Ask Lemmy

Bring them back

These are the things I miss most snack-wise from childhood. Especially those Fruit Wrinkles. They had the best flavor and texture of any fruit snacks ever.

I had rediscovered they still existed (just not where I lived) when it was being discontinued in 2019. I ordered a pallet box before they were. My neighbor/babysitter gave me that for breakfast as a kid.

At one point in the very early 90’s, the Keebler elves stopped making cookies for a few minutes and made the best fucking pizza flavored chips to ever grace this planet. The crafty little shits figured out how to make chips from actual pizza dough, and they called them Pizzerias. It’s been over 30 years and I can still taste them now.

Sobe. I really liked the pink juice that looked like bubblegum cough syrup. It apparently still exists... somewhere. The website is still around. But I haven't seen any Sobe anywhere in the US for years

Count Chocula cereal used to taste much better. I think it was made with oat flour but then they changed to corn.

They were practically a drug for kids. Some other companies copied the format, but they weren't as good (and I haven't even been able to find those, lately).

They also had chips cut like this..:

... which were delicious, but I can't find a picture of a bag. 😭

Orbitz, the drink. The one with the little flavor balls floating in it. That shit was awesome.

What's irritating about it's discontinuation is that the reason cited was people didn't like the little tapioca balls. And then boba became a craze. 😬

• Philadelphia cheesecake bars
• squeezits
• tiny toons fruit snacks
• life saver popsicles
• mickey and friends popsicles
• string thing

Beep

Also Orbitz, but I feel like that wouldn't stand the test of time

Just learned its by the makers of Clearly Canadian, which would be on my list, except it came back as of a couple years ago.

From last decade, Sour Cream & Onion Baked Lays. ;_;

From the eighties, does anyone remember pudding cake mix? After you baked the cake it had pudding (sort of like...custard I guess if you're English?) inside the cake. Oh man that was good.

Man, that’s a pretty long list, and I’d have to dig back to my childhood to see what I could remember…. One of them was an in-store bakery product, a jalapeño cheese bread at Food-4-less. They quit making it, but man was that stuff good.

Now, if you’d asked what favorites have gotten worse…that’s almost everything. Cheapening of ingredients and flavorings have wrecked the majority of stuff like sweets and drinks, and even food products.

Jolt Cola, "All the sugar, twice the caffeine!"

Altoid sours

In the 1980s, Frito Lay test marketed a new extruded Cheeto-like product that was filled with an easy cheese filling. There was even a pbs documentary about it centered around how new snacks are made.

I wish I could remember the name of the snack and/or find the documentary online. They were yummy but they didn’t last long. I think there were like three different flavors and they were cut at an angle.

In Colorado there was a burger chain called Red Top and by god, it was amazing. The burgers were the size of plates and they'd use shredded lettuce and the perfect cheese that was always so wonderfully melty.

And then they disappeared.

Similarly, there used to be a candy shop called Michelle's that has the best truffles and the best sundaes. But womp womp, they didn't pay some taxes and were shut down. No more candy. No more magic. No more perfect ice cream.

Do any of you remember Orbitz? It was a clear drink with little gel balls that were floating in it. I don't know if actually miss it, but I just really want to try it again.

Crystal Pepsi.

Mentadent toothpaste. I enjoyed how the dispenser combined the white and blue gels as you applied it to your toothbrush. I liked the taste too.

Also Cremo men's face moisturizer. I haven't found another that suits my skin so perfectly before or since.

In both cases I wrote to the companies about bringing back the products, and both wrote back to blow me off.

Schweppes had a great root beer that I haven't seen since sarsaparilla was outlawed.

Fanta green apple. I loved it, but Fanta killed it. Now I don't drink Fanta.

Dr Pepper made with real sugar, the taste with HFCS is just not the same.

SteakEze had these microwave angus burgers that you could get at BJs that basically mimicked McDs flavor. Whenever one of us was craving fast food, we could pop it in the microwave and it scratched that itch and was much cheaper, easier and faster. Sadly haven't seen them for sale anymore and they got taken off the website.

The thing I miss the absolute most is some fruit nectars I used to get that came in big glass bottles, by Fruit of the Nile. They had mango, strawberry guava, guava and orange mango and they were all so incredibly good. My favorite was the mango, it was rich and thick and luxurious, almost just a fruit puree. They made the best mixers. I still use the bottles around the house. I don't think the company made it through Covid 😫

Sodalicious

Jello Pudding Pops.

5th Avenue chocolate bars. I don't know if they still exist or not but I've only ever found em in the checkout lines of one grocery store.

also Murry's chicken nuggets. they were cheap and good, but they disappeared by the time I was in high school

• Josta soda

• The Arby's "triple cheese and bacon" sandwich, specifically the sliced roasted chicken version

• "Po' Folks," later "Folks Southern Kitchen," a local restaurant chain in Metro Atlanta. It's been out of business for over a decade and I still rue the fact that I never got the recipes for their chicken tenders, fried green tomatoes, squash casserole, or ranch dressing

When I was in college they came out with a bunch of different "pieces" candies. They were just like Reese's pieces, but for different candies, like Heath and Almond Joy. I loved them, and I loved the fact that you could mix them together to make different flavors. They didn't last too long, though. I was disappointed when I couldn't find them anymore after a few years.

Then later I found a new favorite candy in the Butterfinger cups. They were like Reese's peanut butter cups, but softer and with little Butterfinger pieces in them! I loved them, but they also disappeared in a few years. That's the issue with gravitating toward new things - so many of the ones I find myself enjoying end up failing since most people just like to stick with what they know.

Dem Bones, my favorite trick or treat candy

Rice crispies treat cereal

Back during the Fruity/Cocoa Pebbles craze, there was a third cereal in the line, a cinnamon themed one. I had that whenever I could, but it has been gone for years.

Omg I have one. Sara Lee chocolate gateaux. It was this triple layer cake of delight, and my parents would buy it for every party back in the 90s. This was before chocolate got shit, so it was alllllll of the good stuff. Probably some cocaine in there too, who knows. I fucking miss that cake.