Every year, popular snack items silently disappear from grocery store shelves. At one point in your life, you must have walked into a grocery store only to find your favorite snack missing from the shelves. Even though most people don’t make a big deal out of it, it breaks the hearts of millions worldwide when a popular snack is discontinued. Manufacturers often cite various reasons for the discontinuation, with declining sales or scarcity of ingredients being the most popular ones. Today, we’ll highlight some of the popular discontinued (be it briefly) snacks from the 20th Century.
1. Dunkaroos
Dunkaroos were a favorite for many millennials. Introduced into the market in 1988 by General Mills, Dunkaroos contained cookies paired with icing. They came in different flavors, such as chocolate cookies, strawberry frosting, or vanilla cookies with rainbow sprinkle frosting. However, by 2012, Dunkaroos had completely disappeared from the market.
2. 3D Doritos
Unlike regular Doritos, these came in the shape of 3D. It was released in the mid-1990s when 3D was a big deal, and as expected, it enticed Dorito enthusiasts, both young and old. 3D Doritos came in three main flavors: zesty ranch, nacho cheese, and jalapeno cheddar. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in the early 2000s. In 2015, the same product came back under the name Doritos Jacked 3D, but it also failed.
3. Jell-o 1-2-3
This is one of the oldest and most unique snacks of the 20th Century. It was gelatin with two toppings that came in different flavors. The top layer was creamy, followed by a mousse and the typical Jell-o at the bottom; it stayed in the market from 1969 to 1996.
4. Munch’ Ems
Munch’ Ems, manufactured by Keebler, is a combination of a cracker and a potato chip. The snack’s unique taste was available in multiple flavors, such as cheddar and ranch. It was a popular snack of the 20th Century but was discontinued in the early 2000s.
5. Fruit-Shaped Trix Cereal
A box of Trix was the go-to cereal for most children born in the 1960s. Initially, the cereals came in the form of popped corn. However, in 1991, they changed to fruit-shaped cereal to make the product appear healthier. This lasted until 2006 before they returned to their original popped corn cereal.
6. Reggie! Bar
This chocolate-covered caramel and peanut was named after the famous Yankees baseball player Reggie Jackson. It was launched during the 1978 Yankees home opening game. Unfortunately, the Reggie Bar only lasted four seasons before being discontinued by Standard Brands. As expected, it was prevalent amongst Reggie and the Yankees fans.
7. Whistle Pops
Kids in the ’70s were in love with Whistle Pops. It was candy in the form of a lollipop and doubled as a whistle. However, in the 90s, the Whistle Pops or Melody Pops started disappearing from the shelves. By the beginning of the 21st Century, Whistle Pops had disappeared completely.
8. PB Max
It’s surprising that PB Max was pulled from the market. Launched in 1989 by Mars, PB Max was way better than most peanut butter and chocolate snacks. It comprised a thick layer of peanut butter, oats, and a whole-grain cookie and was layered with milk chocolate. PB Max went off the shelves in 1994.
9. Wonka Oompas
Willy Wonka products were extremely popular in the late 20th Century; the Wonka Oompas is a perfect example. This creamy peanut butter surrounded with a colorful chocolate coating was launched in 1971. Unlike Peanut Butter M&M’s, the Wonka Oompas were bigger and came in different flavors. Wonka Oompas were removed from the market in 1983, five years before the Quaker Oats Company was sold to Nestle.
10. Jumpin’ Jack Cheese Doritos
Launched in 1990, these tortilla chips were popularized by TV host Jay Leno. They became a fad for a few years but disappeared before 2000. Jumpin’ Jack Cheese Doritos, however, did make a comeback in 2013.
11. Croonchy Stars
Croonchy Stars cereal, popular as it was, was in the market for only one year. When launched, the manufacturer, Post, did an incredible job marketing the product. They even got the trademark to use a picture of The Muppet Show’s chef on the box. However, their only undoing was that, at the time, the market for cinnamon cereals was at an all-time high.
12. Planters Cheez Balls
Besides selling nuts, Planters also made a tasty snack called Cheez Balls in the 20th Century. Unfortunately, it was taken away from the shelves in 2006. Ever since, a couple of online petitions have requested to have them returned.
13. French Toast Crunch
General Mills did a fantastic job in 1995 by inventing cereal with the same flavor as French Toast but crunchier. This cereal was received with great enthusiasm, so when General Mills discontinued it in 2006, its fans were infuriated. The good news is that French Toast Crunch was re-introduced in 2015.
14. Hershey’s Bar None
When Hershey’s introduced the Bar None in 1987, it comprised of wafers filled with chocolate cream and covered with peanuts. According to enthusiasts, the manufacturer ruined this snack by dividing it into two and adding caramel. People stopped buying it, and the Bar None was pulled off the market a decade after its inception.
15. Nintendo Cereal
During the 20th Century, Nintendo had millions of fans. As such, a company called Ralston Cereals created a Nintendo Cereal system with two themes, the Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Brothers, to capitalize on the gaming giant’s fame. Unfortunately, both products were a huge miss and lasted only a year.
16. Hostess Turtle Pies
Riding on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles media franchise, Hostess launched Turtle Pies in 1991. The snack pies were instantly accepted by the fans, especially the younger generation. However, after two years, the sales of Turtle Pies dropped significantly, forcing Hostess to stop its production.