I was so cool riding my bike with my bubble beeper gum in my pocket. Bubble beeper gum, like the technology of the beeper itself, was sadly short-lived in the ’90s. Each stick of Bubble Beeper gum came with a different message inside its plastic beeper case. While it tended to disintegrate too quickly, it was soft, sweet, fruity, and smelled delicious.
25 – Sprinkle Spangles
From the early ’90s to the late ’90s, this delicious cereal by General Mills was a huge hit. They were sweet, colorful, full of sprinkles, and star-shaped. Sprinkles in cereal, how can it go wrong, right? Personally, I was a huge fan. With just the right amount of cereal crunch, they were the perfect cereal for an over-sized bowl of cereal late at night in front of the TV.
Though they were discontinued in the late ’90s, you can still find memorabilia online. If you were a super enthusiast, there are even Sprinkle Spangles t-shirts on Amazon.
26 – SnackWell’s
These delicious cakes, which came out in the early ’90s, were one of my favorite chocolate snacks to add to my lunch box. If you liked chocolate and cake and cookies, you liked these rich little snack cakes. Being part cookie, part cake, tons of chocolate, and fat-free, they really had it all. SnackWell’s was later sold from Nabisco to Nature foods.
Somewhere during this process, it’s rumored the recipes of many SnackWell’s snacks were changed, which was a major complaint by many consumers. The recipe’s biggest change was the switch from corn syrup to sugar within the recipe, so there has been a somewhat major change; however, I am just happy they are still around!
While the snacks are more accessible in Canada, they are still available for purchase in the US. Did you know that you can still buy SnackWell’s Devil’s Food cookie cakes on Amazon and many other locations and grocery stores?
27 – Waffle Crisp
Growing up, I loved Waffle Crisp. The sweet, syrupy flavor it gave the milk is what made it, and I think the signature maple syrup flavor that Waffle Crisp was known for is why it was so popular and survived for so long. It came out in 1996, making its way into cupboards everywhere, but the recipe was changed in 2013 to “Waffle Crunch.” After this change, the product couldn’t survive the brand change and was later discontinued in 2018.
Post, lucky for all of us, recently relaunched the product in bulk bags as of 2021. Get some right this minute! You know you want to!
28 – Hubba Bubba
In the late ’80s, Hubba Bubba Brand, who makes the tastiest gum of all time, came out and quickly became a must-have for kids of all ages. Did you know Hubba Bubba was actually discontinued before making its way into the 1990s? Thank goodness it did make a comeback in the early ’00s because it was such a major part of my childhood, and it is hard to imagine what my childhood would have been like without chewing the classic Hubba Bubba gum while playing on my GameBoy Advance.
If it’s been a while since you’ve had Hubba Bubba Bubble Tape, let your senses take you way back and get yourself some Hubba Bubba.
29 – Ice Breakers Liquid Ice
If you never popped one of these into your mouth only to feel like an ice-breathing dragon, you really missed out. Inside their gelly-like shell was a mighty, minty liquid. I was addicted to these extremely strong but tiny mints. They might be the strongest mints I can ever remember tasting, but they are somewhat similar to the strength of Breath Strips.
They came out in the late ’00s but were discontinued not much later.
Main flavors
These main flavors do disclude the Center Ice flavors, such as Raspberry Peppermint and Raspberry Lemonade.
- Cool Mint (The most popular)
- Cinnamon
- Spearmint
- Alpine Smash
30 – Pillsbury Waffle Sticks
Pillsbury Waffle Sticks were the best breakfast to eat on the bus or while catching up on homework in the morning. They took a bit of the messiness out of eating waffles. No knife. No fork. Easy to dip syrup. What’s not to love, right? Unfortunately, in 2007, they were discontinued along with several other Pillsbury products that were made for kids or geared towards kids. This was hugely controversial at the time because many people lost their jobs due to that discontinuation.
Remember that cute Pillsbury Waffle Sticks commercial?
31 – What are your favorite nostalgic snacks?
Do you remember any of the above snacks or drinks? Tell us about your favorite nostalgic snacks below!
