For every new innovative snack introduced, there’s a long lost treat that’s slipped into obscurity. Often times, companies end up bringing things back in hopes of marketing it to an older generation, one which now has expendable income after last having the snacks as children. Because of that, we put our heads together to list some of the snacks we’d open up our wallets for, from 3D Doritos to Altoids Sours, Orbitz, and beyond.
Keep scrolling to see the list of snacks the ComicBook.com IRL team misses dearly. Which treats from the past do you miss the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things food!
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3D Doritos
We’d be remiss not to have 3D Doritos listed in the top spot on the list. Introduced right before the turn of the century, the puffy Doritos weren’t on shelves long at all, but for what reason? Using the traditional cheese dust found on Doritos, the snacks came in a super handy carrying case with its own built-in bowls. After being pulled from stores in 2004, we’ve been stuck with Doritos Jacked 3D, a chip much weaker than its iconic predecessor.
Altoid Sours
Long before Ice Breakers Sours were Altoid Sours, a trailblazer in the world of fruity mints. In fact, Altoids Sours walked so others could run. Due to low sales numbers, Wrigley canceled the mints in 2010 after an uneventful six-year run on shelves. Like many other snacks from the era, unopened items are still listed on eBay for insane prices, upwards of $125 per tin.
Cream Savers
Fun fact: I almost choked to death on a Creme Savers candy once — even then, I still cleared a spot for the delicious candies on this list. Equal parts fruity and creamy, the individually wrapped hard candies were the first of their kind of have since disappeared from the face of the Earth, even after a branding rehaul to update with the times.
Green (and Purple) Ketchup
We had a debate in the newsroom if this item was even eligible for the list and ultimately, the consensus seemed to be that if it’s edible, it’s a snack. And that’s why there was no way we could skip the Green and Purple EZ Squirt ketchup from Heinz. Totally upending the condiment game, the green and purple ketchup were staples for most kids — after all, who didn’t like dunking their fries in slime-green ketchup?
Bug City Candy
While doing some research among writers and the like, Bug City candies might be the most niche item on this list. Though the candies themselves weren’t so special themselves — think Sweet Tarts mixed with Flinstones vitamins — it’s the packaging they came in that made them a staple treat in my childhood. Once the candies were gone, you could remove the foam liner from the cap and with pre-built holes in the lid, the container was perfect for running around the yard and catching fireflies and the like. Now that I think back to it, the only place I ever remember buying these were at various Casey’s — those who know, know — locations across the upper Midwest so maybe most of you won’t even know what these were.
Dunkaroos
A story as old as time, Dunk-a-Roos were the after-school snack of many. You’d get home, kick off the shoes, grab a Dunk-a-Roos and a Capri Sun, and take in an episode of Arthur or Hey Arnold! without a worry in mind. Graham cracker cookies and frosting is a treat that might end up on the Mount Rushmore of Snacks.
Orbitz
File this alongside the Bug City Candy. Do you remember Orbitz? The non-carbonated drink was essentially fruit-flavored water with these weird floating gelatin things — totally gimmicky, yet completely nostalgic. Resembling a lava lamp, the drink might have the shortest life out of any product on this list, only available for a couple of years. And like most other items, quickly became a collector item and unopened bottles are still available on eBay some 20 years later.
