Everyone has foods from their childhood that seem impossible to find these days. We’re
often left wondering if we fabricated those memories ourselves. Odds are, the food item
you’re thinking of was just discontinued years ago. Here are ten more discontinued
food items we miss.
WWF Ice Cream Bars
Back in the days of low-rise jeans and girl bands, when the WWE was still the WWF, these
ice cream bars were the go-to dessert of wrestling fans everywhere. About as subtle as wrestling
itself, WWF Ice Cream Bars came in a box emblazoned with the slogan “Taste the Bars of the Superstars!”
Stamped into the cookie exterior of each individual bar was the name and image of one of the hottest
wrestlers of the time. There was Hulkster, the Million Dollar Man, and Macho Man, among
others. While the rest of the ice cream sandwich was nothing to turn your nose up at, the themed
vanilla wafer was the main draw for many customers. Other than the imprints of various WWF superstars,
there wasn’t much that set these ice cream bars a part. Under the vanilla wafer was a
thick layer of vanilla ice cream, and a bottom layer of chocolate coating. Once the excitement
over the WWF theme wore off, people realized that this frozen dessert wasn’t anything
special, and sales began to drop off.
Berry Berry Kix
More often than not, cereals are the target of discontinuation. At this point, it’s
a miracle that there are any cereals left. Yet another victim on the long list of discontinued
cereals is Berry Berry Kix. Kix is a puffed-grain cereal that has been around since the Great
Depression. It’s made it this far, so it’s probably safe to say that the original Kix
isn’t going anywhere. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for any of its newer
variations. Berry Berry Kix was a fruity spin on the classic cereal which hit grocery store
shelves in the nineties. In addition to the spherical puffed corn pieces from the original
Kix cereal, Berry Berry Kix contained pink and purple pieces shaped like tiny raspberries
and blackberries. In recent years, General Mills revamped this cereal in a partnership
with Nickelodeon. The new boxes of Berry Berry Kix were decorated with characters from the
popular kid’s TV show, Paw Patrol. This would have been fine if it were only the box
that was changed, but they made the mistake of messing with the cereal itself. Not only
did the pieces themselves look different, but the taste just wasn’t the same. All
in all, fans of the original Berry Berry Kix were left sorely disappointed. This is the
perfect example of how some foods are better left discontinued.
Soda-Licious Soda Pop Fruit Snacks
If there’s one candy that will never go out of style, it’s fruit flavored gummy
candy. Well, actually, it’s probably chocolate. But fruit flavored gummy candies are a close
second. Soda-Licious Soda Pop Fruit Snacks were shaped like soda bottles and came in
flavors like Lemon-Lime, Red Punch, and Grape. Soda-Licious took things up a notch by adding
a sugary coating to the gummies that fizzed when it came into contact with your tongue,
giving you the same sensation you would get from drinking a soft drink. Due to the popularity
of this candy in the early nineties, Betty Crocker released a special edition version,
in which the candies were flavored to taste like popular soft drinks like Root Beer and
Cherry Cola. The Root Beer ones were even shaped like pitchers of Root Beer, which the
froth and everything! Both the original and special edition variation of Soda-Licious
Fruit Snacks did well at first, but by the end of the decade their popularity started
to wane. Before the start of the new millennium, the candy had disappeared completely. It’s
sad that this candy, which had a pretty unique concept, wasn’t able to survive in the competitive
world of fruit snacks.
Yoo-Hoo Candy Bars
The Yoo-Hoo chocolate drink has been around since the tail end of the roaring twenties
– nearly a hundred years now. It might look like chocolate milk, but don’t let appearances
deceive you. The liquid base of Yoo-Hoo is water, and its flavor comes mainly from high
fructose corn syrup and whey. Like any other popular and long-lasting food item, several
products have been derived from the original. Of course, none of the Yoo-Hoo variations
managed to live up to the legacy of their predecessor, but that’s always how it goes.
One of the many Yoo-Hoo products that has cropped up over the years was the Yoo-Hoo
candy bar. It was the logical play, since Yoo-Hoo started off as a chocolate drink.
A chocolate bar just makes sense. The bar tasted almost identical to the milk chocolate
flavored drink, so it was a hit among fans of the beverage. Where this candy bar went,
we couldn’t tell you. But it’s disappearance can probably be attributed to the fact that
most chocolate lovers would probably choose an authentic chocolate bar over this “chocolate
flavored candy bar”. We can’t fault them for that, but it’s too bad that the Yoo-Hoo
Candy Bar had to fall prey to comparison and couldn’t be appreciated for what it was
in its own right.
Life Savers Holes
There are donuts and donut holes, so why not Life Savers and Life Savers Holes? Life Savers
are ring-shaped hard candies that come both in mint and various fruit flavors. They get
their name from the fact that they bear a resemblance to the life preservers used on
boats or by lifeguards at the pool. Life Savers Holes are smaller hard candies in the same
size and shape as the holes in the centre of a conventional Life Saver. The brand has
expanded a lot since Life Savers first appearance in the early twentieth century, and Life Savers
Holes was just one of many derivatives of the candy to get discontinued over the years.
Life Savers holes came in resealable plastic tubes and could be popped like Tic-Tacs. They
were sold in peppermint and the traditional five fruit flavors of the original Life Savers,
but you could also buy them in Tangerine, Outrageously Fruity, Island Fruits, or Sunshine
Fruits packages, each of which contained a variety of different flavors. They were easy
to eat on the go and, even though each container held a decent amount of candy, they disappeared
quickly.
PB Max
Of all the food items on this list, the discontinuation of this candy bar is the one that hurts us
the most. The reason behind the outrage is the fact that, up until it got the axe, this
candy bar was thriving. And it would’ve kept on doing so, if only the Mars family
had better taste. The food item we’re referencing is called PB Max, which was a candy bar that
consisted of a whole grain cookie, a whole lot of peanut butter, and a creamy milk chocolate
coating. If you grew up in the nineties, you might remember the commercials for PB Max,
which listed all the things that PB didn’t stand for, such as piggy banks, polka band,
portly ballerina, etc. At the end, it revealed that PB stood for “peanut butter”, which
would probably be most people’s first guess – at least, you’d guess it before “parachuting
buffalo” or “penguin black-belt”. Like we said, the PB Max candy bar did very well
for itself. We’re talking fifty million dollars in sales. Yet, it was discontinued
in spite of that. Why, you ask? Well, rumour has it that the Mars family (the same Mars
family from which the confectionary, Mars Inc., gets its name) hated peanut butter,
and that was enough for them to call for the bar’s discontinuation. We told you it was
ridiculous. If that story’s true, that is an impressive level of hatred for peanut butter.
Tongue Splashers Gum
Whatever your opinion of this Tongue Splashers gum, you have to admit that it deserves serious
points for style. A candy like this could only have existed in the nineties. The individually
wrapped hard spheres of bubble gum came packaged in a plastic container designed to look like
a miniature paint can. The paint can was decorated with bright colors and depicted a cartoon
of a mouth with a purple-stained tongue sticking out. Along the bottom of the package was the
gum’s slogan, “Paints Your Mouth with a Splash of Color!”. This was the main gimmick
of Tongue Splashers Gum, and the reason why its container was made to look like a paint
can. This bubble gum would stain your mouth the color of whichever flavor you decided
to chew. Each container held a variety of colors and flavors. They were Bleeding Red,
Color Me Blue, Orange Crunch, Slime Green, and Slurpin’ Purple. You could buy this
bubble gum in packages of several small cans, or you could purchase one large can containing
240 pieces. Either way, running out was never much of a concern! Today, a container of Tongue
Splashers Gum is a staple in the collections of those nostalgic for the nineties. Although
you can still get your hands on unopened containers online, we wouldn’t recommend trying to
chew it. It’s been discontinued for so long; it would probably be more like a jaw breaker
than bubble gum.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal
Between the comic books, the cartoon, the action figures, the video games and the movies,
it was inevitable that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle logo would eventually get slapped
on a cereal box. Named for Italian Renaissance artists, these crime-fighting turtles took
the world by storm during the eighties and nineties, during which time, its companion
cereal gained impressive traction as well. The two main ingredients of Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles cereal were “ninja nets”, pieces of cereal that looked similar to Chex
in the way they were netted, and marshmallows in a wide variety of shapes and colors. Soon
after the cereal’s big debut, marshmallows in the shape of pizza slices – the TMNT’s
food of choice – were thrown into the mix. Many boxes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
Cereal included collectable cards from the 1990 film. Although they might not be worth
much in terms of monetary value today, these cards would definitely hold tremendous nostalgic
value for many of the franchise’s oldest fans. Trading cards weren’t the only gimmick
this cereal had going for it. Many boxes had order forms on the back, which could be filled
out and submitted into a raffle where the winner would be awarded with an entire set
of TMNT action figures. As if that wasn’t enough, there were also several prizes hidden
in many boxes. These included mini comic strips and a packet of something called “green
ooze,” which was a sugary topping that you could drizzle on your cereal. Those were great
and all, but the most popular prize was the Turtle Bowl, a cereal bowl shaped like a Ninja
Turtle.
Cheetos Paws
This is one of those food items that was cool, but unnecessary. With the same taste and texture
as regular old Cheetos, the only thing that set Cheetos Paws apart was their shape. Playing
off of Cheetos’ cheetah mascot, the pieces of Cheetos Paws were shaped like small cheetah
paws. It’s cute, but it didn’t draw a big enough crowd to warrant keeping the product
around. People were used to the shape of the original Cheetos, and there was no reason
for them to buy Cheetos Paws instead (spoiler alert: people hate change. That’s why we’re
so up-in-arms about not being able to buy these food items anymore). That’s not to
say that Cheetos Paws didn’t have its fans. One woman wrote a message to PepsiCo on Facebook,
telling them how much she enjoyed Cheetos Paws and asking for their return. PepsiCo
apologized, but informed her that this particular food item probably wouldn’t be making a
comeback anytime soon. They did send her a coupon though, which is still a pretty big
win for her. Although you can no longer buy a package of Cheetos Paws, if you (for whatever
reason) find yourself craving them, they can still be found in mixed bags of Cheetos products,
like Cheetos Cracker Trax and Cheetos White Cheddar Bag of Bones.
Mickey's Parade Ice Pops
Mickey Mouse and company will never get old but apparently someone decided that the frozen
dessert they inspired did. Mickey’s Parade Ice Pops were shaped like the beloved Disney
characters, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy, and came in the flavors orange,
cherry, and grape. These popsicles were sold throughout the nineties and were one of those
food items that was slowly phased out without explanation. A quick search on the r/nostalgia
subreddit will show you just how popular these popsicles were. Many Redditors admit to having
forgotten about them completely but said that the memories came flooding back as soon as
they were mentioned. Apparently, Mickey’s Parade Ice Pops were different from regular
popsicles in both taste and texture, but in the best way possible. Someone even went as
far as to say: “If I’m on death row, this is my last meal request”. If that doesn’t
prove to you that these ice pops should never have been discontinued, nothing will.
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