The 1980s featured interesting flavors, incredible snacks, and some culinary products that no longer exist in our stores. Travel with me in a time machine to the 80s and look at those wonderful, nostalgic foods again. We dug up a little of every category that will surely bring you some childhood flashbacks. Share these with your friends to see if they remember as many as you do in this list.
10. Jell-O Pudding Pops
This genius dessert is famous for its creaminess and cooling sensation, and it is just a fantastic way to feel less hot, especially on hot days. It’s sad that they no longer exist because of the trendiness of fresh fruit on a stick taking over shortly after. Originally endorsed by Bill Cosby in its advertising campaigns, Jell-O Pudding Pops became a cultural icon of the 1980s. Unfortunately, the slogan “The snack you can say “Yes’ to!” doesn’t age very well.
9. Hubba Bubba Soda
Hubba Bubba was the leader in bubble gum for kids in the 1980s. They had so many combinations and flavors, with a personal favorite being watermelon. In 1987, they released a bubble gum-flavored soda worldwide; however, after Wrigley purchased the licensing rights, they discontinued the soda in the 1990s.
8. Jolt Cola
C.J. Rapp created Jolt Cola in 1985. It was one of the first of its kind for being a highly caffeinated cola beverage. The soda targeted students and young professionals who needed that extra caffeine boost. Jolt’s slogan was “All the sugar and twice the caffeine.” and eventually released a low-calorie version, the Jolt 25. In 2006, Jolt Cola rebranded to Jolt Energy, and it came in different flavors, including the Cherry Bomb, Wild Grape, and Orange Burst. The website hasn’t had much activity, but we can always remember them as pushing the limits for energy.
7. Mr. T Cereal
Even to this day, I can remember the distinct, sweet, buttery corn flavor of Mr. T cereal. This cereal could sit in milk for hours and never get soggy! For those that love Pee Wee Herman, the movie Pee Wee’s Big Adventure gave the Mr. T cereal a hilarious cameo appearance in the open scene. Unfortunately, with the decline in the A-Team and Mr. T, the cereal also made its way off the shelves.
6. Keebler Cookies
Keebler was a staple brand in the 1980s and early 90s. There was always an animated Keebler elf commercial airing either during the Reading Rainbow or after school cartoons, or let’s not forget about that Saturday morning cartoon lineup that was a crucial moment in my childhood that children born in any time period after would never understand. The Keebler cookies were not like any other at the time: They focused on flavors that were similar to Girl Scout Cookies and the brand mastered the art of gooey fudge mixed with a crisp cookie wafer.
5. Smurf Cereal
The Smurf brand was unstoppable in the 80s, so it only made sense to have its own lineup of cereals. Cereal in the 80s wasn’t about as much about the flavors of the cereal, it was the mascot associated with them in addition to the toy that was at the bottom you had to dig deep to grab once that box was ripped open. Aside from the toys and the brand, this cereal had a great fruity combination that differed from its peers, such as Fruity Pebbles. Unfortunately, the cereal was discontinued in the 90s due to changes in consumer tastes and the decline in Smurf popularity.
4. Keebler Chips: Tato Skins, Pizzarias, O’Boises
Keebler wasn’t a brand that was born in the 80s, it was actually founded in 1853 by Godfrey Keebler in Philadelphia, PA as a small bakery! The bakery went into mass market in 1927 when they joined the United Biscuit Company of America which began the development of cookies, crackers, and snacks that we know to this day. What made the Keebler brand boom in the 80s is due to the creative marketing and branding that position these snacks as staples in US pop culture. This boom shifted into the release of chips such as Tato Skins, Pizzarias, and O’Boisies snack chips. Even though each of these brands has a product that is just a replica of every other chip; the branding and commercials during those Saturday morning cartoon slots really helped create demand for parents to purchase for their little ones.
3. Jawbreakers
The “jawbreaker” name has been around as far back as 1839, with the original candy getting mass produced by Ferrar Pan Candy Company in 1919. For decades this candy was a hot ticket item; but not until the 1980’s did it hit a strong peak and then die just as quickly in the 1990’s. Willie Wonka also coined the term ‘gobstopper’ which is the same product with just a different name.
2. Candy Cigarettes
Candy cigarettes were a popular novelty candy that mimicked the appearance of real cigarettes and was widely available from the mid-20th century, peaking in popularity during the 1970s and 1980s. When you look back at the “cool factor” these provided, you can see how this candy was clearly a gateway to teens smoking cigarettes. In the 1950’s, when the candy was first released, there was a strong push to ban this product; however, it was overturned due to the strong lobbying by the tobacco companies. This is one of those products that we laugh about as adults but are glad they are no longer in existence to encourage our children today.
1. Giggles Cookies
Nabisco was the number one cookie and snack brand in the 1980s and still holds the top spot with its unique shortbread cookie, Giggles. The design is genius: Shortbread on the outside with fudge and cream on the inside, resembling a happy face when assembled. But this popularity faded quickly, and Giggles were out of production in the 1990s. In the 80s, Nabisco also introduced Teddy Grahams, Cheese Nips, SnackWells, and Nutter Butter Bites, which are all major snacks that are still popular to this day.
