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A trip to the grocery store can be a walk down memory lane. You may find the PopTarts and Lunchables you regularly munched on in the ’90s. Yet, many fantastic ’90s candy and nostalgic snacks aren’t on the shelves now. Food fads come and go; chances are you’ve forgotten the long-gone goodies from decades ago. 

Your favorite ’90s foods may have disappeared due to shifting consumer preferences and changing nutritional guidelines. Maybe today’s kids wouldn’t be interested in bubble gum in a metal box resembling a Band-Aid tin. And who knows what chemicals were in the bright-colored Squeezits aside from sugar?

With many nineties babies turning 30 soon, it’s time to get some veggies in your diet because your gut health is not the same as it was in your teens. However, compared to what the youngsters are filling their bellies with today, we still had it pretty good in our school days. 

Whether our favorite childhood snacks were relatively healthy is under question. However, ’90s snacks and drinks were not as “infested” with GMOs as the foods are now. Nevertheless, many ’90s snacks were discontinued or banned and flagged as a choking hazard for children. Yes, we are pointing the finger at you, Kinder Surprise eggs.

Can you believe that smuggling chocolate eggs to the US would get you in legal trouble and you could be fined up to $2,500 if caught? Well, that’s one way to become a criminal. However, Kinder Eggs weren’t the only deliciousness banned or discontinued. 

Below, we have compiled a list of ’90s food and drinks that either got prohibited or canceled, with a few still selling in the shops today. Let us know if any discontinued snacks from the ’90s in this list were your favorites.

#1

Royal Dansk Butter Cookies

A Sewing Tin Cookie Box

These cookies must be at the top when discussing nostalgic food from the ’90s. Although the cookies were delicious, buttery, and light, these biscuits were also famous for another reason. If you came across this tin in your house, chances were that it would be full of sewing materials. This was so well known among people that the sewing tin cookies became a popular ’90s meme. You can still find the cookies online to relieve the experience. Enjoy, finish, and leave them full of sewing materials for an unsuspecting family member.

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#2

Viennetta

A Creamy Desert

One of the most decadent ’90s food trends was enjoying some Viennetta. It was a brand of British ice cream made of several layers and separated by compound chocolate. It came in flavors like mint and vanilla. This delicious dessert was discontinued in the mid-1990s but was re-introduced in the United States in 2021 under the Good Humor brand. 

Although anyone could buy and enjoy the ice cream, having it at home felt quite posh and fancy. Viennetta may have stood the test of time, but not everything from the ’90 was great. There are some questionable vintage recipes that we should keep locked up forever.

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#3

Hubba Bubba

Pink Chewing Gum

This bubble gum was a favorite ’90s candy. It was fun, exciting, and tasted good. You could walk in with your roll of Hubba Bubba, unroll a piece, and save the rest for later. This candy was a massive hit because kids could blow bubbles easily and save the rest. It used to come in a variety of flavors, and at some point, kids and adults couldn’t get enough of it. This fun bubble gum is still around today, and you can get it at many places like Walmart.

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#4

Mini Chiclets

Tiny Size Flavored Chewing Gum

One of the most popular discontinued snacks is Chiclets. The word Chiclets is derived from the Mexican Spanish word “chicle,” which means sticky stuff, and it refers to chewing gum found throughout Mesoamerica. The Mini Chiclets came with a hard sugar coating and lots of flavors. You could pop multiple in your mouth for an apocalypse of flavors. Even though the taste would be gone in a minute, it would be a staple for kids.

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Hawkmoon
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tiny size, so you push a handful into your mouth in an apocalypse of flavors.

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#5

Candy Cigarettes

Candy Cigarette Packages

Another popular ’90s food was candy cigarettes. They were introduced in the late 19th century and made of bubblegum, chalky sugar, or chocolate. Their branding and packaging resembled popular cigarette brands, so many countries began banning them. They believed that it could desensitize children to smoking. Despite its chalky taste, kids would love to pop one in their mouth and pretend to smoke for a laugh with their friends. 

Since they are still available in some countries, you would be filled with nostalgia if you came across one today. Check out these nostalgia-instilling posts if you love remembering such fun moments.

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I'm.Just.A.Girl
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was young I would buy these all the time but they weren't gum they were like a chalky candy. We would use them in role play games. And yes I grew up to become a smoker. I'm trying to quit right now actually.

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#6

Creme Savers

Creme Savers Hard Candy

Of all your favorite childhood snacks, Creme Savers would probably rank at the top just for how they deliciously sweetened your day. Even though it was popularly considered grandma candy, let’s be real; you couldn’t get enough of its creamy goodness.

This candy was made by Nabisco in 1996 and was a spinoff candy of Life Savers. It was discontinued in 2011, but it started making a comeback in 2021. There were many flavors like Apple Pie, Cinnamon Swirl, and Strawberry Creme Swirl, but only a few are still available for purchase.

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Casey Burns
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For a limited time they had Apple Pie, Cinnamon Swirl and Strawberry Creme Swirl. God they were so good.

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#7

Vintage Sugar Candies

Colorful Sweet Sugar Candies

One of the most sugary food trends from the ’90s was to carry around and snack on these delicious fruit-shaped candies. ’90s nostalgia is incomplete without snacks and foods full of sugar. These candies came in many shapes, and once you had the Sherbert-style food inside, you could use the outer covering as a toy or string them together to make quirky necklaces.

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Poultry Geist
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw some of these yesterday but instead of plastic shaped fruit it was a hand Grenada shape! They are full of sugar !

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#8

’90s Nostalgic Fla-Vor-Ice

Colorful Ice Cream

When you reflect on foods from that decade, do you ever think of the ’90s candy fondly known as ‘mouth corner slicers?’ This funny nickname was given to Fla-Vor-Ice, a popsicle brand that all kids loved. Unlike traditional popsicles that came with a stick, these would be sold in liquid form and had to be frozen at home. You could eat them straight out of the plastic tube, and bonus points if you could avoid poking the corners of your mouth. These popsicles are available for purchase in a few physical stores and many online stores.

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#9

Melody Pops

Chupa Chups Melody Pop Candy

These fun sweets could help unleash your musical talents. These strawberry-flavored lollipops were made with fructose corn syrup and shaped like a whistle so that you could pull or push the stem on the bottom to make a whistling sound. It was a popular trend to use it like a cartoon flute and annoy people as much as possible. This way was created for kids to eat the sweet, enjoy it, and still use it for fun.

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Bonnie Buttons
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw these in the shop yesterday!!! Was thinking about getting them for my kid's birthday party treat bags...

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#10

Bugles

Crispy Bugles Chips

Bugles were an innocent ’90s snack with a crispy and crunchy texture. A food engineer called Verne E. Weiss developed them, and they were introduced in early 1966 as a General Mills snack. Unfortunately, this ’90s food was discontinued because it was cooked in coconut oil, with a saturated fat content of 8 grams per serving. 

When you look at these tasty bugles, you might remember putting one on each finger and pretending to have claws. Although they aren’t widely available, there are still variations of this snack in different countries. If you are feeling nostalgic, check out these posts that hit home if you’re a ’90s baby.

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#11

Orange Sherbet Push-Up Pops

Orange Flavor Push Pops

These fruit snacks were discontinued long ago. ’90s kids would carry their push-up pops and enjoy them after a long swim or on a hot summer day. These fruit-flavored candies were a novelty because you could push them up to enjoy the delight. Nestle still sells sweets like this, but it does not have similar branding as before.

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Dirk Daring
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah, the good old summer days of taking a break from the metal and asphalt playground to cool off by eating ice cream out of a toilet paper roll.

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#12

Country Smith Ice Cream

Chocolate Sundae Cup With A Spoon

If any pictures can make you reminisce about the past, then it’s probably Country Smith ice cream. These tiny tubs of goodness were a staple for kids. The best part is that you could taste the wooden stick even more than the ice cream. But this did not deter ’90s babies from enjoying their favorite snack.

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#13

Revive Nostalgia With Altoid Sours

Altoid Sours In A Tin Can

These hard and delicious candies were introduced in 2001 and came in flavors like mango, orange, raspberry, apple, and tangerine. They were discontinued in 2010 because of low sales. Kids would go crazy for these candies because of their strong taste. Even though the hard sweets could bruise the tip of your tongue or the roof of your mouth, all was fair in the ’90s. The funniest part would be if you left them out in the heat and they melted into one large, hard, sweet.

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#14

Minute Maid Icees

Minute Maid Icees Cardboard Box

The Minute Maid juice bars were every kid’s favorite treat. Some schools even provided them during school lunches. They are still widely available in certain stores, and you might have to go on a hunt to find them. The world has changed since the ’80s and ’90s, but these ice bars are still just as delicious as always.

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#15

Ring Pop

Ring Pop Proposal Letter

If you ever got proposed to with a ring pop, I hate to break it to you, but you’re engaged. These tasty candies were shaped like a giant jewel on a ring. You could wear it and enjoy the sweet whenever you wanted to. Some people used it as jewelry, and some used it to ask out their crushes. 

These kinds of light-hearted experiences were exactly what growing up during the ’90s was like. If you still want to give it a go with a long-lost love, consider getting a ring pop, which is still a popular candy, and propose to them.

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#16

Making A Comeback With Nestle Quik

Old Nestle Quik Metal Can

Of many popular ’90s drinks, the Nestle Quik chocolate drink was one of the tastiest and most satisfying. It came in a tin can that kids loved popping open to see the powder fly. It was first introduced in the US in 1948 and has now been rebranded as Nesquik.

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Christopher Bowers
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one always tasted so much better back then. The tin can helped with giving it a richer flavor.

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#17

Capri-Sun

Capri Sun With Flowers In Behind

Get ready to be hit by a wave of nostalgia because of the famous Capri-Sun. Forget Pepsi, Sprite, and other soft drinks; many ’90s kids preferred this real fruit juice. You could carry a pack of this drink and sip it casually with your friends. The only real struggle was getting the straw into the bag.

Pro tip: if you keep them in your freezer, squeeze them occasionally so they can be slushy later.

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#18

Barnum’s Animal Crackers ’90s Snack

Person Holding Barnum’s Animal Crackers

Remember when your lunchbox would have these tasty and adorable animal crackers? The most fun and slightly sadistic way to eat them would be to rip off their heads and then proceed with the rest of the cracker. These biscuits are sold in select shops, but their flavor isn’t the same as it was in the ’90s. You can try them for yourself and share your findings.

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#19

Square Pizza

Square Pizza In A Plate

If you hated crusts, this pizza would have been your ideal choice. It was a regional delight in the US, and you can still get it in the frozen pizza section of many places. If you can’t find square pizza anywhere, you can make it at home by cutting the crusts off. However, we can’t imagine why anyone would give up on stuffed crust pizza.

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Deux
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My favourite- controversial I know but I HATE crusts!! Please don't downvote me for that opinion (I'm sick of getting temporary account bans for stating personal opinions!)

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#20

Gold Nugget Gum

Gold Nugget Gum In A Bag

This unique ’90s snack made you feel like you had a bag of treasure. It came in a cute bag with yellow bubble gum nuggets of different sizes. Although the taste was gone within a few minutes, kids enjoyed the thrill of popping many into their mouths. Some would even save the big pieces for later. This candy was first produced in 1971. You can still get these sweets online. 

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#21

’90s Food Potato Sticks

Potato Sticks In A Cardboard Can

A staple of many school lunches, these simple and tasty potato chips were everywhere in the ’90s. They came in two popular flavors: black pepper and salt and vinegar. They aren’t as widely available any longer.

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Mistiekim
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Grew up with the Utz brand, my aunt always put these in my uncle’s lunch. They still make them and the cans look the same.

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#22

Handi-Snacks

Handi Snacks

If you think of ’90s kid cuisine, these cheese and cracker spreaders would be at the top of your list. Looking back on it now, you might not find the packaging appealing, but it was pure delight to ravage these snacks. Nobody could spread the cheese well, so you would inevitably end up with a big gloop right at the end. 

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#23

’90s Soup Can Food Trends

90's Colorful Cartoon Soup Cans

The ’90s was a spectacular time of creativity and innovation, as evidenced by these creative soup cans. You could find fun-shaped noodles and flavors with your favorite ’90s cartoon characters on the outside, like Spiderman, Pikachu, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There were tasty soup cans by Chef Boyardee and other fantastic brands. Soup packaging isn’t what it used to be.

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#24

Mr. Bones Candy

Bone Candies And Red Coffin

Some things combine spooky and fun effortlessly, just like Mr. Bones Candy used to. It was an interesting ’90s candy that came in a plastic coffin. Inside were sugary sweets that were shaped almost like jigsaw pieces, and you could lock them together to make skeletons and other shapes. Unfortunately, this fun snack was discontinued, but it brightened many kids’ days when it was there. Have you come across any creative candy like this since then?

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LoudMansLover
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I loved these as a kid! I used to collect the plastic coffins. And the candy bits kind of locked together so you could make skeletons/monstrocities with them

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#25

7UP

Old 7 UP Drink Can

7UP was an American brand of lemon-lime-flavored soft drink. Keurig Dr Pepper owns the brand and formula for this drink, but it is internationally distributed by PepsiCo. This fizzy drink underwent rebranding and no longer has its iconic mascot, Fido Dido. This cool character was always shown sporting a 7UP shirt. It became one of the most recognizable and iconic mascots for many.

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#26

Hostess Fruit Pies

Hostess Fruit Pies Papers

In the mid-90s, you could find these mouthwatering sweet and savory pies just about anywhere. They were among the popular snacks and foods that children and adults enjoyed. You could find these pudding pies in flavors like lemon, chocolate, cola, and cherry. They would come with chunks of fruit that added to the fantastic taste. Kids used to love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles version with green pudding. These pudding pies won’t be returned to shelves anytime soon, but they can live in our memories.

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YouKiddingMe
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are gross now. No fruit in the filling just sugar, water, cornstarch, artificial flavors and a bunch of chemicals! Just nasty!

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#27

Squeezit

Squeezit Six Pack

Squeezits were a fruit-flavored juice made by General Mills. It was marketed from 1985 till 2001 until production was stopped. You could get the drink in a plastic bottle with a squeezable or twisty cap. There was a point when having a Squeezit meant you were one of the cool kids.

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Amanda Rose
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I always had either these or CapriSun as my drink in elementary and junior high school.

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#28

Kool-Aid

Old Kool-Aid Papers

Kraft Heinz owned this ’90s food. It was an American brand drink mix. The drink became so popular that it has many references in games, books, and movies. The brand’s mascot, the Kool-Aid Man, became famous and was known for crashing through the wall instead of doors. Over time, the recognized brand mascot got an updated look. The drink mix powder became very popular, and some people even used it to dye their hair (unsuccessfully). 

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Mistiekim
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That Kool-Aid guy isn’t a very good house guest though. He just crashes through the wall instead of using the door.

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#29

Glass Bottle Gatorade

Glass Bottle Gatorade With Michael Jordan

Gatorade still exists, but these glass bottles came with Michael Jordan on the label. They are rare sports memorabilia collectibles from the ’80s and early ’90s which aren’t made anymore.

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#30

Jelly Worm And Dirt

Cup Of Dirt And A Jelly Worm Dessert

One of the most fun but creepy-looking ’90s foods was the Oreo, fudge, dirt pastry. This was made of cool whip frosting, cream cheese, Oreos, and jelly bean worms. You’d get bonus points if you could draw something funny with the jelly worms. This was a wonderful dessert to provide at Halloween parties for kids or just on a summer day.

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Megan Curl
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! Made with Cool Whip, cream cheese and Oreos. I still have the recipe.

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#31

Toaster Strudel

Toaster Strudel In A Cardboard Package

Toaster strudels were also known as upscale pop-tarts and were usually brought out on special occasions. They came in various flavors like cream cheese, chocolate raspberry, and wild berry. If you had this sweet, creamy, flaky treat in the morning, it would feel like a breakfast of champions. It could easily be popped into the toaster for a fun, convenient breakfast. Unfortunately, Hershey confirmed that they discontinued toaster strudels.

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#32

Popular Foods Like Choco Tacos

Ice Cream Tacos In A Cardboard Package

Think of a delicious taco and now imagine it only getting better. That was the Klondike Choco Tacos. They were made from a disk waffle cone that was folded to resemble a taco shell. Inside was vanilla ice cream, fudge, peanuts, and a chocolate coating. This ’90s snack was also called ‘America’s coolest taco.’ In 2022, Good Humor-Breyers discontinued this tasty treat amid much consumer dissatisfaction. It is one of the many discontinued things people want back.

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Nimues Child
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Farewell, Choco Taco. Klondike just announced that they are discontinuing them.

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#33

Dippin' Dots

Small Colorful Candy

Dippin’ Dots is an ice cream snack created by flash-freezing ice cream in liquid nitrogen. It was invented by Curt Jones in 1988 by accident when he was trying to develop cow feed. It has since been a favorite snack or sample treat offered at many places. Since it must be stored below −40°C (−40°F), it is not sold in most grocery stores. This ’90s treat is still sold in malls, vending machines, and big outlets.

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#34

Shark Bites

Gummy Shark Bites On The Table

The Shark Bites fruit snacks were a lot of fun in a small package. Each pack had a few flavors, but we bet all ’90s kids can swear that the white shark gummies tasted the best. You might still be able to find a pack of these sweets somewhere in the world, but in most places, their sale has been discontinued. If you find them, expect the taste and textures to be modified.

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#35

Butterfinger BB's

Butterfinger BB's On The Table

The Butterfinger BBs are among the most sorely missed candies of the ’90s. They had a classic buttery and crunchy goodness that could make a simple movie and popcorn experience better. These candies became a household name in 1992 but were discontinued in 2006. One of the reasons could be that the melting point of the chocolate was too quick, and it could make a mess way too fast. We bet many would still trade a messy hand for a taste of these Butterfingers.

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#36

Fudge Stripes

Fudge Stripe Cookies

The Keebler Fudge Stripes are delicious shortbread cookies with chocolate. They were the perfect size to pop into your mouth in one go. Plus, you could get creative and use them to make s’mores. These ’90s snacks are still available in big stores, so don’t waste time; relieve your childhood today.

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#37

Fruit Roll-UPS

Fruit Roll-UPS Cardboard Package

What’s the best way to trick children into eating their fruits? Make it look like candy! That’s precisely what Fruit Roll-UPS was. These fruit leather strips could help kids get a lot of antioxidants while still being delicious. They are still widely available and can be combined with ice cream or other desserts for a healthy-ish twist. You can also make them at home by putting your fruits in a dehydrator.

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#38

Kudos

Kudos Granola Bars In A Cardboard Package

Kudos was a mouthwatering ’90s milk chocolate granola cereal bar. It was produced by Mars, Incorporated, and was launched in 1986. There were three flavors: nutty fudge, chocolate chip, and peanut butter. The famous slogan of this brand was “Kudos, I’m yours!” The chocolate bars were officially discontinued in 2020.

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Bryn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the even older version that were completely covered in chocolate. I miss these!

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#39

Trix Yogurt By Yoplait Was Pretty Bomb

Colorful Trix Yogurt

If you want to start with good news, you should know that the Yoplait Trix Yoghurt is still available. It was a creamy and healthy yogurt that came in four flavors. You could get an 8-pack and spend your day slurping the delicious strawberry and berry cups. 

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#40

Bubble Jug

Colorful Bubble Jug Bubble Gum

Hubba Bubba manufactured this fun bubble gum. The Bubble Jug was made from powdered candy that could be eaten, and once it got wet, it formed a chewing gum-like consistency. Like most kids from the ’90s with no self-control, you could down a full jug in a day because of its excellent flavor. This unique chewing gum is no longer available today.

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Which ’90s Snack or Treat Do You Miss the Most?

The ’90s were wild, with many extraordinary inventions, foods, and cultural moments. Looking back at some foods and drinks might help you relive precious memories. The world has changed now, but you can still enjoy the past by buying the tasty ’90s treats on the shelves. Just remember that your metabolism isn’t quite what it used to be!