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12 Retro Snacks & Drinks I want to see Come Back
Growing up, we all had foods and drinks that we love to consume as kids. Whether it was a couple Pop-Tarts and a glass of Tang for breakfast, Lunchables stackers a Capri Sun pouch for lunch come out or even just a pack of fruit gushers and a glass of ice cold milk mixed with Nesquik chocolate powder for snack, we can always count on tasty treats like these to running all day and fill our stomachs. But while many favorite treats have stand the test of time, there have been plenty of snacks that have come and gone, never to stock store shelves of again... Or so we thought!
While many of our snacks and drinks of the past have come and gone, there have been a Resurgence lately as some favorite drinks and snack foods have come back, with the most notable and recent examples being Planters Cheez balls, Doritos 3D, Peel & Build Fruit Roll-Ups, and my personal favorite, Dunk-a-roos.
And yet, there's still some retro foods and drinks that are still stuck in the past that are just waiting to be brought back, and today, as your resident retro foodie, I will be counting off, in no particular order, 12 Retro snacks and drinks that I personally grew up with and wish to see make a return someday.
Now to be perfectly clear, I am talking about snacks and drinks that I myself have personally grown up eating and drinking. So basically these movies facts from the 90s and early to mid-2000s. So without further adieu, let's get rolling!
1. Fruit String Thing
Let's start off with a snack that I'm sure the 90s kids in this site are familiar with. Everyone who grew up in the 80s and 90s have probably eaten fruit snacks once or twice in their lifetime. They were pretty much a standard part of any American Kid's diet at the time. While we usually go for the usual bite-size fruit snacks that came in little shapes that varied depending on the brand, most of us have always gone for the big three from Betty Crockett: the fruity juicy centers of Fruit Gushers, the extremely long fruitiness of Fruit by the Foot and and the pull out shapes of Fruit Roll-Ups. But there was a fourth fruit snack from Betty Crocker got a lot of 90s kids grew up eating, myself included. And that was Fruit String Thing. As the name implied, the snack mostly consists of a fruit snack string making up a certain shape. The idea was that you had to pull the string from the shape and eat it. A very simple idea, but still one that worked. From what I can remembered, there was a strawberry flavor, a orange flavor and blue raspberry flavor. I could be wrong, because it's been so long since I had them. Sadly, like many snacks on this list, it was discontinued, and it doesn't look like it will be coming back anytime soon. But maybe we ask General Mills (which owns Betty Crockett) badly enough, maybe they'll bring it back.
2. Hi-C Ecto Cooler
Back when I was going up, Hi-C was one of my favorite drink brands growing up. Even though I don't drink it as much as I used to nowadays, I will drink it from time to time, like when I go to McDonald's and get a medium orange lavaburst to go with my meal, or when I get Poppin pink lemonade at whatever movie theater has it. But getting back on topic, Ecto Cooler what is a flavor that I really drink as a kid, at least to my knowledge. Originally released in conjunction with the original Ghostbusters movie, Ecto Cooler was usually seen on a box with the mascot of the Ghostbusters franchise, Slimer. And while Ecto Cooler is still available in some form, it lacks its Iconic green coloring, nor is it actually still called Ecto Cooler. Though the drink did return temporarily to coincide with the release of the Ghostbusters reboot oh, but we all know how that worked out. But maybe if we're lucky, Sony Entertainment and the Coca-Cola Company (the company that makes the Hi-C drinks) might bring it back in honor of Ghostbusters at the life. If it ever gets released, that is.
3. Pop-Tarts Go-Tarts
Growing up, Pop-Tarts were one of my favorite things to have as a quick breakfast, and they still are nowadays. So Go-Tarts were perfect for me! Basically a hybrid between a Pop-Tart and a Nutri-grain bar (which is actually pretty fitting considering that Kellogg's makes both products) and a spin-off of the former, Go-Tarts were exactly what they said on the box: a Pop-Tart that you could eat on the go. Just like the standard Pop-Tarts, Go-Tarts came in different flavors, such as strawberry, hot fudge sundae and cinnamon brown sugar, just to name a few. Sadly, it wasn't long for this world, it was shortly discontinued. We do still have portable Pop-Tarts that we can eat on the go in the form of Pop-Tarts bites, but that doesn't really fill the void. Well, mostly because I haven't eaten them yet at the time of writing this. -_-' Maybe I will try the bites someday. But for now, I'm just going to reminisce and wallow in the memories of a long gone spin-off of one of my favorite quick breakfast Foods.
4. Creme Savers
We all have memories of going grocery shopping with our parents when we were younger: helping our parents push the cart, riding in the cart, helping our parents do the shopping camo wedding down the aisle while our parents chase after us and of course, begging your parents for something we wanted, especially for something near the checkout line. We all had our picks back then, but for me, my picks included payday, white chocolate Reese's and KitKat, orange Tic Tac, Nerds, Lifesavers, in the case of the century, Creme Savers. Just like Go-Tarts were a spin-off of Pop-Tarts, Creme Savers were a spin-off of Lifesavers. And just like Lifesavers, Creme Savers came in both bags and rolls. But unlike Lifesavers, which came in either fruity or minty flavors, Creme Savers had a fruity and creamy taste to it. Also unlike Lifesavers, Creme Savers only came in two flavors: Strawberry & Creme and Orange & Creme. Maybe that's why they were discontinued. Because they didn't have as many flavors as their predecessors, and therefore couldn't capture the same popularity. Well, maybe if Nabisco (the company not only behind Lifesavers and Creme Savers, but also their various cookie and cracker brands) do bring them back, they could introduce new flavors, like Blueberry and Creme, or Mango and Creme, or maybe even Peach and Creme. I'm sure a lot of women would like that one!
5. Kellogg's Yogos Bits
As mentioned before, fruit snacks were considered a important part of any American Kid's diet. Whether it was bite-sized fruit snacks like shark bites or Scooby-Doo fruit snacks, or one of the big three oh, we were gobbling them up in the 80s and 90s. And in the 2000s, it was no different! So it wasn't long before Kellogg's, being the food industry Giants that they are, decide to throw their hat into the ring! Enter yogos, little fruit snack bits covered in fruit-flavored yogurt. When was perfect since, just like fruit snacks, fruit yogurt was considered a important staple in many American kids' diets. Yogos became so popular, that they even inspired three spin-offs next. Sadly, Yogos was not long for this world, and it and it's spin offs were discontinued. I really wish today bring it back. Fruit and yogurt made for a good combination!
6. Trix Yogurt
Now he is a spinoff that I know a lot of us are familiar with! Every cereal company have their own brand of fruity cereal back in the day. Kellogg's has Froot Loops, Post has Fruity Pebbles, Quakers has Captain Crunch's Crunch Berries and General Mills has Trix. It wasn't long before Trix made the move from cereal to yogurt, and kids fell in love with it! Known for having two different colors in the same cup, Trix yogurt was a staple in American kids' lunch boxes. Sadly, Yoplait, the company behind Trix yogurt, drop the two colored yogurt and went for more solid colors. Later they would drop Trix yogurt all together. Well, in the US anyway. It's still being made in Mexico and Europe. And while I am aware of the fact that you're very still taking out two colored yogurt today, it's not under the Trix brand anymore, and instead, features license characters from Disney and Marvel. Not that I'm saying that the bad thing. In fact, I suppose it will have to do for now.
7. Looney Tunes Crunch Toons
I've already talked about a licensed drink with Ecto Cooler, now let's talk about a licensed snack! Looney Tunes have come a long way since premiering in theaters as animated shorts. They have been everywhere from movies, TV shows and comic books to toys, video games and in the case of this entry, snack foods. Originally released in 2003, Crunch Toons word potato snacks in the shape of the iconic Looney Tune characters. At the time they were only able to release 3 flavors: original which was in the shape of Bugs Bunny, cheddar cheese which was in the shape of Tweety, and nacho cheese which was in the shape of Taz.
Sadly, they didn't last long, and with discontinued about a year later. Too bad, too. I remember only having the original flavors ones oh, and I don't think I had the other two. Sadly, as much as I would love to see these come back, I don't I think that will happen. Oh, well. At least I still have Pringles to fall back on.
8. Pringles Prints
Speaking of Pringles, let's move from one potato snack to another. As I'm sure you guys are aware, Pringles are a tasty alternative to greasy potato chips. They don't leave grease on your hands, they're slightly better for you, and since they were in a can, they're easier to close up then potato chip bags. And over the years, Pringles has come out with printing of spin offs. Like Pringles extreme, Pringles Stix, and the eight entry on this list, Pringles Prints.
As the name implies, they were Pringles, with words and pictures printed on them. They had questions from Trivial Pursuit Junior, interesting factoids from Guinness World Records they even had questions about the Daytona 500 and even pictures of The Incredibles. Sadly, these babies will just continue shortly after that oh, and haven't seen the light of day since. Pringles, if you're reading this, please bring back Pringles prints! I beg of ya! And while you're at it, maybe do a collab with Ripley's Believe It or Not. *hint hint*
9. Gatorade Lemon Ice
Back in the day, if I wasn't munching on something, I was sippin on something. I, of course, had plenty to choose from back then, like Capri Sun, Sunny D, Minute Maid Coolers, Very Vanilla Nesquik, Hi-C, and in the case of this entry, Gatorade. Them my favorite flavors nowadays are orange and lemon lime, there was another flavor that I love to drink, and that was Lemon Ice. Man do I remember drinking that stuff! It's been so long since I tasted it. That Tangy lemon taste. Ah, memories. Yes, they did bring it back in 2015 as a 7-Eleven exclusive, but it has since been discontinued again. Pepsi Co (the company behind Gatorade), if you're reading this, please bring back Lemon Ice Gatorade! Even if it's for a little while. Heck, I would even take a Lemon Ice Gatorade Slurpee! Now that would be good!
10. Bellywashers
Now here's a drink that, if I'm being honest with myself, I really wished I drank more of when it was still around. Bellywashers was just like any other drink at the time, except for its main selling point, which were collectible bottle caps in the shape of the most iconic characters at the time. From Cartoon Network characters like Johnny Bravo, Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory and the Powerpuff Girls, to DC characters like Superman and Batman, to Looney Tunes characters like Tweety, Sylvester and Taz, to other popular characters like Homer Simpson and Scooby-Doo, Bellywashers were pretty popular with kids and collectors alike. I even had a bottle of myself, with a cap that featured Scooby and Shaggy.
Today, even though the Bellywasher brand is no longer around, it does have a spiritual successor in the form of 'Good2Grow', which, just like its predecessor, has bottle caps made to look like popular characters. Who knows? Maybe I'll get a few bottles myself.
11. Planters PB Crisps
In the 90s, Planters had two iconic snacks that a lot of us are familiar with. One of them being Cheez Balls, the other one being PB Crisps. One was admired for is tasty cheese flavor, the other one draws people in with its tasty peanut butter cream filling and crispy cookie shell. Both were insanely popular in their own right, but that didn't stop them for being discontinued. Cheez Balls were originally discontinued in 2006, while PB Crisps were discontinued in 1995. Fortunately, some dedicated fans were able to put a petition together to urge Planters to bring back these iconic snacks. And while they succeeded in bringing back Cheez Balls, we still don't have PB Crisps. Planters, if you're reading this, then please bring back PB Crisp!
12. Fruit by the Foot Green Apple Wave
As I mentioned before, who thinks were a typical staple in the average American Kid's diet in the 80s and 90s. As I also mentioned before, the Big three of fruit snacks we're Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit Gushers and Fruit by the Foot. And like many snacks, these fruit snacks had many flavors that have come and gone. In the case of Fruit by the Foot, one such flavor that I really liked and that I really miss was Green Apple Wave. For those that don't know, one of my favorite candy flavors is green apple, so this was a flavor that again, I really liked. And like many flavors, it was discontinued. I hope they bring it back someday!
And there you have it folks! 12 Retro snacks and drinks that I would love to see come back someday. Do I really think that their respective companies will bring these sections in his back? Well, it depends on the company. Some might bring them back, others might not. We just have to make us to vocal enough, and then they might bring the snacks and drinks back.
Whew! Man, was this a tough article to tackle! Not just because of all the work I have to put into it or the subject itself, but also because I kept getting interrupted and have to constantly save this article draft. And then it kept disappearing on me. But now I can have a say that I'm finished with this article. But that said, I think I might take a break from writing articles for now. But don't worry, I'll be back soon to write more articles. Until then, see you later!
onipar Posted on May 11, 2021 at 04:21 PM
Nice list. Lots of stuff here I don't remember at all. We were so lucky to have gotten the return of Ecto with the last Ghostbusters release. I was really hoping they'd do it again, and even more than that, make it a seasonal Halloween thing.
Benjanime Posted on May 10, 2021 at 11:32 PM
when i first saw bellywashers popping up in stores i was like "is it a new type of shampoo soap?" then i looked closer on the bottle lol. this took me back to the retrojunk article "foods my mouth misses" by cosgrove.
Mr Magic Posted on May 10, 2021 at 11:09 PM
I miss Creme Savers.
Vaporman87 Posted on May 10, 2021 at 08:02 PM
It wouldn't be a proper list without Ecto-Cooler on there. I had no idea that Pringles made printed on chips? That's an interesting concept. I'm surprised they didn't do more with that.
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