A couple of years ago, I did some videos about discontinued food, they were actually really
successful and are probably the reason a lot of you guys even found our channel.
We discontinued our discontinued food series though and didnt really think that much about
it.
Then we started getting messages from some of you guys telling us that some of the items
I had talked about had actually made a return to the market!
They were back!
I didnt believe it at first but sure enough, some famous snacks that I said were dead and
gone - have risen once again and you can buy them today.
Here are the 10 you need to know about, my name is Danny Burke and this is the Top 10
Discontinued Snacks That Have Returned.
Starting off at number 10 we have Twinkies[a].
For North Americans, theyre an all time favourite - for everyone else, theyre that weird snack
people always talk about in the movies.
Twinkies are sold as a Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling and first appeared in
the American market as far back as 1930.
Over the coming decades, it became an iconic American snack.
In 1998, they released fruit and cream twinkies, in 2007 they released banana Twinkies for
the King Kong movie - things were going great - but then, on January 11th 2012, Twinkies
parent company Hostess filed for bankruptcy.
Twinkies sales for the year were down 20% of the previous year.
They said their customers had found healthier foods.
By November, it was all over.
Weeks went by, Twinkies became rarer and rarer.
Over the next few months, they began selling for extortionate prices on sites like ebay,
up to 5,000 for a single Twinkie.
Im not sure if anyone bought them for that - but thats what they were listed as.
It was the Twinkie apocalypse.
Then, in March 2013, after 4 months in the wilderness, Twinkie fans saw hope.
Twinkies and other Hostess brands were purchased out of bankruptcy by Apollo Global Management
for 410 million.
By July, they were back on shelves for good - crisis averted, for now.
Next up at number 9 we have Crispy M&Ms.
Ill be honest, Im not the biggest fan of M&Ms, I don't hate them - I don't mind them - I
just know people that like them a lot more than me.
There are so many different types though and one that really seemed to get people excited
when they were first release were Crispy M&Ms.
They came out in 1999 and were designed to be a slightly larger version of the milk chocolate
variety and also featured a crispy wafer center.
They were popular, but in the M&M world, things move quickly and they were mostly discontinued
in the US in 2003 - not in Europe and Australia though - maybe they just forgot to discontinue
them.
Over the years, M&M released pretzel M&Ms, an M&M chocolate bar, Mega M&Ms - sure, they
had their fans - but there were growing calls for the return of the Crispy M&Ms.
In 2015, the company gave in and Crispy M&Ms were re released in the US!
At the number 8 spot now we have the Burger King Chicken Fries[b].
These were instantly a huge hit when burger king released them initially IN 2005.
They were intended to be one of their larger, adult oriented products with better quality
ingredients than standard menu items.
The product was part of a series of product introductions designed to expand Burger Kings
menu - apparently they were specifically aimed at 24 to 36 year old males, but everyone loved
them.
After 7 years though, they were discontinued in the US in 2012 but were still sold in some
other markets such as Italy.
In August 204, they were introduced for a limited time in North America - Burger King
was surprised about their success - it seems that their plan for 2005 just needed another
10 years or so.
In March 2015, they were permanently re added to the menu in over 30 countries worldwide!
At the number 7 spot we have Hyrdrox Cookies[c].
To someone whos never had one of these before, these things look like oreos but have a name
like a cleaning product.
Well - thats about right, the oreo thing, theres no cleaning chemicals in them, I think.
This creme filled chocolate sandwich cookie has first hit the market in 1908 and was actually
the inspiration for Oreos which came out 4 years later.
Fans of Hydrox have a less sweet filling and a crunchier cookie shell that doesnt get as
soggy in milk.
Its funny because nowadays people think that Hydrox is a cheap imitation when its always
been the original.
It was partially because of this competition that the cookies struggled for many decades.
In the end, it was discontinued in 1999 after Sunshine, the producer, was acquired by Keebler
and later Kellogs.
It seemed like it was all over but amazingly, in 2015 it was reintroduced by Leaf Brands
and has been on shelves ever since!
Coming in at number 6 now we have The Double Down[d].
KFC fans will recognise this as a sandwich with fried chicken instead of bread.
Inside is bacon, cheese and The Colonels secret sauce.
Interesting fact here: it was originally going to be announced as an April Fools joke before
its release in the US.
When people showed some interest, they went ahead and launched the item on April 12th
2010.
The TV commercial for them said -so much 100 percent premium chicken, we don't have room
for a bun- The joke really spiraled out of hand when the Double Down began selling like
wildfire.
When they released it in Canada for a limited time, one KFC in British Columbia had sold
out by lunch time.
Hopefully they were being sold to different people … over the next few years, the Double
Down kept disappearing and reappearing on menus around the world but by mid 2011 they
were a permanent fixture …
Next up at number 5 we have Surge[e].
OK this one isnt technically a snack - its more of a drink - but with the amount of sugar
in it, some people might actually call it a snack.
It was released as a citrus flavored soft drink in 1997 by Coca Cola - they wanted to
launch a director competitor the Pepsis Mountain Due.
They marketed it was a more hardcore version of the two drinks.
Yeah - sugary drinks - hardscore.
The drink sold well into the new millennium but by 2003, sales had faltered and Surge
was discontinued.
The drink might have gone - but its fans didnt, over the next 10 years, they started online
groups and began to campaign Coca Cola to re release the drink - it was called the Surge
Movement.
Theres national revolutions with less excitement than this … after 11 years, their efforts
paid off, Coca Cola re released Surge on September 15th 2014 in the US, available only on Amazon
prime.
By 2018, Surge had returned to international markets, over 20 years after its initial release.
Next up at number 4 we have French Toast Crunch[f].
This cereal was first launched by General Mills in 1995 and was designed to be like
mini slices of French toast - in both appearance and taste - however, they eventually changed
it to be more like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
On the back of the box it read -New French Toast Crunch - for a taste that will have
you flipping!
Wendell has cooked up an awesome new cereal with all the stuff you love.
Delicious French toast cereal with syrup specially baked onto every crunchy piece.
And each scrumptious piece looks and tastes like French toast!
Grab your spoon, and discover this crunchy sensation - For a taste that will have you
flipping.- … a taste that will have you flipping.
Amazing.
Do cereal boxes even have that kind of stuff on them anymore?
I don't really eat much cereal.
It was discontinued in 2006 after 11 years.
Eventually, popular demand made General Mills reintroduced French Toast Crunch on December
5th 2014.
Coming in at number 3 we have have The McRib[g].
This one really needs no introduction but here we go.
The McRib is the bbq flavored pork sandwich sold by McDonalds since its release in 1981.
It tends to either attract or repulse people.
Mcdonalds test marketing seemed to show a positive reaction by their customers.
It was also developed by a guy called Rene Arent who invented McDonalds chicken nuggets
so yeah, McDonalds thought they were onto a winner and began rolling it out almost everywhere.
The next 4 years didnt look so great though, sales were mediocre at best and it was removed
in 1985 as McDonalds executives determined that pork is not eaten frequently enough in
the United States to justify keeping it on the menu.
It wasnt the end though, in the past 20 years or so, the McRib has made a number of appearances
for special occasions.
Its even returned permanently in Germany - so yeah, its not really fair to say its discontinued
when McDonalds just bring it back every few months … and you can get one in Germany
whenever.
I just mentioned that.
At the number 2 we Cheez Balls[h].
I did a few videos talking about Discontinued Snacks last year and this was one of the products
I talked about - I thought they were gone forever, thats why I put them on the list
- then, in Summer 2018, they made a triumphant return.
For anyone unfamiliar with them, theyre an old school favourite in the US - puffed cheese
flavored corn snacks sold by planters since 1981.
With competitors rising up left right and centre and supermarkets making their own cheaper
versions, Cheeze Balls were eventually discontinued.
Then, in 2018, Planters made an announcement, saying -We heard many impassioned pleas for
us to bring Cheez Balls and Cheez Curls back over the years and we wanted to give our fans
a chance to reunite with their most-missed cheesy snack.
We made sure our Cheez Balls and Cheez Curls still have the same delicious taste, airy
texture and fluorescent color you know and love, so our fans can enjoy a nostalgic trip
down memory lane with every canister- … amazing.
CLAP.
I love the amount of passion people have for a small cheese flavored corn snack.
This is what lifes all about.
And finally at number 1 we have Fruity Yummy Mummy and Fruit Brute Cereal - whacky names,
whackier cereal.
These cereals belonged to the Monster Cereals released by General Mills.
They launched in 1971 and were based around 5 classic horror characters there was Count
Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy.
For some reason, those first 3 were a success, General Mills has been releasing them seasonally
almost every year - Fruit Bruit and Fruity Yummy Mummy werent so lucky though.
Fruit Brute was discontinued in 1974 and discontinued in 1982 to be replaced with Fruity Yummy Mummy
which itself was discontinued in 1992.
The years rolled by and Monster Cereal fans almost forgot about the missing characters
and the fruity cereals they represented.
In August 2013 though, General Mills released all 5 monster cereals in the lead up to Halloween
- it was the first time in 31 years that the discontinued flavors had made a return.
In the years since then, it seems that the long lost Monster Cereals are finally back
for good and its like they were never gone in the first place!
Hope you enjoyed!
Fave snack?
Part 2?
May have to wait for others to be discontinued.