The ’90s were an unforgettable decade, marked by frosted tips, slap bracelets, and dial-up internet, but what truly takes us back are the vibrant, often wonderfully artificial, snack foods that were staples in our lunchboxes and grocery aisles. For those who grew up then, these treats were more than just food; they were an integral part of the experience, accompanying everything from school lunches to after-school TV binges, making childhood special with their bold flavors, fun designs, and sweet delights.
While some of our favorite ’90s snacks have managed to stick around, many others have sadly vanished from store shelves, existing now only in the hallowed halls of our memory. Their great taste lives on in reruns in our hearts, with fans still holding out hope for their triumphant return. These discontinued delights tell a fascinating story of bold experimentation, ever-changing tastes, and the constant pursuit of the next big hit in the snack world.
So, get ready to dust off your cassette tapes and prepare for a serious dose of nostalgia as we journey back in time to celebrate 14 discontinued snacks from the ’90s that were absolute icons of the supermarket aisle and remain vividly etched in our collective memories. From cheesy chips to frozen delights and sugary cereals, these snacks undoubtedly made our childhoods sweeter, crunchier, and considerably more fun.
1.**In the ’90s, low-fat diets were a major trend in the weight loss industry, and SnackWell’s emerged to offer a seemingly guilt-free indulgence with their fat-free Devil’s Food Cookie Cakes, which quickly became a sensation by suggesting that you could enjoy a treat while also trying to slim down.
The signature bright green boxes of SnackWell’s cookies quickly became a staple in the pantries of diet-conscious consumers throughout the decade. These treats featured light chocolate cake rounds, generously topped with a thin layer of marshmallow creme, all enrobed in a delicate chocolatey coating. The crucial selling point, for many, was that these cookies contained not a single gram of fat in their original incarnation, aligning perfectly with the era’s health trends.
While the Devil’s Food-inspired fat-free treats weren’t the only product peddled by SnackWell’s, they were undeniably the most popular. The sales figures speak for themselves: between 1993 and 1996, SnackWell’s sold approximately $161 million worth of Devil’s Food Cookie Cakes. Whether this massive success was primarily due to the actual quality of the product or its clever branding as a nutritionally superior choice compared to other processed cookies, remains a topic of nostalgic debate.
However, as diet trends inevitably shifted away from the low-fat preferences of ’90s consumers, SnackWell’s struggled to adapt to changing palates and nutritional advice. After years of declining popularity, the SnackWell’s brand ultimately ended all business operations in 2022, marking the end of an era for this diet-friendly ’90s titan.
2.**Nabisco’s Suddenly S’mores ingeniously captured the essence of a campfire classic in a microwaveable format, satisfying s’mores cravings instantly with two fudge-dipped graham cookies filled with a layer of dehydrated marshmallows that offered a convenient alternative to traditional s’mores.
The true magic of Suddenly S’mores was unlocked with just 25 seconds in the microwave, which caused the dehydrated marshmallows to puff up and soften beautifully, melding with the fudgy graham cookies to create a warm, gooey s’mores experience that perfectly mimicked the campfire original.
In the early ’90s, when microwave ovens were still considered a relatively new and exciting fixture in many American households, the concept of a microwaveable s’more seemed downright innovative. It was a convenient and novel way to enjoy a classic dessert, perfectly aligning with the decade’s growing desire for quick and easy treats.
However, novelty alone wasn’t enough to sustain demand for Suddenly S’mores. The cookie sandwiches didn’t stick around for very long, disappearing from grocery store shelves around 1992. Even today, while you can certainly make your own s’mores at home in the microwave, fans of this short-lived Nabisco product still pine for the distinct texture and the uniquely fudgy marshmallow flavor that defined this early ’90s snack.
3. **Mars’ Kudos Bars**Say goodbye to those dry, crumbly granola bars of yesteryear, because in the ’90s, Mars Incorporated introduced its brilliant answer: Kudos bars. These were advertised as a ‘granola snack’ that, let’s be real, tasted far more like a decadent dessert than anything remotely healthy. It was the perfect sneaky snack for kids and adults alike!
Imagine chocolate-dipped granola bars with a soft, chewy texture, often compared to the beloved Rice Krispies Treats, but packed with appealing mix-ins like chocolate chips and peanut butter. The original Kudos bars were essentially a glorified candy bar cleverly disguised for grown-ups, though the presence of oats in the bars offered a plausible excuse for calling them a ‘healthier’ choice. It was a marketing stroke of genius!
Initially, these 180-calorie original bars might not have been a nutritional powerhouse, but they certainly built an avid fan base throughout the 1990s and well into the 2000s. Over the years, the Kudos Bars recipe saw a few changes, and they even leaned more heavily into the candy bar category with tempting flavors featuring M&M’s, Dove, and Snickers candies.
These later versions of Kudos aimed to balance indulgence with health by offering more calcium and whole grains per serving than their predecessors. However, despite their popularity, Kudos bars vanished from shelves as Mars strategically acquired KIND bars in 2019, marking a quiet end for a snack that was a defining part of its era.
4. **Betty Crocker’s Fruit String Things**Betty Crocker Fruit String Things were a kid’s dream come true because they gave us explicit permission to play with our food! This iconic snack consisted of long candy ‘strings’ crafted from fruit pulp and sugar, boasting a texture similar to gummy candies but even stickier, which was all part of the fun.
Manufactured by Betty Crocker from the early to mid-1990s, Fruit String Things provided a multi-sensory experience with their long, fruity laces available in flavors like berry blue, strawberry, and cherry, cleverly attached to wax paper spirals for an engaging treat.
The ritual was simple yet satisfying: you’d carefully peel each fruit string off the paper and unwind them one by one. From there, the possibilities were endless! You could slurp them like spaghetti, meticulously arrange them into your own fantastical designs, or simply pop them straight into your mouth for an instant burst of fruity flavor.
The process of playing with Fruit String Things inevitably made your fingers delightfully sticky and gooey, which, for any ’90s kid, was absolutely part of the charm. Betty Crocker eventually stopped making Fruit String Thing in the early 2000s, but its legacy lives on in products like Fruit by the Foot and other snack foods that continue to encourage kids to get wonderfully hands-on with their treats.
5.**For decades, Pop-Tarts have dominated the toaster pastry market since their debut in 1964, and in the late 1990s, the brand innovated by introducing Pop-Tarts Pastry Swirls, adding a sophisticated twist to their popular line of frosted breakfast snacks.
Pastry Swirls were distinctively round, thicker, and had a flakier texture, clearly designed to mimic the freshly baked pastries you might find at a cozy bakery or a chic coffee house. Unlike traditional Pop-Tarts, the icing on Pastry Swirls didn’t completely cover the entire top of the toaster pastry. This deliberate choice resulted in a less sugary taste, shifting the emphasis to the delicious fruit filling within.
It’s highly likely that Pop-Tarts modeled their Pastry Swirls after Pillsbury Toaster Strudels, a nearly identical product that had launched successfully in the 1980s. A memorable 1994 advertising campaign for Toaster Strudels famously branded them as a superior alternative to Pop-Tarts, with the catchy slogan, “Something better just popped up!”
While Pillsbury might have won over some consumers’ tastebuds with their thicker, fruitier product, it seems Pop-Tarts fans largely preferred the original, icing-saturated version that they knew and loved. Consequently, Kellogg’s manufactured its last box of Pastry Swirls in 2001 and, much to the chagrin of its small but dedicated fanbase, doesn’t seem to have any intention of bringing them back.
6. **Dunkaroos**Oh, Dunkaroos! If there was ever a snack that perfectly encapsulated the fun, interactive spirit of ’90s lunchboxes, it was these little beauties. Dunkaroos were a delightful pairing of mini cookies and a side of sweet, creamy frosting, just begging to be dipped.
What truly made them iconic was their effortless ability to elevate an ordinary lunch into a playful experience. With fun shapes and irresistible flavors like chocolate chip and rainbow sprinkle, they quickly became the envy of every cafeteria. It wasn’t just a snack; it was an activity, a moment of pure, sugary joy.
Sadly, these titans of lunchtime fun disappeared from shelves in the early 2000s, leaving a generation heartbroken. For years, fans relentlessly petitioned General Mills to bring them back, and their passionate campaigns, fueled by powerful social media buzz, actually worked! Dunkaroos made a triumphant return in limited supply in 2020, sparking widespread excitement.
For many, the original recipe and packaging of Dunkaroos from the ’90s represent the purest form of this nostalgic memory, as they were more than just cookies and frosting but a symbol of a time when snacks were characterized by bold flavors, playful designs, and a touch of magic in every bite, solidifying their place as a playful and essential ’90s snack.
What a nostalgic journey! From seemingly healthy cookies to granola bars tasting like candy and even popcorn with a color-changing surprise, the ’90s truly stood out as a golden age of snack innovation. Although some of these cherished treats may no longer be on grocery store shelves, they remain firmly in our hearts, with each discontinued flavor telling a unique story of bold experimentation, evolving tastes, and the continuous quest for the next big thing in the exciting world of snacks, making them remembered as absolute titans that live on in our sweetest memories.
