OMG, Remember These? 6 Discontinued ’90s Snacks That Defined Our Childhood and Still Give Us Serious Nostalgia!

The 1990s—what a decade! It was a time of frosted tips, slap bracelets, and dial-up internet, but nothing quite transports us back like the vibrant, often wonderfully artificial, snack foods that filled our lunchboxes and grocery store aisles. If you were a kid then, you know these treats weren’t just food; they were a huge part of the experience, accompanying everything from school lunches to after-school TV binges. It was a golden era for snacks, packed with bold flavors, fun designs, and sweet delights that made being a kid truly special.

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 pop your Pearl Jam tape into the cassette deck and prepare for a serious dose of nostalgia! We’re taking a trip down memory lane to celebrate 14 discontinued snacks from the ’90s that were absolute titans of the supermarket aisle and are still etched into our collective consciousness. From cheesy chips to frozen delights and sugary cereals, these were the snacks that made our childhoods a little bit sweeter, a little bit crunchier, and a whole lot more fun. Let’s dive in!

1. **SnackWell’s Devil’s Food Cookies**The 1990s brought with it a dietary revolution, where low-fat diets reigned supreme in the weight loss industry. Right on cue, SnackWell’s burst onto the scene, promising a guilt-free indulgence that seemed almost too good to be true. Their fat-free Devil’s Food Cookie Cakes became an instant sensation, suggesting you could indeed have your cake and slim down, too.

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**Nabisco’s Suddenly S’mores brought the cherished magic of a campfire classic right into your microwave, offering instant gratification for those s’mores cravings. These innovative treats featured two fudge-dipped graham cookies, sandwiching a generous layer of dehydrated marshmallows. While you could technically eat them straight from the package if you didn’t mind the somewhat hard and dry marshmallow, the true enchantment unfolded with a quick zap in the microwave.

The real magic of Suddenly S’mores happened when you microwaved them for just 25 seconds. In that brief moment, the dehydrated marshmallows puffed up and softened beautifully, melding into the fudgy layer of the graham cookies. This transformation created an ooey-gooey, warm s’mores experience that perfectly mimicked the campfire original, all without needing to venture into the great outdoors.

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 boasted more calcium and whole grains per serving than their predecessors, attempting to bridge the gap between treat and healthier option. However, much to the dismay of loyal fans, Kudos bars disappeared unceremoniously from shelves as Mars made strategic moves to acquire KIND bars in 2019. It was a quiet exit for a loud snack that truly defined 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 offered a multi-sensory experience right from the start. These long, fruity laces came in irresistible flavors like berry blue, strawberry, and cherry. They were cleverly attached in spirals to a piece of wax paper, ready for their grand unveiling.

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. **Kellogg’s Pop-Tart Pastry Swirls**For decades, Pop-Tarts have reigned supreme in the toaster pastry kingdom since their impressive debut back in 1964. However, in the late 1990s, the beloved packaged pastry brand decided to shake things up by adding Pop-Tarts Pastry Swirls to its already extensive line-up of frosted breakfast snacks. This was a sophisticated twist on a classic!

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.

However, for many, the original recipe and packaging from the ’90s remain the purest form of this nostalgic memory. They were more than just cookies and frosting; they were a symbol of a time when snacks were all about bold flavors, playful designs, and a little bit of magic in every bite. Dunkaroos are truly remembered as one of the most playful and utterly essential snacks of the ’90s.

Wow, what a trip down memory lane! From cookies that dared to be healthy to granola bars that tasted like candy, and even popcorn with a color-changing surprise, the ’90s truly was a golden age of snack innovation. While some of these beloved treats may have vanished from our grocery store shelves, they certainly haven’t vanished from our hearts. Each discontinued flavor tells a fascinating story of bold experimentation, ever-evolving tastes, and the relentless pursuit of the next big hit in the wildly exciting world of snacks. These were the absolute titans, and they live on in the reruns of our sweetest memories.