Get ready to unlock a bunch of memories you didn’t know you still had.
Ya know what's sad? The fact that the vast majority of millennials' favorite childhood snacks are GONE FOREVER. Disappeared into the void. Never to be heard from again.
Recently, u/Louismaxwell23 asked redditors to share the "discontinued food or beverage item they wish with all their heart would return," and folks, the answers have me feeling more nostalgia than I ever realized was possible. From fast-food faves to the grocery store goodies that you never failed to sneak into your mom's cart, here are some of the best responses — plus exactly why each was discontinued in the first place.
1. Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza
2. Dunkaroos
WHAT HAPPENED: Let's be totally clear: At the time of writing this post, you can get your hands on a package of Dunkaroos, since they were technically re-released in 2020. BUT...and this is a hefty but...they won't be the Dunkaroos you remember from the '90s. The icing itself — the only reason one would tear into a pack of Dunkaroos in the first place — is made with less sugar, and the "new-and-improved" cookies have been described as "thin and crumbly." So, if you're a nostalgic '90s kid, maybe restrain your urge to grab a pack of these babies the next time you're checking out at a 7-Eleven...unless you're looking to be disappointed.
3. Jolt Cola
WHAT HAPPENED: Launched in the 1980s as the first-ever energy drink, Jolt Cola — with "all the sugar and twice the caffeine" — ceased production in 2010. Then, it came back in 2017 with exclusive distribution at Dollar General stores. Then...it was discontinued altogether. Some say that the battery can rebrand did the fan-favorite energy drink in, while others claim it was just ahead of its time. Regardless, you'd be lucky to get your hands on a can of this stuff these days.
4. Creme Savers
WHAT HAPPENED: These '90s hard candies slapped in a way that's still pretty impossible to quantify. That said, after delighting Creme Savers fans (aka everyone) for many years, they were quietly discontinued in the early 2010s. BUT — as of this year, anyone who mourned the painful loss of these sweet 'n' creamy candies can grab a bag at Big Lots...and Big Lots only.
5. Oreo Cakesters
WHAT HAPPENED: The whoopie pie-Oreo hybrid snack cakes we know and love debuted in 2007, until they were pulled off the shelves in the early 2010s for no real reason that folks can discern. However, I'm incredibly pleased to announce that starting in 2022, Oreo Cakesters will be making a comeback — alongside Nutter Butter Cakesters, too. (REJOICE!)
6. Yogos
a hoard of teenagers pile through the @KelloggsUS HQ, all chanting one thing. YOGOS YOGOS YOGOS YOGOS YOGOS YOGOS
WHAT HAPPENED: The yogurt-covered, fun-sized fruit snacks (that were the ULTIMATE flex when packed in a school lunch) took the world by storm in 2005. Then, in 2010, they disappeared forever. Turns out the early 2010s were generally a tough era for nostalgic snacks. Womp.
7. Rold Gold Honey Mustard Pretzels
WHAT HAPPENED: For reasons that literally no one can figure out, Frito-Lay quietly pulled these off the shelves forever, and replaced them with a less-good cheddar variety. The internet may be full of copycat recipes to get as close as possible to the sticky-sweet 'n' tangy flavor of the original, but until Frito-Lay decides to bring these back for good (PLEASE), fans swear by the Dot's Pretzels version of this cult favorite.
8. Lime Green Skittles
WHAT HAPPENED: Remember when green Skittles were lime-flavored? Yeah, me too, and UGH, I miss them. Supposedly, green apple out-performed lime in a 2013 poll, and that was the end of the lime green Skittle. Until now! It was announced in September that Skittles packages with the original lime flavor would be rolled out over the course of several months, which means you'll get to enjoy that lime-y green Skittle without ever having to suffer through a bag of All Lime again.
9. Ice Breakers Liquid Ice
WHAT HAPPENED: Legend has it these ultra-powerful mints were discontinued when they acquired a reputation for being "bitter" — as a direct result of the artificial sweetener used. IMO, no other mint will ever compare. Seriously, these would give you fresh breath for days — and if nothing else, I'll always cherish watching Jessica Simpson realize that they're both "liquid and ice" in that viral TV ad.
11. McDonald's Snack Wraps
WHAT HAPPENED: In 2016, McDonald's removed Snack Wraps from their national menu altogether. We'll never know exactly why, though one redditor claims a possible reason for their discontinuation was the time it took to make each wrap, which reduced overall profits as a result. This past year, Snack Wrap diehards felt all the excitement when a TikToker — claiming to be a McDonald's employee — announced that they were coming back imminently, but McDonald's has since stated that "there are no plans to bring Snack Wraps back to nationwide menus in the US or Canada."
12. Trix Yogurt
WHAT HAPPENED: Trix Yogurt vanished from grocery store shelves somewhat unceremoniously, but now, THEY'RE BACK! The flavors may be a little less...punchy than what we're used to (instead of Raspberry Rainbow, we now get straight-up Berry), but I have a feeling the nostalgia will be absolutely overflowing nonetheless.
13. Snapple Elements
WHAT HAPPENED: According to Snapple themselves, per an official Twitter correspondence, "Snapple Elements is no longer in production, and there are no current plans to reintroduce this product into the marketplace." And, to put it bluntly, people are pissed. Whether the very popular drink's eventual discontinuation was a result of slipping sales or something more interesting remains to be confirmed. I do know, however, that regular Snapple will never compare to these glass bottles of fruity deliciousness.
14. Pre-2019 Butterfingers
WHAT HAPPENED: You can still grab a Butterfinger bar basically anywhere, but it won't be the Butterfinger you remember. Long story short: In 2018, Ferrero (yes, the Nutella people) acquired all of Nestlé's American candy business, including the beloved Butterfinger, and they decided to "improve" upon the original Butterfinger recipe in early 2019. They even launched a "Better Butterfinger" ad campaign, but spoiler alert: Fans weren't happy about it. People remain pretty split on whether the new recipe enhances the beloved classic or ruins it altogether — so if you've tried the new recipe and have feelings, let us know in the comments ⬇️.
15. Cotton Candy Bubble Yum
WHAT HAPPENED: While Bubble Yum isn't entirely gone for good, for the real ones who know that Cotton Candy was hands down the best flavor, I'm afraid you're entirely out of luck. Because we can never have nice things, apparently General Mills only manufactures two flavors of Bubble Yum these days: Original, and Jolly Rancher Blue Raspberry (?!?!). Neither of which are Cotton Candy.
16. Jell-O Pudding Pops
WHAT HAPPENED: Jell-O Pudding Pops might just be the most quintessential example of new-and-improved, not necessarily equaling better. These icy, creamy treats were all the rage in the '80s, and increased in popularity as we entered the '90s...but they eventually ceased to turn a profit. General Foods licensed the Jell-O brand to Popsicle, who made their own version of the original Pudding Pop, but they just weren't the same as the original. Ultimately, Pudding Pops were pulled out of the freezer section forever, though KraftHeinz does have a DIY recipe listed on their website. (Will it be as good as actual Pudding Pops? NO.)
18. Philadelphia Cheesecake Snack Bars
WHAT HAPPENED: There are nearly 40,000 signatures on an impassioned Change.org petition, and we STILL DON'T HAVE OUR BELOVED CHEESECAKE BARS BACK 😭. This, my friends, is a sure sign of the apocalypse. While the internet is absolutely overflowing with copycat recipes, none of them will ever bring back the totally revolutionary original, and that's simply a crime.
19. Surge
WHAT HAPPENED: Coca-Cola's answer to the Mountain Dew craze of the late '90s (darn you, Pepsi) was this soda/energy drink hybrid with an undeniable following. Remember, folks: The late '90s were a time before modern energy drinks, so a soda that incorporates massive amounts of maltodextrin for energy?! Sign me up! Unfortunately, things only got weirder from there. Surge was officially discontinued in 2003, until the Surge Movement Facebook group (and its 300,000-plus fans) successfully convinced Coca-Cola to bring the beloved soda back in the late 2010s. For a while, it seemed like Surge was available via Amazon and at select Burger King locations. Now, however, we seem to be in a Surge limbo of sorts — while the official website relays to potential customers that "Surge will be leaving shelves soon," the Facebook page assured fans in April 2021 that "Surge [wasn't] going away, despite the rumors." Since I'm wholly unsure of who to believe here: If you've enjoyed a Surge recently, LMK in the comments. 👇
20. McDonald's Fried Apple Pie
WHAT HAPPENED: When the "healthy eating" movement swept through American fast-food establishments in the '90s, McDonald's handheld apple pies changed from ultra-crispy, deep-fried treats to baked, usually soggy afterthoughts. You can, however, still find deep-fried versions of this fan-favorite dessert... You'll just have to step outside of the continental United States. Countries like the UK, Mexico, Brazil, and Greece still carry the deep-fried version, as well as McDonald's locations in Hawaii. So, like, if you somehow couldn't find a great reason to visit Hawaii before, getting your hands on one of these nostalgic classics might just be worth booking that flight.
21. Rice Krispies Treats Cereal
WHAT HAPPENED: Rice Krispies? Fine. Rice Krispies Treats? Better. Rice Krispies Treats CEREAL?! Untouched. Like many of these nostalgic faves, Rice Krispies Treats Cereal was phased out, made a comeback with a slightly modified (read: less good) formula, and was then discontinued for good. In fact, Kellogg's confirmed this via Twitter in 2020, so, it's not looking great for the RKT Cereal stans. That said, some redditors swear that they're still able to find boxes of this stuff in their local Walmarts, so if you're desperate for a Rice Krispies Treat kick, it might be worth some investigating.
22. Squeezits
WHAT HAPPENED: In a world of squeezable, syrupy-sweet "fruit" drinks that came in kid-approved plastic bottles, Squeezits ruled them all. So yeah, I'm saying that Kool-Aid Bursts couldn't hold a candle to these nostalgic drinks. While Squeezits were all the rage for a long while, they were totally discontinued in 2001 when sales started slipping. As for why sales weren't so hot? It's hard to say exactly why, but it likely coincided with the general downfall of kid-oriented foods packed with loads of artificial colors and flavors...and yes, these things were literally neon, so...
23. Ritz Bits S'mores
WHAT HAPPENED: In an honestly shocking plot twist, Ritz Bits Cheddar and Peanut Butter are still on grocery store shelves to this day, but the S'mores version — the GOAT — is nowhere to be found. The brand went on the record via Twitter in 2016 to state that "Ritz Bits S'mores have been discontinued," and I've been waiting for these little bites of perfection to come back ever since.
24. Fruitopia
WHAT HAPPENED: When Snapple exploded in popularity in the '90s, Coca-Cola wanted in. Thus, Fruitopia — their answer to the Snapple craze — was born. Their psychedelic advertising and roster of groovy flavors (we're talkin' Strawberry Passion Awareness and The Grape Beyond, folks) were enough to ignite it into mega-popularity, but it couldn't weather the storm of a few rather...interesting speed bumps. By that, I mean a lawsuit after bribing grocery stores to display more Fruitopia, changing their tagline to a slightly desperate "We just want to make you feel good," and scrapping six flavors due to poor sales. Coca-Cola officially gave up on Fruitopia in 2003, but you can still find this fruity refreshment in a) Canada, or b) some McDonald's locations, cleverly disguised as "Strawberry Minute-Maid."
25. Flintstones Push-Ups
View this video on YouTube
WHAT HAPPENED: I yabba-dabba-DO miss these icy-yet-creamy frozen treats every day of my damn life. Technically, these still exist as "Push-Ups," sans any Flintstones branding. But if there aren't illustrations of the entire Flintstones fam all over my frozen treat, I'll happily pass, thanks.
26. Vault
WHAT HAPPENED: The super-caffeinated, lemon-lime soda was Coca-Cola's answer to — you guessed it — Mountain Dew. And, IMO, it reigned supreme. So it's surprising that the popular soda was discontinued rather abruptly in 2011. Obviously, Vault-lovers have mourned its loss ever since, but there are several theories as to why exactly it was pulled off shelves. It's likely that Vault's demise came after Coca-Cola funneled more of its resources into Mello Yello, which had inherently more brand-recognition associated with it...but some redditors think Vault folded after Coca-Cola "bought controlling interest in an established energy drink called Monster," which, you know, is obviously still alive and well.
Side note: If anyone wants to send me this $170 unopened can of Vault soda, I'll love you forever.
28. SoBe Green Tea
WHAT HAPPENED: SoBe Green Tea was the best green tea, and I won't be swayed from that opinion at this time. Snapple had nothing on this stuff — especially when it was in that glass bottle that made it taste undeniably delicious (that's how that works, right?). SoBe drinks still exist, though in less-delicious plastic bottles, but for some wild reason, Green Tea and 22 other flavors were discontinued for good.
30. Kudos
WHAT HAPPENED: The Kudos bars of the '80s were available in three flavors: chocolate chip, peanut butter, and fudge. But what I really remember are the flavors of the 2011 rebrand, which incorporated Mars candies like Dove chocolate, M&M's, and Snickers. I ate a Kudos bar for breakfast more times than I'd care to admit, so perhaps the downfall of Kudos came about when people realized that maaaaaaaaybe a literal candy bar (with granola!) wasn't the complete breakfast it was branded as.
31. Altoids Sours
WHAT HAPPENED: I'm with Doja, so I saved the best for last. As a millennial with fond memories of sucking on these ridiculously sour "mints" (TANGERINE ONLY...but TBH, Apple sorta slapped), I guess I always thought these were discontinued because ohhhh my GOD they were so sour. Not Warheads-level sour, but I'm pretty sure I walked around with straight-up ulcers in my mouth whenever I had a metal tin of these in my backpack. Well, I was wrong.
According to Bustle, who reached out to Altoids' parent company, Mars, "They just weren't popular enough to warrant continued production." Considering the fact that expired tins of Altoids Sours have sold for up to $1,000 on eBay, I ~personally~ find this a bit hard to believe...but regardless, I'm anxiously awaiting the moment when Altoids takes a cue from Oreo Cakesters, Trix Yogurt, and Lime Green Skittles so that we can all get our favorite sour candy back.
Any nostalgic discontinued foods that we missed? Let us know in the comments 👇 and let's all manifest an Altoids Sours return in 2022, yeah?
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