Back in the 80s, the snacks were as unforgettable as the music and as bold as the fashion. This era brought us some of the most legendary snacks, and they were the heart of every TV binge and lunchbox. Decades later, we’re still waiting for these top 10 greatest 80s snacks to make a triumphant return!
10. Keebler Magic Middles
True to its name, these Magic Middles cookies taste like magic primarily because of how they’re made. These were shortbread cookies with a soft, fudgy, and chocolatey inside. Yup, they had a chocolate filling, effectively making them a 2-in-1 dessert! Fans still long for these cookies, driving them to start a Change.org petition.
9. Hostess Pudding Pie
Imagine a delicious creamy vanilla filling nestled inside a chocolate crust, that’s Hostess Pudding Pie for you! The simple, satisfying flavor, plus the portability, made this snack a hit among adults and kids. The pudding pies were released alongside fruit pies like apple and cherry, which were also popular in high school lunchrooms.
8. Kudos
Kudos was one of the biggest granola bars in the market during the 80s, boasting delectable flavors of Nutty Fudge, Chocolate Chip, and Peanut Butter. These are basically granola bars that were dipped in chocolate, but was marketed as a healthy food option. Kudos was reintroduced in 2011 with a “healthier” appearance and was officially discontinued in 2017.
7. Product 19
Made by Kellogg’s, this crowd-pleaser cereal claimed to have more vitamins than any other cereal on the market during the 80s and 90s. More interestingly, Kellogg’s said that you’d never know this cereal is healthy just by tasting it. The cereal itself features lightly sweetened flakes made with oats, corn, wheat, and rice.
6. Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake
This frozen pound cake can be eaten microwaved, grilled, or even for breakfast. It’s also easy to cut when frozen, so there’s no hassle to deal with whether you just want one slice or sweets for the whole family. For some households, though, getting a slice of the Sara Lee pound cake is the reward for eating veggies.
5. Fruit Wrinkles
Fruit Wrinkles were the popular choice in the 80s for those who found the Roll-Ups too flat and the Fruit Bars too geometric. Meanwhile, the Fruit Wrinkles were bite-sized bits with a jelly bean-like shape. They were also marketed as a healthier snack compared to other similar items; 80s kids loved getting this fruit snack pouch in their lunch box!
4. Cheez Balls
The airy, crunchy texture and cheesy flavor of Planters Cheez Balls made them a standout in the 80s. It also helped that during this era, there were very few cheesy snack products on the market. Although Cheez Balls have been spotted in local grocery stores, fans from Reddit say that the taste isn’t the same anymore.
3. Giggles
Here’s another classic lunchbox snack that made a lot of kids smile. That’s mainly because of the outside of the cookies, which had holes in the shape of smiley faces. Similar to OREOs, the smiley face sandwich cookies had a creme middle—not just one but two types!
2. Quisp Cereal
This sugar-sweetened breakfast cereal was made by the Quaker Oats Company and was marketed as a product coming from outer space. Both kids and kids-at-heart loved the idea of this cereal giving a “quazy” amount of energy. It also claimed to have vitamins that could give you the power of an earthquake. What a cool, fun snack!
1. Hi-C Ecto Cooler
Ecto Cooler was a repurpose of Hi-C’s Citrus Cooler, and was launched to promote the animated series “The Real Ghostbusters.” No wonder, when kids showed up with this fruity, delicious drink in their lunch box, everybody else seemed to think they have a good taste in TV shows. The drink had a tangerine component that made its flavor so distinct!