Remember when the frozen food section was filled with tasty body parts and edible
cartoon characters? These products may have disappeared from shelves,
but they remain forever in our hearts.
If you paid attention to the news at all during the summer of 2022, then you're
probably familiar with the tragic disappearance of the Choco Taco. Parent company Klondike made
the decision to pull it off store shelves nearly 40 years after it first debuted. The internet
immediately and predictably went into a frenzy, with regular folks and celebrities alike voicing
their displeasure. Chef Andrew Zimmern even called the death of the Choco Taco "insanity."
Other brands attempted to jump on the opportunity to cash in on the nostalgia before consumers even
had the chance to miss it. Portland-based ice cream shop Salt & Straw began selling
their own version, dubbing it a Chocolate Tacolate. It was sold exclusively online,
and unsurprisingly, their inventory was gone in a flash.
Even though the Choco Taco has disappeared from the freezer aisle,
there still may be some hope for its return. In response to fans' outrage over its demise,
Klondike hinted on Twitter that they're looking into the possibility of bringing
it back. However, any return will likely be a few years away.
If you grew up in the 90s, then there's a strong possibility your refrigerator
was well stocked with this next frozen product. Nestlé began selling their cylindrical Push-Up
sherbet treats in the 80s, and shortly after their debut, they collaborated with an iconic cartoon
franchise. Flintstones Push-Up Sherbet Treats arrived in 1990 and lasted for several years,
with on-brand flavors like Yabba Dabba Do Orange, Lime Rock Lime, and Bedrock Berry.
Alas, Flintstones Push-Ups are now a thing of the past — nowhere to be found in any grocery
store aisle. You can, however, still purchase generic Push-Up Pops. If you keep your eyes
peeled in the frozen food aisle, you may spot a variety pack that includes Cherry Blast,
Turbo Grape, and Outrageous Orange. They may not sound as cool as the Flintstone varieties,
but we'll take what we can get. Nestlé also advertises these Push-Up Pops on its website,
but notably our favorite cartoon residents of Bedrock are still missing. So don't expect to
find the frozen versions of Fred or Barney anywhere soon other than in your memories.
"Yabba dabba doooooo! Ahhhhh!"
Few breakfast items are as convenient as frozen waffles. There are many brands out
there that sell their own version of this toaster-friendly treat,
but the reigning champ in terms of brand recognition is surely Eggo. Owned by parent
company Kellogg's, Eggo is responsible for producing a wide array of frozen waffles,
from classic buttermilk and chocolate chip, to various designs with popular cartoon characters.
For a while, Eggo also offered a sweet and satisfying spin on its classic trademark
product. In the early 2000s, the brand introduced Waf-Fulls — a frozen breakfast waffle with various
fillings. Flavors included the usual suspects like strawberry and blueberry. But eventually,
Waf-Fulls were discontinued after approximately eight years on the market.
Fans were understandably disappointed to see them vanish, and a petition
even emerged on Change.org in the hopes of one day resurrecting the Waf-Fulls. Alas,
Eggo has made it pretty clear on their social media that it's probably not going to happen.
The name-brand gelatin dessert known as Jell-O remains a gastronomical mystery to pretty much
everyone on the planet. Nevertheless, it's also a pantry staple to this day,
especially for households with hungry children. Whether you buy Jell-O pudding
mix to whip together at home or purchase the pre-made packs to include in school lunches,
the brand has cemented itself in popular culture as a go-to snack option. But what
about throwing some of that pudding in the freezer for a tasty dessert? Now we're talking.
And in fact, Jell-O's Pudding Pops were actually quite the hit for a number of years
when they were initially launched around 1980, reaching $100 million in sales in their first
year. Despite that encouraging development, these pudding pops flopped due to an eventual
drop off in customer demand. Jell-O confirmed on Twitter in 2018 that the Pudding Pops were
ultimately discontinued due to insufficient sales. However, while you may not be able to
buy a box of Jell-O Pudding Pops these days, copycat recipes are readily available online.
"Get your pudding face on."
When TV became a focal point in the homes of more and more Americans throughout the 1950s,
frozen prepared meals became the perfect accompaniment for daily viewing. However,
the introduction of Swanson TV Dinners was less about the search for the perfect meal
to eat while watching the boob tube than it was a correction for a surplus in Thanksgiving turkeys.
The overabundance of poultry was repurposed into ready-made meals, and the rest is history.
After the popularity of the turkey dinners took off, additional meals were introduced
to the lineup during the 60s and 70s. Swanson then became a household name,
with one of their main selling points being that the meals were so easy to prepare,
kids could make themselves something to eat while Mom and Dad went out for a real dinner.
While Swanson TV Dinners are no longer on store shelves today, you might still be enjoying them
without even realizing it. The Swanson TV Dinner brand was retired, but the products
themselves were re-labeled as Hungry Man, which is still sold in grocery stores to this day.
If you're someone who likes your breakfasts to taste a little sweet,
then Pillsbury Toaster Strudels are a convenient way to treat yourself first
thing in the morning. They're part of a long line of successful products from the brand,
which is basically the champion of packaged baked goods. The Toaster Strudel comes in a variety of
flavors and is still sold in grocery stores to this day. But there's one flavor that's no longer
available in your local frozen food section — or any frozen food section, for that matter.
The Boston Cream Pie Toaster Strudel was noticeably different from the majority of
other strudels on the market. Whereas most varieties have a jam filling,
such as strawberry or blueberry, the Boston Cream Pie had a creamier custard inside. And
it was pretty delicious! Unfortunately, it was ultimately discontinued, which Pillsbury confirmed
on Twitter in November 2021. Fans took to Change.org to start a petition to bring it back,
but the company has given no indication that that's a possibility beyond tweeting,
"We’ll share your request with the team."
"Hm hm! Nothing says 'I love you' like something from- Hey, what the hell are you doing?!"
While Swanson TV Dinners provided parents with a quick and convenient meal option for the entire
family, the products weren't necessarily marketed for kids. But then soon enough,
that corner was filled as well. Starting around the 1970s, Libbyland TV Dinners hit the shelves
and gave youngsters their own option when it came to frozen meals. The brand even had its
own mascot called Libby the Kid. And each meal came with colorful crystals that could
change the color of a glass of milk. There were various themed dinners available for purchase,
inspired by the likes of pirates, safaris, and deep sea diving.
Alas, Libbyland TV Dinners didn't have a very long lifespan, as they only lasted on the market
until 1976. They clearly had all the traits of a product that was marketed to children,
but ultimately it was up to the people with the buying power,
i.e. their parents, to decide what foods actually ended up in their grocery carts.
Before Eggo Waf-Fulls, there were Care Bear Waffles. The Care Bears
franchise was pretty big when they arrived in the 80s. And so,
much like any other successful, modern-day kid-targeted media property, the characters
could eventually be found everywhere — even as a part of your breakfast.
The waffles themselves were a bit nondescript. If you didn't see the box beforehand, there really
was no indication that they were inspired by the Care Bears, other than the rainbow sprinkles
baked in. However, the packaging was decorated with Care Bears, which was the only thing kids
needed to spot in the grocery store in order to beg their parents to add it to their cart.
Much like the Care Bears themselves, their waffles declined in popularity over the years,
and they were eventually discontinued. Even the popularity at their peak appears to be
somewhat debatable. That's evidenced by a thread on the 1980s subreddit in
which commenters revealed that they didn't even realize this product ever existed. Perhaps that
had something to do with its inevitable fate of being pulled off of shelves.
"Buh-bye.
Buh-bye."
Growing up in the 90s meant that you probably tried some unique culinary items, like Dunkaroos,
Dippin' Dots, and Fruitopia. Another staple in many 90s kids' freezers were Kid Cuisine
meals. Everything from the bright blue microwavable tray to the penguin mascot,
to the brownie that may or may not have been actual food,
culminated in the unforgettable Kid Cuisine experience. This craze continued into the
2000s and even the 2010s, and to this day the brand is still available in grocery stores.
But not every frozen meal that Kid Cuisine ever offered is included in their current lineup. The
brand once sold a Friends Forever Mac and Cheese variety inspired by the iconic Nickelodeon cartoon
Spongebob Squarepants, which was a big hit among many customers. But this particular product
has since been discontinued, along with other varieties that have come and gone over the years,
including the Constructor Beef Patty Sandwich and All-American Fried Chicken. In fact,
a quick trip to the Kid Cuisine website will show only three options currently listed:
All Star Nuggets, Mini Corn Dogs, and Popcorn Chicken. But don't worry,
as the questionable brownies are still included with all three varieties.
Another brand that plenty of shoppers are probably quite familiar with when it comes
to frozen meals is Marie Callender's, which began baking pies in the 1940s. The real-life
inspiration behind the company grew into a household name over the years and even opened
pie and coffee shops before the brand name was licensed to ConAgra Foods in 1994. This
resulted in the launch of a widely popular line of frozen meals. But the heart of the
company is still the dessert that started it all — and that is none other than pie.
You can find plenty of different pies sold by Marie Callender's,
including the savory Chicken Pot Pie and the sweet Lattice Apple Pie. Unfortunately,
though, not every flavor they've ever sold is still available today. Some of
the dearly departed include the Pumpkin Pecan Streusel, along with a few other
frozen food offerings like the Chili Pot Pie and the Herb Roasted Chicken Dinner.
A lot of strange things happened in the 1980s, and Funny Feet ice cream is no exception.
"It's the 80s, do a lot of coke and vote for Ronald Reagan!"
It's not that a strawberry-flavored ice cream popsicle is bizarre in and of itself,
but the idea to mold it into the shape of a foot certainly is.
Weirdly enough, this treat has actually enjoyed a resurgence a couple of times in recent years,
though not in the United States. You'd have to head to Great Britain, where fans voted to
bring Funny Feet ice cream back in 2013. It then returned yet again in 2021 — this time courtesy of
Iceland Foods. So if you really need Funny Feet back in your life, start saving up for airfare.
Trader Joe's has been known to make its customers fall in love with certain items, only for those
items to then be discontinued before buyers can stock up. This was certainly true in the case of
their Cheese-Less Cheesecake. This vegan dessert was made with a base of lima beans instead of any
dairy products, and reviews were mixed. Some complained that the taste wasn't very strong,
while the Freezer Meal Frenzy blog pointed out that despite it being a vegan dessert,
it still had many of the characteristics one would look for in a typical cheesecake.
The Cheese-Less Cheesecake amassed a bit of a cult following,
with shoppers voicing their disappointment online at the news that it was discontinued.
Not only did they lose out on an enjoyable dessert, but anyone avoiding dairy products
was back to square one in their search for a tasty sweet treat.