Back in the 90s, companies made snacks that weren’t very healthy, but they tasted good to kids. Before low-fat, sugar-free, gluten-free, and organic became all the rage, 90s snacks consisted of cookies, candy, chips, cereal, ice cream, and fruit snacks. Here are 10 snacks 90s kids should remember. Some items on our list still exist, but others have disappeared from grocery store shelves completely.
Number Ten: Suckers/Lollipops. These were the suckers you didn’t get from a bank teller. Lollipops in the 90s came in many shapes, sizes, and flavors. Some of the most popular brands were Ring Pops, Melody Pops, Blow Pops, and Push Pops.
Number Nine: Goldfish Crackers. Pepperidge Farm Goldfish have been around since the 1960s, but 90s kids ate goldfish up to their gills. The cheesy snack is still popular today with 39 different flavors.
Number Eight: Round Chocolate Candies. In the mid- to late-90s, candy companies marketed round chocolate morsels to consumers. Butterfinger BB’s hit the scene in 1996, and were backed by Bart Simpson, America’s favorite perennial fourth grader. M&M’s have been around since 1941, but in 1999, the candy company released a crispy version that stayed on shelves until 2005. A push by Crispy M&M lovers sparked the candy’s U.S. return in 2015.
Number Seven: Lunchables. Lunchables: introducing children to charcuterie since the late 1980s. The lunchtime staple became a favorite for 90s kids who didn’t want to buy school lunch and whose parents were too busy to pack lunches in the morning. Lunchables now offers 26 varieties.
Number Six: Jell-O Pudding Pops. When a 90s kid wanted a refreshing treat other than a popsicle or push-up pop, the Jell-O Pudding Pop was a tasty option. Thanks to Bill Cosby’s endorsement, the pudding pop was a summertime favorite for kids in the 80s and 90s. Despite selling well into the 90s, the cold, creamy treat disappeared because they weren’t profitable. In 2004, Popsicle licensed the Jell-O name and Pudding Pops were in freezers once again. Unfortunately, sluggish sales caused the snack to start disappearing again in 2011.
Number Five: Pizza-Flavored Anything. Ask kids (and some grownups) what their favorite food is, and much of the time the answer is pizza. To capitalize on its popularity in the 90s, pizza flavor was crammed into crispy pizza rolls, onto bagels, and onto chips. Pizza Rolls and Bagel Bites still exist, but not Pizzarias, Keebler’s pizza-dusted tortilla chips.
Number Four: Sour Candy. As a 90s kid mouth-puckering candy was readily available. Sour candy could be found at the local grocery store, skating rink, and movie theater. Some memorable brands included Warheads, Cry Baby, Eye Poppers, and Tear Jerkers.
Number Three: Sugary Cereals. If kids were interested in it, cereal companies were trying to jam it into boxes. The more sugar, the better! Flavors ranged from Oreos O’s, Reese’s Puffs, and Waffle Crisp to Sprinkle Spangles and French Toast Crunch. Thankfully, Pizza O’s were never a thing.
Number Two: Dunkaroos. Teddy Grahams or Dunkaroos? Both were two bite-sized cookies that 90s kids adored. Both had cute cartoon mascots, Teddy Grahams, made by Nabisco, had a teddy bear and Dunkaroos, made by Betty Crocker, had a kangaroo. But what gave Dunkaroos the edge, and made it one of the most memorable snacks of the 90s, was its side of frosting for dipping.
Number One: Gummy Fruit Snacks. Gummy snacks were always a beloved addition to a packed lunch. Two of the most popular brands for kids in the 90s were Shark Bites and Gushers, a chewy, liquid-filled snack that debuted in 1991.
