There’s nothing worse than heading to the grocery store to pick up the snack food you’ve
been craving, only to realize that it’s completely disappeared off the shelves. Several
of these discontinued food items were a big part of people’s childhoods, meaning that
they hold a lot of sentimental value. This makes it fun to look back on all the great
foods you used to enjoy, some of which you may have forgotten about. So, sit back, relax,
and prepare to take a trip down memory lane as we look at 10 discontinued food items we
miss - part 3.
C3PO’s Cereal
1984 was a year after the release of The Return of the Jedi, the third movie in George Lucas’
original Star Wars trilogy. It was in this year that Kellogg’s, milking the franchise’s
fame, came out with C3PO’s Cereal. The pieces of the cereal were shaped like figure eights,
and were comprised of honey-sweetened oats, wheat and corn. There were several different
prizes that could be found in the bottom of each box, including stickers, trading cards,
action figures, and plastic Rebel Rockets. Today, these are all sought after collectables.
Miniature boxes of this cereal were occasionally included in the multi-packs of Kellogg’s
cereals, but they were so hard to come by that they’re now an incredibly valuable
collector’s item. C3PO’s cereal was loved for its crunch and great flavor, but, sadly,
it was discontinued in 1986, a mere two years after its release. This was a major upset
for Star Wars fans and cereal lovers alike. In fact, many people are still lobbying for
its return all these years later. While it’s maybe futile to hope for the return of this
specific cereal, the franchise has had a huge resurgence in popularity lately, so maybe
we can hope for the release of some new Star Wars food items in the near future.
Banana Frosted Flakes
The iconic Frosted Flakes mascot, Tony the Tiger, has recommended many great cereals
over the years. One of these, which has been long forgotten, is Banana Frosted Flakes.
Who hasn't cut up a banana to top off a bowl of cereal before? It's a classic combination,
so the creation of this cereal was a logical move. In Banana Frosted Flakes, the pieces
of classic sugar frosted cereal were flavored to taste like bananas and had bits of real
banana stuck on to them. The box depicted Tony the Tiger, who was quoted as saying that
this cereal has “real appeal.” Because it was made with real bananas. And banana
has a peel. It’s very clever. Banana Frosted Flakes are another short-lived but well-loved
cereal. They were originally introduced in 1981, and ultimately pulled from shelves in
1984. Recently, Kellogg’s came out with a limited-edition variation of this cereal,
called Banana Crème Frosted Flakes. Historically, revivals never quite live up to the legacy
of the original, so if you were a fan of Banana Frosted Flakes back in the day, don’t let
this new cereal get your hopes up too high. However, it's always fun to try new foods,
so if you manage to get your hands on a box, definitely give it a shot. Just try not to
let your memories of cereals-past hinder your enjoyment of the modern iteration.
Strawberry Shortcake Cereal
Strawberry Shortcake is a classic cartoon
character with her own television shows, dolls, movies and books. Her original TV show was
pretty popular with children in the late seventies and early eighties, and the character has
been redesigned and revived on multiple occasions since. Since Strawberry Shortcake was such
a hit, it’s not surprising that General Mills would use her as inspiration for a new
breakfast cereal. Naturally, they went for the “it’s berry delicious” pun as a
tagline, but you can’t really fault them for that, as it kind of comes with the Strawberry
Shortcake territory. This cereal was essentially strawberry-flavored frosted corn, which had
been puffed into a spherical shape. It kind of looked like strawberry flavored Cocoa Puffs.
Of course, since it’s Strawberry Shortcakes cereal, you probably won’t be surprised
to hear that it was bright pink. This was another classic breakfast food of the early
eighties, and memories of it incite nostalgia in the many people who grew up on it. Something
you might not know about this cereal is that a companion cereal was also produced. This
second cereal was based on another character in the Strawberry Shortcake universe, her
friend Orange Blossom. As the name suggests, this cereal was orange flavored, which is
kind of a weird flex for a cereal to have, so it’s understandable that it was less
popular than its strawberry flavored counterpart. Both cereals were ultimately discontinued,
but, at the very least, the legacy of Strawberry Shortcake lives on.
Philadelphia Cream Cheese Strawberry Cheesecake Snack Bars
The name of this snack food alone is enough to make anyone’s mouth water. It's pretty
self-explanatory, and, trust us when we say that these snack bars were as amazing as they
sound. In discussions about the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Strawberry Cheesecake Snack Bar,
you’ll often hear words like “delicious” and “divine” being thrown around, and
with good reason. These snack bars were a hit, and no one’s quite sure why Kraft Foods
stopped making them. They were released in the early 2000’s, and, like many of the
other food items on this list, they didn’t last very long before being pulled. With their
graham cracker crumb base, creamy cheesecake topping, and strawberry filling, these snack
bars gave you all the satisfaction you get from a slice of cheesecake, with all the ease
of eating on the go you get from a granola or protein bar. They were a great addition
to any lunchbox, and many people were quite sad to see them go. If you find yourself missing
these snack bars, feel free to scope the web to find some copycat recipes and try making
them yourself. A lot of DIY reviews claim that their own version was almost as good
as the original. The originals were pretty fantastic, so we’re skeptical, but it’s
definitely worth a shot.
Jell-O Pudding Pops
Barring an unfortunate marketing decision on Jell-O's part, that is to say, the use
of Bill Cosby as spokesperson, Pudding Pops were a very successful and well-loved dessert.
These frozen treats were available in the classic Jell-O pudding flavors of chocolate,
vanilla, and chocolate-vanilla swirl. They could be found in grocery store freezers everywhere,
from the seventies through to the nineties. Over that period of more than twenty years,
they developed a very strong fan base. However, in spite of the good sales, they weren’t
considered profitable enough to warrant further production. In the end, the executive decision
was made to discontinue them. It’s safe to say that there were a lot of people out
there who considered that decision to be the wrong one. In fact, the outcry was so loud
that, in the early 2000’s, Pudding Pops were re-released, but this time not by Jell-O,
but by the Popsicle brand. This is a prime example of the revival not living up to the
original. The texture was off, the shape was different, and no one was having any of it.
So, in 2011, they were discontinued once again. We’re very open to the idea them trying
to release them again, since, you know, third time’s a charm.
Fruit String Things
We have to ask that you leave the “no playing with your food” rule at the door, thank
you very much. Half the appeal of Fruit String Things came from the fact that they were so
much fun to play with. They also tasted pretty great, but that was less of a selling point.
Inside the package, you would find the Fruit String Thing rolled into a funky shape, such
as a rocket ship, which could then be unwound and used to express all kinds of creativity.
Think Fruit Roll-Up, but better. Fruit snacks were all the rage during the 1990’s, and
this chewy candy came in a variety of fruit flavors. We have to ask ourselves: did it
actually taste as amazing as we remember, or does our love for it stem from all the
fun we had playing with it? We might never find out, but since this Betty Crocker snack
was such a staple of elementary school lunchboxes everywhere, a lot of nineties kids get pretty
sentimental over it. Many have forgotten about this favorite childhood snack over the years
but reminding them of it really takes them back. For evidence of this, just check out
Reddit’s Nostalgia subreddit. There’s quite a bit of discussion of this particular
topic to be found there, and people get pretty defensive if anyone decides to talk smack
about their favorite childhood snack.
Nestle Quik Bar
Before the Nestle brand became universally known as Nesquik in 1999, it was referred
to as Nestle Quik. Upon its foundation in 1948, Nestle Quik began releasing a series
of mixes and syrups that could be used to flavor milk. These were met with such success
that they decided to expand into other products. One of these, the Nestle Quik Bar, was their
take on the classic chocolate bar. These bars had the pliable consistency of taffy, and
a flavor somewhere between that of milk chocolate and that of Nesquik chocolate flavoring. In
true Nesquik style, these chocolate bars where wrapped in yellow packaging, with the famous
Nesquik bunny placed next to the name. This chocolate bar had a lot of great things going
for it, but unfortunately it didn’t gain the popularity it needed to survive in the
incredibly competitive snack food world. This is yet another food item of the 1990s, and
if you take anything away from this list, let it be that the nineties were the heyday
of snack foods. The decade had all the greatest hits, so, for those of you too young to have
tasted them, we send our deepest sympathies.
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Asteroids
We've lost a lot of pretty awesome Cheetos snacks over the years. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
Asteroids weren’t the first, nor will they be the last. They are, however, some of the
most sorely missed. As the name suggests, these Cheetos were not for the faint of heart.
They packed a surprising punch, so if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.
They didn’t come by the bag; instead they were packaged in plastic containers, which
could be easily resealed. That is, if you didn’t eat the entire container in one sitting.
Cheetos Asteroids got their name from their unique shape. No two were quite alike, and,
while they were all more-or-less round, their surfaces were anything but smooth, making
them reminiscent of an asteroid. Each individual piece was relatively small, and although they
weren’t super flavorful, they were crunchy and hot enough to be interesting. Flamin’
Hot Cheetos Asteroids were popular in the early 2000’s, but only survived a short
time before being discontinued. Rumor has it that Cheetos might actually be bringing
this product back sometime in 2019, so keep your eyes open for that!
Original Hostess Fruit Pies
For over thirty years, from the early 1970s to early 2000s, Hostess Fruit Pies were all
the rage. This dessert was made popular in part due to the fact that it could be bought
at your local convenience store for only a few dollars. These pastries looked more like
turnovers than actual pies, but let’s not focus on semantics. They contained a gooey
fruit pie filling, which was made of real fruit, along with a boatload of sugar and
artificial flavoring, and the crusts were coated with a sweet glaze. There were a handful
of available flavors, which varied a bit over the years. The most common were apple, blackberry,
lemon, peach and strawberry. Just like how Planter’s food items are represented by
a living depiction of their main ingredient, the famous Mr. Peanut, Hostess Fruit Pies’
mascot is none other than Fruit Pie the Magician. who, in case you couldn’t tell, is a live
fruit pie with a top hat and a magic wand. Fruit Pie the Magician was the mascot of this
Hostess product from 1973 to 2006. His most impressive magic trick was the ability to
make Fruit Pies appear out of thin air. It’s a shame the Fruit Pie Magician isn’t here
and willing to give an encore performance, as it seems like magic is the only way to
find the original Hostess Fruit Pies anymore. Since they had such a long run, Hostess Fruit
Pies managed to reach a very large amount of people, making them one of the most missed
items on this list.
Slimer’s Ectoplasm
The Ghostbusters franchise was at the height of popularity in the eighties, and remains
a pop culture staple to this day. Since the films were so popular, it’s only natural
that several Ghostbusters-themed food items were produced around the time the movies were
being released. One of the most popular among these was Hi-C Ecto-Cooler, a fruit juice
that was discontinued in the nineties. Another food item based off of the film series was
Slimer’s Ectoplasm, which is just as weird as it sounds. Actually, scratch that. It’s
weirder. Slimer’s Ectoplasm could be purchased by the case, each of which contained a plastic
figurine of the famous green ghost, Slimer, who was a character in the Ghostbusters films. To
get to the Ectoplasm, which was the edible part of this candy, you had to remove Slimer’s
head. This revealed a small tube, which you were to then put in your mouth. From there,
you had to squeeze Slimer’s stomach, and a sour, sticky green liquid would be squirted
out of the tube. If the process sounds mildly disturbing to you, know that you’re not
alone in feeling this way. The Ectoplasm was too sour and too slimy to actually be all
that enjoyable, and the process of actually getting to it was a little too weird, but
the Slimer figurine made for a pretty cool collectable. This was a really unique snack.
For those reasons, we really miss this one.
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