I grew up in the 80's. And to me, the "Decade of Decadence" was the best one, period.
I'm not sure what kickstarted this. Maybe it was talking about old school toys. Maybe it is the new Thundercats cartoon on Cartoon Network (excellent, btw), or maybe it is 80's fashion making an (unwelcome) comeback. But there are certain things about the 80s that cause such a pang on nostalgia that I had to write about them.
So this will be a series of all things 80's. I originally intended it to be a one-shot post, but as I did more research I began to realize I couldn't sum up my love in one post. So this will be the first, dedicated to the food of the 80s. Or more appropriately, the snacks.
There are a ton of snacks that were favorites of mine, and I would perform voodoo spells if I could bring them back again. One of the best snacks that I loved as a kid were Nabisco Chocolate Snaps and Chocolate Chip Snaps. Does anyone else remember these cute little boxes in the grocery store?
These were such a treat when I was a kid. Any time my mom would do her shopping at King Kullen or Waldbaum's, she would get me a little box of these cookies. For awhile I didn't even remember what these were called, and all my friends thought I made them up. But when I did some research again I found a wonderful website dedicated to all things 80s, (In the 80s) and low and behold, someone brought these up! I will admit to getting a little weepy when I first saw this image, and thought of my mom, and how much I wish I could go back to that time when I was a kid and she was healthy. *Sigh*
Moving on, another popular snack in my house were Nature Valley's Light and Crunchy. I've always loved granola bars, and these were the best. Little pieces of granola, and of course the best were peanut butter:
My dad and I used to go nuts for the Bubblicious chocolate mint flavored gum. We used to buy it in packs of 10 from our local drug store (remember those? Small drug stores that had cards, toys, and other knickknacks? More on those later). It was amazing-two great flavors combined. Then of course Bubblicious discontinued it, and we were sad. Very sad.
New York Deli Potato Chips (The Purple Passion!) were among the first "Kettle" type potato chips, and you can find them sometimes in the NY area, but are a rarity now. I loved them back when they first came out.
Boppers!!! I would kill someone for a box of peanut butter Boppers!
More snacks that went the way of the dodo include the original Jello Pudding Pops, (or Swiss Miss Pudding Bars, I'm not picky), Ice cream Bon Bons, Tidbit crackers, Tato Skins, (last time found was around 1997) and the bane to every parents existence, Whistle Pops.
Of course, all these items are long gone. I got very excited when I found out a company apparently still sold the Bon Bons, but in Texas only. They were on their website, so I emailed them and asked. I got a one line response back a week later, saying, "They are discontinued." Damn the man! (and to hell with your customer service. Jerks).
Another item that isn't really candy or a snack is the Pine Bros. chewy cough drops, in cherry or honey. They were simply the best. I haven't seen a box of them since the early 1990s. However, thanks to my favorite new website, In the 80s, I found out that Pine Bros. are making them again, and you can purchase them from Drugstore.com or Amazon.com. Hip, hip, hooray!!!
Some items that we think are discontinued are still readily available, but in other areas. Everyone knows how much I love Chocodiles, and you can purchase them...if you live in California or Nevada. However, another excellent website to search for hard to find food is Hard to Find Grocer/ Hometown Favorites. You can find cereals, candy, and snacks still being produced, but maybe not in your state.
I think it's strange that I have no real memories of these items disappearing. They were simply gone one day. I think the gum is the one item I remember going nuts about, because my dad and I chewed it every day, and then the stores just gradually stopped stocking it. But for the snacks like Whistle Pops, Tid Bits, etc, I simply just didn't eat them as much anymore, and just wondered one day, "Hey, I wonder where that went?" To end this love fest of 80s snacks, enjoy these images of long-forgotten favorites. Feel free to add your own memories of snacks you liked from the 80s!
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