50 Things That Got Discontinued That These Consumers Desperately Want To Buy Again
InterviewThere are moments in your life when the stars align and you accidentally stumble on a truly phenomenal product. Maybe it’s a delicious food item, a beauty product, or a piece of technology that is so good that it raises your standards forever. And not to sound overly dramatic, but how do you go on when it’s no longer available?
Upset consumers took to an online thread to vent about the best things they bought that later got discontinued. And it still pains them to remember. Choco tacos, headphone jacks in phones, and cars with CD players are just the tip of the iceberg. Scroll down to read about all the things that people miss the most!
Meanwhile, Bored Panda also reached out to the author of the thread, u/rjkersten1, for their thoughts on the topic. You'll find their insights below!

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A living wage and benefits.
Are we essential or are we not. If we are, pay us as such. If we’re not, flip your own d**n burgers and scan your own d**n groceries. You can’t have it both ways
Headphone jacks and extra ports.
Unpackaged produce at the supermarket. I waste so much food because I can’t use a whole package before it goes bad.
There’s a paradox at work here. Clearly, many consumers love some products so much that they have a visceral emotional reaction when they get discontinued. And yet, these items obviously don’t sell enough to warrant their continued production. It creates this disconnect between consumers and companies, where the latter don’t seem to take into account what the former want.
Some items, like beauty products, might get discontinued due to the scale of production or because of changes in the legality of manufacturers using certain ingredients.
“They are huge brands, and they can afford to just throw stuff out there. They can’t worry about people wanting a certain shade,” Daniel Adler, president and CEO of BuyMeBeauty explained to HuffPost.
Sometimes, however, there are very clear business strategies behind discontinuations.
The McDonald's deep fried apple pies that would burn your mouth. They were so greasy and tasty.
I will never get over Jello Pudding Pops. Never. 👎.
The original green Herbal Essence shampoo from the 70s.
That stuff was so wildly popular. I can remember walking into class on a Monday morning and the whole place smelled like Herbal Essence because everyone had freshly washed hair.
In some cases, companies go for what’s known as planned obsolescence, which is bound to anger quite a few consumers. This is especially prevalent in the technology and fashion industries.
Essentially, according to Investopedia, it’s a strategy where a business ensures that a product becomes outdated or useless within a certain time period. In a nutshell, this drives demand because consumers look to replace what no longer works (well).
“While planned obsolescence can help companies control costs and drive demand, it often faces consumer backlash if the new versions offer minimal improvements over previous models,” Investopedia states. It adds that this practice can harm brand reputation and consumer satisfaction.
Large salad bars 😭 all of the ones near me never re opened after lock down. whole foods is the only one but it’s sooo expensive.
These must be mostly US centric. Salad and deli counters are in all larger supermarkets in New Zealand.
We were curious about what inspired the author to start the online thread about discontinued items, and u/rjkersten1 was kind enough to share their thoughts with us.
"I think for inspiration, I decided to ask the question because I went to a coffee shop to order a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, but they said they were done serving that until next Autumn," they said.
"So, while not permanently discontinued, it got me thinking about discontinued items," u/rjkersten1 told Bored Panda.
I really miss a certain store that has been shut down for years now. Pier one imports.
I miss the opportunity to buy small sedans and compact cars. I know there are still some around, but there used to be a lot more choices.
Plenty of moderately small cars here in the UK - although when you see a proper original Austin Mini next to any modern car, even the small ones, you realise that they've all got a lot bigger. That's in part because they have to be bigger to provide modern crash protection - crumple zones in front of a robust passenger cell (or whatever they call it) and so on.
Meanwhile, we also wanted to get the redditor's thoughts on what ordinary consumers could potentially do to help bring back discontinued items. From their perspective, it's best to be direct about your wants.
"I think consumers could just ask the business about it. If enough people ask, they might realize how popular demand there is for it," they said.
What are some awesome products that you loved that eventually got discontinued? Do you know why this happened? Realistically speaking, what could you do to convince businesses to bring them back? Do you think any of the things you enjoy right now are at risk of being discontinued in the near future? Let us know!
Fresh'n Up Bubble gum, with the gel in the middle.
I don't know if it's disconned, but I LOVED Dr Oetker's brand pizza, esp the mozzarella one. Can't find it anywhere now!
Archway rocky road cookies. Soaked in Kahlúa and covered in whipped cream, yes ma'am!!!
Alpha-Bits cereal. My childhood in a box. They brought it back at one point but it wasn’t the same.
Kudos Bars, the M&M one was the best.
Cinnamon toothpaste. Pearl Drops were the best!
Crabtree & Evelyn. Particularly their Gardeners hand lotion, Citron body wash, and Himalaya Blue cologne.
Pillsbury Space Food Sticks. I’m old. They were great.
Little Debbie Caramel Cookie Bars.
Apple cinnamon pop tarts.
They weren’t frosted, just some cinnamon sugar on top. They were amazing.
Now all of the flavors are stupid lol.
Carnation Breakfast Bars.
So agree. I used to love these when I was a kid. Sure, they were dry but also very tasty!
Peanut Butter Twix. I was known as the Peanut Butter Twix lady at 2 local gas stations and a 3rd about 45 minutes away. I’m not proud of that because imagine how many you have to buy to earn a whole nickname for it! I was having them order cases just for me 💀.
Hydrox cookies were the superior chocolate sandwich cookie.
Could have come up with a better name than "Hydrox" as it sounds like something put down the drain to clear a blockage.
Laura Secord pudding. Lifesavers in the Christmas book with all the different flavours. Cherry Blossoms .
Uno candy bar, originally made by a company called “Annabelle Candy Co.” Has a truffle like texture and almonds….
Long time ago, when the Earth was young, there were microwave cakes. And they were pretty good. Just the cake mix, in a microwave tray and frosting. Add some water, nuke for 2 minutes. Done.
Around here you can get mug cake mix packets at any supermarket, which is basically the same thing.
I miss the old green skittle. Lime for life.
There are two items:
Last seen 1976 ish -Flings - cheddar drenched, soft cheesy goodness. Cylindrical nuggets of joy!
I became addicted as a teen, circa 1975.
I’ve seen these for sale in British stores but they don’t ship to Canada 😭
Disappeared 1999 ish - Sally Hansen wax strips - the absolute best hair removal product I have ever used! Sold in a box and contained 10/12 sheets.
Cut to size and peel & stick, lol. Looked like a very sheer but super strong scotch tape. If I could replicate this, I would be over the moon! rip best hair removal product ever used. 🥺.
You can still get Sally Hansen. Got some of thesitethatsnamedaftertheriver last week. Works great!
Sunlight Dish Soap
If they had of told me they were going to do that, I would have bought a pallet of the stuff.
Neutrogena Pore Refining Toner and Exfoliating Cleanser. Nothing else I've tried is as good.
We still have both of them in New Zealand. I could send you some?
Dr. Pepper Berries and Cream
TreSemme Deep Clean Shampoo (down to half a bottle out of the 16 closeouts I bought at Ollie's a while ago)
Pizzarias (chips).
Hostess Susie Q's, original Pantene, O'Boises chips, Hawiian punch (the OG formula in the can).
Brown sugar life cereal. Can’t find in store.
If you look for it its still there, at least in the US where we live... although its a lot less popular and expensive for cereals
The scented oil at The Body Shoppe called woody sandalwood. It was everything.
This is not completely discontinued. But it’s a limited edition item:
Ben & Jerry’s makes a Caramel Core flavor that is vanilla icecream with a center core of salted caramel. A HUGE log (for lack of a better term*) through the center.
Whenever they re-release it I try to get as much of it as I can.
And then, there are the sad times. 😔.
Ben and Jerry's made an ice cream called Margarita and it actually tasted like a lime margarita. It was delicious. I'd be over the moon if they'd bring that back. I think it was in the stores only 6 months or so.
Jujubees. Loved those tiny pieces of flavored rubber.
Sega Genesis.
Revlon flex shampoo.
What's with all the shampoos not being available anymore in, I'm assuming, the US? I've looked at all of them so far and they're all available here in New Zealand.
Product 19 cereal.
It had so much iron it smelled metallic when you opened the box. I have always struggled with keeping my iron levels up and I used to (well, still do) crave it so strongly.
I can't believe that the vastly inferior Special K was the breakout product and not delicious, crunchy, wonderful Produxt 19.
The Rocket Chemical Company tried to invent a spray, composed of various hydrocarbons, to be used by Convair to protect the outer skin of the Atlas missile from rust and corrosion. After 39 failures they stumbled upon a mixture that checked all the boxes. And it also displaced water. The 40'th formula is now WD-40. (Water Displacement - Formula 40)
Snuggle Cherry Blossom and Rosewood fabric softener. Smells so good. It disappeared and the company claims it's still available in some regions but when I look online I only see old bottles on eBay.
And no, I don't care about how fabric softener is bad for my clothes and my dryer and giving me cancer.
I was allergic to snuggle. Loved the commercials when they first came out so that was disappointing.
Simply chex. It was the seasoned chex pieces by themselves. As soon as I found them, they were gone .
Surge.
The only answer is Surge.
Sheer freesia body spray.
Lemon cream cake at Olive Garden. I seriously do not know what Olive Garden was thinking by discontinuing that. It's the worst move since the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees.
Olive Garden's WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE!!! Better than Cheesecake Factory's. I was mega craving OG's when I was pregnant, left work like 30 minutes early to go to OG to order a slice to take home. That's when I was informed it was discontinued. Not gonna lie, my pregnancy hormones made me cry walking back to the car.
White chocolate peppermint m&ms 😭 Christmas just isn’t the same without them.
Clarins After Sun Moisturizer. How dare the company change its formula and completely ruin it. I've emailed them several times begging to go back the original lotion. All I got back in return was nada. Nothing but crickets.
Dark chocolate kit kats.
Brachs Bridge Mix with the chocolate covered jellies. They still make the Bridge Mix but the jellies were removed years ago.
Betty Crocker’s Gingerbread mix. I know I could “probably” make the loaf myself, but this was something specific I always made for my children every Thanksgiving! (I’m not much of a cook and that was my one contribution).
See if you can find BeRo English gingerbread recipe online, it's super easy to make and absolutely delicious. I make mine in a lasagne type dish.
1) Oreo Big Stuf
2) Starbucks Snickerdoodle Cookies
3) Those small jelly jars with cartoon characters that our family used as juice glasses when the jelly was gone.
3/ - over here certain mustard brands used to do this, wonder if they still do...
Cheese nips and spam spread and soft batch chocolate chip cookies. Also they cookies that had chocolate in the center! .
Oil of Olay lotion 😭 the shea butter kind.
Coke Blak. I’m pretty sure I’m the only person on the planet who likes it, so it’s not available anymore.
Quality blue jeans. Since the major US brands exited sell edge denim it’s really hard to get a decent pair of jeans.
Apple juice based drinks at Starbucks.
Had been drinking them for over 15 years. Now I have to make my drink at work.
Kraft Savory Chicken Noodles.
Ragu express :( like easy mac but ragu pasta instead.
& v05 blueberry shampoo & conditioner.
When I was a kid I would sometimes get these cheese-filled soft pretzel twists from Speedway
They were far better than any gas station food had any right to be
It’s been like 20 years and I still think about them.
Stella’s original perfume was the only perfume I’ve ever enjoyed wearing.
Prescriptives lipstick. Years and years ago. I can’t remember the name of the color.
Lay's Wasabi Ginger chips, Sour Tangerine Altoids, Blue Pepsi, and those Orbitz drinks with the suspended tapioca balls from the 90s.
Two things from Avon! A Skin So Soft lotion that had a very light citrus scent, and a hair product called Advance Techniques Dry Ends Serum.
Fruitopia.
Reminds me of high school lunch room. Had a vending machine with only fruitopia in it. Green one was so good
Trader Joe’s frozen polenta.
Trader Joe’s “anything”. Every time I find something I like, they discontinue it.
Taco Bell's Naked Chicken Chalupa. The chicken shell was always perfectly crispy and perfectly moist. I want it back!
I miss when Taco Bell would actually put refried beans and cheese on their tostadas. When they brought the tostadas back for a limited time, I thought for sure we'd finally see some beans and cheese. But no. A half teaspoon of refried beans and three shreds of cheese was their idea for the tostada at double the price they used to be. And then they wonder why no one bought them. Dumb asses.
Coca-Cola Life. I loved the natural sugar in those green cans!
Didn't last long in Ireland, but I didn't know about other countries. Much better than the zero or diet versions. So now it's fat Coke all the way!
Cheez-It —— Twisterz.
My 11 yr old self would eat them by the box. The ‘hot wings and cheesy blue’ flavor to be precise. I’m 36 now and still not over it. I still scan the cheez it section in stores, secretly hoping I’ll come across them again.
Burple. Those orange expandable jugs were so cool! Wish I had like 6-7 of them.
Chef Boyardee box spagetti dinner. It contained the spagetti, sauce, and a parmasen cheese pack. It was the long rectangular box. Back in the 80s. Gosh, I loved that stuff.
Golden Grain made a boxed macaroni and cheese. All you did was add the hot water and then stir in the cheese. It was awesome. So of course it's discontinued.
Meh, all American stuff. Need a list for the other side of the ocean. Let's start with Walnut Whip, Creme Egg (not that mess that's pretending to be it), Little Chef/Happy Eater (like they were in the 80s), and Quattro.
Rick Murray: totally agree. I'd add the fruit version of Club biscuits - back when they were real chocolate. Also several recently deceased real ales. Marston's got taken over by Carlsberg, so no more cask-conditioned Pedigree brewed in the Burton Union sets. It's not the only real ale that Carlsberg's kílled off. Grr.
Load More Replies...If I like something, they stop making it. That goes for clothes, shoes, and accessories, too. Now if I really fall in love with a clothing item, I buy an extra one for when the first one wears out.
That's a fact. When they find out I like it, it's gone.
Load More Replies...A whole lotta stuff I've never seen nor heard of anyway, and another load of stuff that does exist outside of America. Sad really.
Computers having built-in CD drives. I had to buy an external one to plug into my new laptop. The Pizza Hut I remember so fondly from my childhood.
McDonald's Cheddar Melt burger. Burger, fried onions and cheddar on a rye bun! They keep bringing back the McRib... bring the Cheddar Melt back! And Campbell's Pepper Pot soup. Campbell's had so many good soups but now it's like 120 versions of chicken soup. Chicken and noodles, stars, alphabets, star wars, barley you name it and they made chicken soup out of it. Kaboom cereal. The only sugar b**b cereal I really liked! Agree shampoo. Or any shampoo for oily hair like mine. Now it's just normal or dry hair. (No, I will not use Dawn dish soap! LOL!) I find that whenever I REALLY like something, there are corporate gremlins that make it disappear.
It seems that the rest of us just ring-fenced the US and let most of these tasteless things die a natural death! We still have Dark Chocolate Kit-Kats and things but so much of the stuff in this list is just for the US market!
I always feel like I'm living in some alternate reality when reading these posts. Once again I've tasted/tried exactly one product of these and have barely heard of few others (apart from the general ones like car cd-players and earphone jacks).
Impulse ''Inspiration'' and ''Incense'' body sprays. Miss them so much >.< Impulse stinks to high heaven now.
I got about four of them for my 14th birthday two decades ago!
Load More Replies...This is such an american list. As an India, miss so many things. Gold Spot was India's answer to Fanta and way better. sadly the brand shut its production after some times post 90s. Theobroma is a bakery c*m deli which served two of my favourite treats - the after eight pastry and elvis sandwich. After eight pastry was a chocolate pastry with after eight layer in the middle.. lovely. Elvis sandwich was a banana sandwich. delicious.
I hope that mango drink is still available? And fruit lassi? I used to live on that stuff in India in the 80s!
Load More Replies...Thanks for clarifying because that sounded like it needed discontinued.
Load More Replies...Nabisco Twigs crackers - thin crispy bread stick-like snack with cheese and sesame seed.
I want them to bring back the Farm Rich Goat Cheese Bites.. I found those and fell in love! I bought them every week, boxes of them, usually had them every other day. Then they disappeared from the store, and I thought it was seasonal and they'd come back with goat baby season.. I found a few boxes at a little corner store and tried to make them last. But they never came back into the stores. I check every time I order groceries, I've begged on their website, but they never show back up. It's been a year now, and I don't think they're coming back.
Josta. I'm not a soda person, but I loved this and drank an unhealthy amount. Didn't realize it was an energy drink.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios; Chicken Tonight - Country French sauce; I can't remember the name of it but it was a Ben & Jerry's flavor - peanut butter ice cream with a raspberry swirl; Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cookie Dough mix ins; Oatmega protein bars..... I could go on. The line in my family is "if bkwrm likes it, it will soon be discontinued."
Terry's Raspberry, Like the chocolate orange only raspberry flavored.
Circle K don't have Maple Cream Sticks anymore. I still dream about them.
There was a candy bar in the eighties called the ultimate good stuff. Turquoise wrapper with pink writing. Had chocolate, caramel, crispy rice and other things I can't remember. It truly was the ultinmate good stuff, and I miss it in my soul
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Load More Replies...Petite vanilla bean scones from Starbucks. The mocha coconut Frappuccino, too.
cranberry orange scones from starbucks - miss those so much!
Load More Replies...Meh, all American stuff. Need a list for the other side of the ocean. Let's start with Walnut Whip, Creme Egg (not that mess that's pretending to be it), Little Chef/Happy Eater (like they were in the 80s), and Quattro.
Rick Murray: totally agree. I'd add the fruit version of Club biscuits - back when they were real chocolate. Also several recently deceased real ales. Marston's got taken over by Carlsberg, so no more cask-conditioned Pedigree brewed in the Burton Union sets. It's not the only real ale that Carlsberg's kílled off. Grr.
Load More Replies...If I like something, they stop making it. That goes for clothes, shoes, and accessories, too. Now if I really fall in love with a clothing item, I buy an extra one for when the first one wears out.
That's a fact. When they find out I like it, it's gone.
Load More Replies...A whole lotta stuff I've never seen nor heard of anyway, and another load of stuff that does exist outside of America. Sad really.
Computers having built-in CD drives. I had to buy an external one to plug into my new laptop. The Pizza Hut I remember so fondly from my childhood.
McDonald's Cheddar Melt burger. Burger, fried onions and cheddar on a rye bun! They keep bringing back the McRib... bring the Cheddar Melt back! And Campbell's Pepper Pot soup. Campbell's had so many good soups but now it's like 120 versions of chicken soup. Chicken and noodles, stars, alphabets, star wars, barley you name it and they made chicken soup out of it. Kaboom cereal. The only sugar b**b cereal I really liked! Agree shampoo. Or any shampoo for oily hair like mine. Now it's just normal or dry hair. (No, I will not use Dawn dish soap! LOL!) I find that whenever I REALLY like something, there are corporate gremlins that make it disappear.
It seems that the rest of us just ring-fenced the US and let most of these tasteless things die a natural death! We still have Dark Chocolate Kit-Kats and things but so much of the stuff in this list is just for the US market!
I always feel like I'm living in some alternate reality when reading these posts. Once again I've tasted/tried exactly one product of these and have barely heard of few others (apart from the general ones like car cd-players and earphone jacks).
Impulse ''Inspiration'' and ''Incense'' body sprays. Miss them so much >.< Impulse stinks to high heaven now.
I got about four of them for my 14th birthday two decades ago!
Load More Replies...This is such an american list. As an India, miss so many things. Gold Spot was India's answer to Fanta and way better. sadly the brand shut its production after some times post 90s. Theobroma is a bakery c*m deli which served two of my favourite treats - the after eight pastry and elvis sandwich. After eight pastry was a chocolate pastry with after eight layer in the middle.. lovely. Elvis sandwich was a banana sandwich. delicious.
I hope that mango drink is still available? And fruit lassi? I used to live on that stuff in India in the 80s!
Load More Replies...Thanks for clarifying because that sounded like it needed discontinued.
Load More Replies...Nabisco Twigs crackers - thin crispy bread stick-like snack with cheese and sesame seed.
I want them to bring back the Farm Rich Goat Cheese Bites.. I found those and fell in love! I bought them every week, boxes of them, usually had them every other day. Then they disappeared from the store, and I thought it was seasonal and they'd come back with goat baby season.. I found a few boxes at a little corner store and tried to make them last. But they never came back into the stores. I check every time I order groceries, I've begged on their website, but they never show back up. It's been a year now, and I don't think they're coming back.
Josta. I'm not a soda person, but I loved this and drank an unhealthy amount. Didn't realize it was an energy drink.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios; Chicken Tonight - Country French sauce; I can't remember the name of it but it was a Ben & Jerry's flavor - peanut butter ice cream with a raspberry swirl; Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cookie Dough mix ins; Oatmega protein bars..... I could go on. The line in my family is "if bkwrm likes it, it will soon be discontinued."
Terry's Raspberry, Like the chocolate orange only raspberry flavored.
Circle K don't have Maple Cream Sticks anymore. I still dream about them.
There was a candy bar in the eighties called the ultimate good stuff. Turquoise wrapper with pink writing. Had chocolate, caramel, crispy rice and other things I can't remember. It truly was the ultinmate good stuff, and I miss it in my soul
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Load More Replies...Petite vanilla bean scones from Starbucks. The mocha coconut Frappuccino, too.
cranberry orange scones from starbucks - miss those so much!
Load More Replies...
