40+ Discontinued 90s Foods That We Miss So Much
In the 1990s, there were many interesting and delectable food and beverage options. Sadly, not all of these items are still available in stores, so we miss some of our favorite childhood munchies. These 45 dishes and beverages from the 1990s are ones we’d like to taste once more.
French Toast Crunch Cereal
Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal has been a mainstay on grocery store shelves and children’s breakfast tables for many years.
French Toast Crunch Cereal
You could also serve a bowl of French Toast Crunch back in the 1990s. This General Mills cereal took a conventional breakfast item and turned it on its head, comparable to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. In order to appease any fans’ sweet craving, it was revived in December 2014 after being formally discontinued in 2006.
Surge
In 1996, the Coca-Cola company initially made Surge available in Norway under the name Urge. It was introduced at the time to compete with Pepsi’s introduction of Mountain Dew.
Surge
By 1997, the beverage had been distributed in America under its full, more recognizable name: Surge. Many teenagers from the 1990s were saddened when it was canceled after its initial run in 2003. However, there have been some indications in recent years that this classic may be making a comeback.
Nabisco Giggles
Nabisco Giggles were snack cookies with a big smile and an Oreo-like creamy filling. They didn’t endure as long as they did in the ’90s, but they did make their debut and grow in popularity there.
Nabisco Giggles
But by the beginning of the 1990s, we had to permanently say goodbye to these afternoon snacks. Even though there are many cookies available to purchase on your next shopping trip, we still miss these. Sadder still, it doesn’t appear that Nabisco has any plans to bring them back.
Crystal Pepsi
Although technically Crystal Pepsi is still available today, it has changed somewhat since you last drank it in the 1990s. Since then, some changes have been made to this crystal-clear soft drink.
Crystal Pepsi
This Pepsi beverage was once promoted as a “healthier” alternative to soda. The manufacturer marketed it as caffeine-free and associated health with the clear color. It was withdrawn in 1993 after going on sale in the early 1990s. It’s back, but the formula has been changed to be more caffeinated.
Bubble Beeper
Although all gum may appear to be the same at first glance, there are distinctions between them that allow some brands and flavors to stand out from the competition.
Bubble Beeper
The 1990s saw the success of one brand in particular: Bubble Beeper. This was mainly due to the packaging’s convenience as a clip-on coin purse in addition to the candy itself. Bubble Beeper gum was withdrawn as a result of the confectionery going out of vogue over time and a few controversies.
Twix Cookies-n-Creme Bars
Twix Chocolate Fudge was actually released at the same time as the Cookies-n-Creme Bars, but it didn’t garner nearly as much notice as the former.
Twix Cookies N Creme Bars
Instead of the traditional caramel Twix center, these chocolate bars from 1990 included a milk chocolate layer and a chocolate cookie coated in cream. Before they were withdrawn, these had hardly been around for a year. The good news is that Twix provided us with a fresh edition in 2020 in response to a long-requested comeback of the vintage.
Squeezits
Squeezits debuted in the 1980s. The business followed a common marketing strategy at the time, which held that children would be more drawn to colorful foods and beverages.
Squeezits
This beverage was offered in a wide variety of flavors, and it even came in black bottles to conceal the color of the beverage for an unexpected mystery. However, as the 1990s drew to a conclusion, sales began to decline, and in 2001, the drink’s manufacture was formally discontinued.
Oatmeal Swirlers
If there is one breakfast option that rarely makes kids smile, it is oatmeal. The goal of Oatmeal Swirlers was to reverse this notion.
Oatmeal Swirlers
Oatmeal Swirlers, which were popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, featured containers of fruit jelly paste for every package of instant oatmeal. These flavor packets could be used by kids to make drawings and spice up their breakfast. Similar items like Dinosaur Eggs Oatmeal briefly outlived the product until it was discontinued.
Josta Soda
In the 1990s, Pepsi produced a lot of innovative and intriguing products. Josta soda is one of those items that we no longer have access to.
Josta Soda
This significant American beverage business developed this soft drink as the first energy drink. It existed from 1995 until 1999, but calls for its revival have gathered a sizable following, particularly on the website Save Josta. Pepsi doesn’t appear to be responding to these requests at this time.
Hi-C Ecto Cooler Juice Boxes
If there was one aspect of popular culture that had a boom in the 1980s and 1990s, it was how viewers reacted when Ghostbusters first appeared on film. Hi-C then made their Ecto Cooler Juice Boxes available.
Hi C Ecto Cooler Juice Boxes
These juice cartons originally contained orange and tangerine flavors, but the manufacturer changed the juice’s hue to green to reflect the appearance of ectoplasm in the film. The juice was first introduced in 1989 but was discontinued in 1997 after a brief resurgence in 2016.
Trix Swirls
There has long been an effort to promote novel, ostensibly healthier snacks to kids. With the introduction of the Trix Swirls, Trix attempted to achieve this in the 1990s and the early 2000s.
Trix Swirls
When you first opened these yogurt selections, they were only two colors and offered a variety of flavors that were sweetened to mimic the taste of yogurt. The Trix Swirls were later discontinued without much notice, therefore they are no longer offered. The yogurt snacks were probably terminated due to a lack of sales.
P.B. Crisps
Planters developed their own peanut-shaped graham cracker cookie with a delicious peanut butter filling, similar to Nutter Butters. Under the alias P.B., Mr. Peanut offered us Planters’ version. Crisps.
P.B. Crisps
These appeared on shelves for the first time in 1992, but they weren’t around for long. Planters provided a fairly unusual justification for the snack’s discontinuation, even though they were discontinued in 1994. They claimed that the snack was abandoned because it was simply too good. That seems like a good argument to retain them!
Soda-Licious Fruit Snacks
There are many different types of fruit snacks available. Many children pleaded with their parents to buy some Soda-Licious Fruit Snacks during their subsequent shopping trips throughout the 1990s.
Soda Licious Fruit Snacks
Betty Crocker created these fruit treats in collaboration with 7-Up. They had flavors that straddled the line between fruity and evocative of some of our favorite soft drinks at the time. We mourn the sweet flavor of the Soda-Licious Fruit Snacks, which disappeared in the 1990s.
Butterfingers BB’s
Candy aficionados will have fond memories of the Butterfingers BBs. Butterfinger made these candies in an effort to create a snack that would compete with Whoppers.
Butterfingers BB’s
They first appeared in 1992 and persisted through 2006. They experienced a period of popularity during this time. After all, they even featured advertisements on well-known series like The Simpsons to increase sales. It’s too bad we can’t sample even one more of these chocolate pieces the size of marbles.
Wonderball
Wonderball was a candy that had a chocolate shell with a reward within, similar to Kinder Eggs. Eventually, these sweets were transformed into smaller hard candies that kids could consume alongside their chocolate.
Wonderball
Unfortunately, it turned out to be a choking hazard because children weren’t breaking the chocolate to get the prize out before eating it. As a result, they stopped selling Wonderballs in 1997. They were brought back by the corporation in 2000 with edible delights inside, but the issue persisted, and in 2007 they vanished once more.
Apple Newtons
Nabisco’s Fig Newtons are a classic. When you need a fruity bite-sized snack, Newtons are there for you. They come in a variety of flavors, which eventually led to the name change to Newtons.
Apple Newtons
Sadly, Nabisco didn’t continue offering the apple flavor for their Newtons during the 1990s. Later, a baked apple and cinnamon flavor was introduced, which is an altered version of this flavor but doesn’t exactly match up.
Skippy Squeeze Stix
The Skippy Squeeze Stix had a straightforward idea. It was simply a tube of Skippy peanut butter, or even their chocolate variety, which you could consume on the move without making a lot of a mess.
Skippy Squeeze Stix
These snacks generally shared the same philosophy as several snacks that are still popular today, such as Gogurt. There is no obvious explanation for why these treats vanished from store shelves, although it is probably because of inadequate advertising or the increased knowledge of peanut allergies.
Fruit-Shaped Trix Cereal
Today, you can get a box of Trix cereal from practically any retailer. However, if you haven’t eaten it in a while, you might be shocked by what you see when you pour a bowl.
Fruit Shaped Trix Cereal
Although the cereal is still around today, the original fruit-shaped cereal pieces were first released in 1991. General Mills revised the concept in 2006 and transformed the cereal into straightforward popped corn puffs.
Fruitopia
One of the various soft drinks that Coca-Cola has produced over the years is Fruitopia. It was initially released in 1994 and ran till 2003.
Fruitopia
A fruit-flavored soft drink called Fruitopia was available in flavors like strawberry, kiwi, tangerine, watermelon, and others. Similar products are still available from Coca-Cola under the Minute Maid brand today. Interestingly, even though this brand has largely been discontinued, you might still see some drinks going by this name in various places.
Hershey’s BarNone
The brand behind many people’s preferred chocolate bars is Hershey. In 1987, the BarNone chocolate bar was developed, and it had considerable success.
Hershey’s BarNone
They were manufactured with cocoa wafers, peanuts, a chocolate filling, and a milk chocolate covering at the start of their run. However, the recipe was altered in 1992, and the candy bars are now created with chocolate, caramel, peanuts, and wafer. As a result of this being less successful, they were terminated in 1997.
Keebler Baked Munch ‘Ems
In the 1990s, you might have delved into your cabinet and taken out a box of Keebler Baked Munch ‘Ems if you wanted a savourier snack. They were “baked ’til they crunch like chips,” according to Keebler.
Keebler Baked Munch ‘Ems
These were offered in a range of tastes, including the original, ranch, cheddar, sour cream, and onion launch flavors. Later, the range was expanded to include more flavors. That is, up until the crackers were withdrawn later in the decade due to excessive competition.
Jell-O-1-2-3
Even though it gained popularity in the 1990s, Kraft first introduced Jell-O-1-2-3 in 1969! This Jell-O was layered and appeared to have magical properties.
Jell O 1 2 3
The Jell-O was packaged in a single pouch but was intended to separate as it was set into three unique layers. This had the typical Jell-O bottom, a custard-like middle, and a foamy finish on top. This snack was dropped in 1996 when the ’90s proved to be its final decade of viability.
Shark Bites
Children love gummy snacks, which have been around for a while. Additionally, there were many options available throughout the 1990s!
Shark Bites
However, one choice, in particular, caught the attention of many children: Shark Bites. These delectable treats were fairly typical gummy nibbles, but they distinguished out for their nautical shapes in addition to fulfilling one’s sweet craving. These snacks technically still exist, but the recipe has been significantly changed, so they definitely won’t taste the same as you remember.
Keebler Magic Middles
Keebler Magic Middles, another cookie with filling, took a slightly different approach than companies like Oreo did. The filling was cooked into the center of each cookie as opposed to being sandwiched between two cookies.
Keebler Magic Middles
In this way, although the shortbread biscuits appeared basic on the outside, they were actually packed with taste. Even better, you had the option of a cookie with thick fudge filling or a peanut butter filling. These were widely used in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are no longer available.
Orbitz Water
When Orbitz Water was introduced in 1997, it was only available for a year before the travel agency Orbitz purchased the moniker.
Orbitz Water
These came in a variety of flavors, including Pineapple Banana Cherry Coconut, Blueberry Melon Strawberry, and Melon with Strawberry. The gelatinous balls that floated around in the liquid, though, were what truly stood out about them. As a result, these drinks were not only sweet but also attractive, almost like lava lamps.
Melody Pops
Whistle pops are a particular kind of candy that was sold by many different companies, including Melody Pops. As the name implies, these were candies that could double as whistles in addition to being consumed.
Melody Pops
Despite the fact that the candy was produced by a number of businesses, Chupa Chups’ Melody Pops enjoyed a surge in popularity in the 1990s. Melody Pops from this company was put on hold in 2015 for a while. Fortunately, you can start to find these candies once more, just not at the supermarket check-out.
PB Max
Mars introduced their PB Max candy bars to shops all over America in 1989 and 1990. These snacks included a cookie and peanut butter center covered in milk chocolate.
PB Max
Strangely enough, Mars actually had a lot of success with these endeavors! The candy brought in around $50 million in sales in a single year. However, soon after their release, they were abruptly removed from shop shelves for the absurd excuse that one of the Mars brothers didn’t like peanut butter.
Pop-Tarts Crunch
It appears that making our favorite snacks into breakfast cereals was a popular fad in the 1990s. Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts Crunch cereal was one of the products that we obtained from this trend.
Pop Tarts Crunch
This cereal was offered in two varieties, strawberry and brown sugar cinnamon, and is exactly what it sounds like – small Pop-Tarts that are, as Kellogg’s described it, “Pop-Tarts for your spoon.” In 1994, they appeared on store shelves, but by 1995, they had vanished once more.
Life Savers Holes
You can still find Life Savers in the candy aisle at the grocery store or at the convenience shop. Life Savers Holes, however, is no longer available.
Life Savers Holes
The Life Savers that children are familiar with today are the rings, however, these sweets contained the cores that the typical Life Savers lacked. Even though they could have been delectable, their shelf life was brief; in early 1991, they were removed from store shelves due to a choking hazard.
Flintstones Push-Up Pops
As we’ve often seen, the characters that were used to market many of our favorite treats from the 1990s aren’t as well-liked today, which is a major factor in their disappearance.
Flintstones Push-Up Pops
This was true of the well-known Push-Up Pops from The Flintstones. The majority of these were Flintstones characters on a sherbert treat, and they were very straightforward. However, over the early 2000s, these snacks to beat the summer heat rapidly vanished. Sadly, comparable products don’t evoke the same sense of nostalgia.
Jumpin’ Jack Cheese Doritos
While nacho cheese is a traditional option, throughout the years Doritos has experimented with other concepts. For instance, their Jumpin’ Jack Cheese Doritos saw some success.
Jumpin’ Jack Cheese Doritos
In 1990, a new flavor of chips was introduced with Jay Leno’s support. These Doritos featured a Monterey Jack flavor, as the name would imply. They were quickly phased out before being briefly reintroduced as a limited-edition throwback taste in 2013.
Mickey’s Parade Ice Pops
If there is one thing that hasn’t changed, it’s that connecting food to a kid’s favorite character will pique their interest in it more than anything else. However, these characters appear to shift with the times.
Mickey’s Parade Ice Pops
With their Mickey’s Parade Ice Pops in the 1990s, Disney profited from this marketing strategy. These truly offered ice pops in the likes of well-known Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy in addition to kid-friendly packaging and box art.
Triple Tower Push Pops
The only drawback of having so many various candy flavors is having to decide which one you want the most. This issue was resolved by Triple Tower Push Pops, which contained three distinct flavors in one.
Triple Tower Push Pops
Although technically this candy is still available online, it has long since disappeared from retail shelves. For a product that has been available since 1986, Topps discontinued it in this way in the early 2000s, which is really astounding.
Hostess Chocodiles
Hostess Chocodiles made their debut in the 1980s and were essentially Twinkies with a chocolate coating. The snack is named Chauncey after the crocodile that served as Hostess’ first mascot.
Hostess Chocodiles
The 1980s saw the initial release of this snack, which was formally dropped in 1999. You’re not entirely out of luck if you really miss this 1990s snack item. Chocodiles have returned after a 15-year absence in the shape of fun-sized, snackable creatures. Although it isn’t precisely the same, it is similar.
Snapple Element Drinks
Since its creation in 1972, Snapple has been a well-known brand. They have offered consumers a variety of new Snapple flavors and varieties over the years.
Snapple Element Drinks
We had the opportunity to try the Snapple Elements Drinks at the end of the ’90s. There were four varieties of these drinks: Earth, Rain, Sun, and Fire. Later, other flavors like Meteor and Gravity were added. The traditional glass bottles are no longer available, albeit they have not yet been phased out.
Jell-O Pudding Pops
Jell-O Pudding Pops were widely available in the 1980s and 1990s. These snacks made an impact through the frozen section and celebrity endorsements at the time.
Jell O Pudding Pops
These frozen snacks were sticky sweetness on a stick, similar to a popsicle, but the filler was Jell-O pudding rather than sweetened fruit juice. Although they were successful for the company that sold them, they were afterward discontinued. This might be related to consumers’ growing health consciousness.
Cheetos Paws
As with many of the items on this list, Cheetos Paws are technically still available. Despite this, it would be difficult to locate them as easily as you could in the 1990s.
Cheetos Paws
This particular Cheeto has paw-like shapes, just like Chester Cheetah, the company’s mascot. They were initially made available in 1990, but by 1993, they had been abandoned. You might need to order this treat online if you want a bag of it right now.
Reggie! Bar
When you were younger, you might have donated a Reggie if you desired a sweet treat from the candy aisle! Bar to that. This milk chocolate candy bar has caramel and peanuts within.
Reggie! Bar
Actually released in 1976, the sweet was eventually withdrawn in 1982. Fortunately for us, the candy bar did briefly resurface in the 1990s even though it is no longer available. The name was intended as an homage to Yankees baseball player Reggie Jackson.
Oreo Big Stuf
Only children who were nurtured in the early 1990s will likely find nostalgia in the Oreo confection known as Oreo Big Stuf. After all, after seven years on the market, it was withdrawn rather early in the decade.
Oreo Big Stuf
These Oreos were sold singly rather than in sleeves like regular Oreos are. Considering how big these cookies were, it comes as no surprise. Another delight from the 1990s that has now been lost to time, probably as a result of a combination of poor sales and the USDA’s enhanced health awareness campaign.
Doritos 3Ds
In the 1990s, people frequently packed Doritos 3Ds in their lunches or grabbed them for an after-school snack. Nevertheless, they were dropped in the early 2000s.
Doritos 3Ds
These Doritos shared many of the same flavors as conventional Doritos, but what set them apart was their unique form. They were puffier and had an airy middle, making them a little distinct from other snacks. Although there are no longer any Doritos 3Ds, in 2015 the Doritos Jacked 3D brought the concept back to life.
Sprinkle Spangles
Sprinkle Spangles has to be the one discontinued breakfast cereal from General Mills that the company wishes it could bring back. This delectable cereal was originally released in the middle of the 1990s, and Hidden Treasures was one of its sibling cereals that also appeared at this time.
Sprinkle Spangles
It was a dream come true to see all of the star-shaped pieces covered in sprinkles of all colors. They were marketed as having “spangled every angle with sprinkles” before ceasing in 1998.
McDonald’s Arch Deluxe
Over the years, McDonald’s has delayed a lot of products and removed a lot of items from the menu. Perhaps the one that people miss the most is the Arch Deluxe.
McDonald’s Arch Deluxe
Adults were the main target market for this hamburger when it first debuted in 1996 at the venerable fast-food chain. The burger was ultimately regarded as one of the largest long-term flops in McDonald’s history, and this may have been its Achilles heel.
Dannon Sprinkl’ins Yogurt
Can anything go wrong when you cover your yogurt in sprinkles? In the 1990s, Dannon unveiled their own Sprinkl’ins yogurt right away, demonstrating their understanding of the situation.
Dannon Sprinkl’ins Yogurt
The name was a little strange to read, but it was much simpler to taste. This product, which was introduced in 1995 but only lasted for around five years, was left behind in the 20th century. But we definitely do wish it had been included in this one as well.
Jell-O Salads
Several of the Jell-O items on this list were withdrawn from sale. It used to be possible to buy a Jell-O salad from the shop, even though anyone may theoretically create their own.
Jell O Salads
Even though the term “salad” was applied to this product very loosely, these gelatin molds were a tremendous hit for years before they were formally phased out in the 1990s. And while strawberry pretzel salads remain popular, there are numerous others that have fallen out of favor.
Berry Berry Kix
Fruits and vegetables are difficult for parents to include in their children’s meals. This cereal made an effort to include the former in the mix. The Berry Berry Kix was first presented in 1992.
Berry Berry Kix
The attractive clusters that made up the contents of the box were adorable fruit bits, and the cereal was advertised as a “sweetened corn cereal” that also occurred to have “natural fruit flavors.” In fact, a lot of people thought they looked like little bunches of grapes. However, not even this was sufficient to maintain it.
Oreo O’s Cereal
It’s no secret that Oreo likes to give the world their own own cereals. But how healthy can they really be at the end of the day? In the 1990s, Oreo O’s Cereal was first made available to the general public. However, the cereal was no longer produced once Post separated from the Kraft Foods Group.
Oreo O’s Cereal
It wasn’t being produced anymore, at least. But don’t worry, there are more Oreo cereals nearby that will deliver that delicious biscuit flavor.
Tongue Splashers Gum
A paint can has never looked more attractive. In order to allow children to collect pieces and pay at the counter, most petrol stations in the 1990s had one of these tubs available. Tongue Splashers Gum did precisely what you’d expect it to do: they quickly and easily colored the tongues of millions of children.
Tongue Splashers Gum
The parents of these children, however, raised their hands in celebration when the gum was stopped being sold. Having said that, there are still gum products like Double Bubble Painterz available on the market.
Pop Tarts Crunch
“New Pop-Tarts Crunch cereal from Kellogg’s! For the first time ever, frosting, filling, crunch, and sprinkles are combined! This famous but short-lived cereal advertisement had this slogan.
Pop Tarts Crunch
When this cereal first appeared in 1994, it came in two flavors: Frosted Strawberry and Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon. Because you can consume 30 to 40 mini Pop-Tarts with a bowl of milk instead of one large one. They had a wonderful idea, but it wasn’t meant to last.
Gator Gum
Gatorade is currently one of the most well-liked sports beverages available. Many people won’t believe that at one point they also had their very own gum, Gator Gum, though. This unique gum first appeared in the 1970s and was produced for perhaps 20–30 years before it was discontinued at the end of the 1990s.
Gator Gum
Gator Gum was available during its lifespan in both orange and lemon-lime tastes. However, we find it difficult to believe that it was able to quench your thirst.
Nintendo Cereal System
Back in the day, video game companies even had their own cereals. Nintendo had the gall to introduce the Nintendo Cereal System, which had a dual-purpose design. At the beginning of the 1990s, it was abandoned. These included Marios which were “fruit-flavored,” whatever that means and berry-flavored shields.
Nintendo Cereal System
A brand-new box of these classic treats reportedly sold for a staggering $207.50, according to Nintendo Life. regarding a box of cereal? We don’t mind paying a dollar or two for a box of cornflakes.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ice Cream
In the 1990s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles enjoyed enormous popularity. It comes as no surprise that they had some delectable goodies promoted under their brand because of this.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ice Cream
You may get this particular ice cream throughout this decade at a store or even if an ice cream truck passed through your neighborhood. These ice cream sweets had gumball eyes and were shaped like our favorite Ninja Turtles. These treats are significantly more difficult to find in 2020.
Fruit String Thing
As we’ve discovered throughout this list, fruit snacks are one of the few snacks that youngsters love as much as they do. Fruit String Thing was one of the 1990s market competitors.
Fruit String Thing
The shape of this food was neither an animal, a cartoon, nor even a regular square. Instead, these fruity snacks were arranged in a long, twisted line that you had to untangle as you consumed them. This gave food that had already become rather widespread an extra layer of innovation and enjoyment.
Rice Krispies Treats Cereal
Since their initial release on the market in 1928, Rice Krispies have become a popular treat for both children and adults. The business continued to innovate even after experiencing commercial success.
Rice Krispies Treats Cereal
The Rice Krispies Treats Cereal, one of the several goods they have provided throughout the years, saw its greatest level of success in the 1990s following its original release in 1993. Although technically Kellogg’s never officially stopped making the cereal, it is now quite difficult to find a box on the shelves of your neighborhood grocery shop.
Hubba Bubba Bubble Jug
Sometimes you need to have a lot on hand if you want to chew gum. At least, Hubba Bubba believed this when the Hubba Bubba Bubble Jug was first made available.
Hubba Bubba Bubble Jug
These bottles held chewy gum pieces and powdered candies. It had the same substance when chewed as you would anticipate from a stick of gum or other conventional gum forms. Hubba Bubba stopped making the candy, but happily, they still make a lot of gum.
Kudos Milk Chocolate Granola Bar
It can be challenging to sneak anything nutritious into a child’s snack without them protesting. The granola bars Kudos produced in the 1990s were a big hit with parents because of this.
Kudos Milk Chocolate Granola Bar
Even though they may not have been particularly healthy, these were a terrific way to sate your sweet desire at breakfast or when you needed a quick snack. They were available in a range of well-known candy tastes, including M&Ms, Snickers, and Dove chocolate.