Ever wondered what happened to those iconic 80s foods we once loved? The neon decade brought us more than big hair and Madonna—it delivered unforgettable culinary treasures now lost to time. From the crispy perfection of potato skins to the supernatural sweetness of Smurfberries, these forgotten treats defined a generation’s palette.
Some vanished without warning while others occasionally resurface, triggering waves of nostalgic cravings.
15. Potato Skins
During social gatherings throughout the 1980s, potato skins reigned supreme with their combination of crispy exteriors and savory fillings. Restaurants nationwide featured these hollowed-out potato halves topped with melted cheddar, bacon bits, and sour cream, creating a textural balance that home cooks quickly adopted for entertaining. Their appeal came from the satisfying contrast between the crunchy potato edge and the melted cheese center. Many frozen food companies produced these appetizers until the early 2000s, when changing tastes led to their gradual disappearance from store shelves. You can now spot these retro favorites appearing on trendy restaurant menus as chefs rediscover the simple pleasure of a perfectly executed potato skin.
14. Smurfberries
“The Smurfs” cartoon phenomenon extended beyond television screens and into candy aisles with the introduction of Smurfberries in the early 1980s. These distinctive sweet-tart candies capitalized on the Saturday morning cartoon’s massive popularity, featuring the show’s characters prominently on their blue packaging. Children across America recognized the connection between their favorite blue cartoon characters and these fruit-flavored treats. Most stores discontinued these candies by the mid-1990s as the show’s popularity waned. Finding anything that resembles that original Smurfberry taste today would be like discovering an actual Smurf village—nearly impossible but eternally sought after by nostalgic fans.
13. Hot Buttered Cheerios
Creative home cooks in the 1980s transformed ordinary breakfast cereal into a satisfying savory snack through a simple technique. This practical creation involved tossing plain Cheerios in melted butter and adding seasonings like garlic salt or onion powder. The warm, seasoned cereal delivered a satisfying crunch entirely different from its breakfast iteration. Many family recipe cards documented variations with different spice combinations or added Parmesan cheese for extra flavor. When you’re staring at that half-empty box of Cheerios in your pantry, remember that sometimes the most ingenious recipes come from necessity rather than fancy cookbooks.
12. Peanut Butter Boppers
The snack landscape of the 1980s featured Peanut Butter Boppers, which combined peanut butter with crispy rice cereal in individually wrapped portions. These portable treats became lunchbox favorites and after-school snacks nationwide. Their distinctive packaging featured bold graphics that stood out among competing products. General Mills discontinued these treats in the late 1990s despite their devoted following. The countless peanut butter snack bars crowding today’s grocery aisles still haven’t managed to recreate that perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, sweet, and salty that made Boppers so irresistible.
11. Hi-C Ecto Cooler
When Coca-Cola introduced Hi-C Ecto Cooler in 1987 as a tie-in to “The Real Ghostbusters” animated series, few predicted its cultural staying power. The vibrant green citrus punch featured Slimer from the franchise on every container and immediately captured young consumers’ attention with its bold tangerine flavor. This product outlasted its promotional origins, remaining in production until 2001, nearly a decade after the cartoon ended. Occasional limited reissues coinciding with new Ghostbusters films demonstrate the enduring appeal of this distinctive beverage. Each rerelease sends fans rushing to stores with the enthusiasm of someone who’s just spotted an actual ghost in their neighborhood supermarket.
10.Carnation Breakfast Bars
The increasing pace of American life in the 1980s created the perfect market for Carnation Breakfast Bars, which offered morning nutrition without preparation time. These chewy granola-based rectangles came in flavors like chocolate chip, peanut butter, and cinnamon, promising essential nutrients in a convenient format. Carnation marketed these products as containing the nutrition of a complete breakfast, targeting busy professionals and families rushing out the door. Sales reached $70 million annually during their peak popularity. While today’s protein bars might boast more impressive nutritional stats, they’ve yet to solve the fundamental morning dilemma that Carnation addressed so effectively: how to eat something resembling real food while running to catch your bus.
9. Planters Cheese Balls
Planters dominated the cheese snack category throughout the 1980s with their perfectly uniform Cheese Balls packaged in distinctive blue canisters. The light, airy texture resulted from a manufacturing process that created consistent spheres with intense cheese flavor. Unlike competing products, these snacks somehow managed to leave fingers less orange while delivering the same satisfying taste. Discontinued in 2006 after decades of production, these cheese puffs inspired multiple online petitions and nostalgic campaigns. Nothing reveals the emotional connection to childhood snacks quite like thousands of adults organizing internet campaigns to resurrect a discontinued cheese puff—and actually succeeding.
8. Fruit Wrinkles
The early 1980s saw the introduction of Fruit Wrinkles, thin sheets of concentrated fruit flavors with a distinctive wrinkled texture. These precursors to more modern fruit snacks delivered intensely concentrated flavors that balanced tartness and sweetness. Their unique production process created the characteristic wrinkled appearance that distinguished them from competitors. Betty Crocker produced these treats until approximately 1988 when newer fruit snack formats began dominating the market. For children facing the lunchroom trading economy, these wrinkled fruit sheets often commanded premium exchange rates—sometimes worth up to three chocolate chip cookies in playground currency.
7. Slice Soda
PepsiCo broke new ground in 1984 by introducing Slice, the first mainstream soda containing actual fruit juice in the formula. Initially available in lemon-lime, the brand quickly expanded to include orange, cherry, and apple varieties, each containing 10% real juice according to their marketing. The clear bottles showcased vibrant colors that differentiated Slice from traditional colas on store shelves. Distribution peaked in the early 1990s before gradually declining as competing products entered the juice-added carbonated beverage market. That innovative 10% real juice formula inadvertently created an entirely new beverage category that now occupies significant shelf space in every convenience store cooler. For more 80s nostalgia, check out this 80s quiz.
6. Five Alive
Coca-Cola’s Five Alive brought innovation to breakfast tables in the early 1980s by combining five citrus juices in one refrigerated product. This refreshing blend incorporated orange, lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, and lime juices, creating a complex flavor profile that contained 100% of the recommended daily vitamin C in each serving. The distinctive green cartons featured illustrated fruit slices that brightened refrigerator shelves across America. While the product gradually disappeared from American stores in the early 2000s, it remained available in Canada for several additional years. Try mixing five different citrus juices yourself and you’ll quickly appreciate the precise balancing act that made Five Alive simultaneously tangy, sweet, and impossibly refreshing.
5. Hostess Pudding Pie
Hostess expanded beyond traditional snack cakes in the early 1980s with individually wrapped Pudding Pies that featured flaky pastry surrounding smooth filling. Available in chocolate, vanilla, and lemon varieties, these portable desserts offered a more sophisticated option for packed lunches or quick snacks. The production process somehow maintained the creamy pudding texture at room temperature without refrigeration. Distribution reached national coverage by 1985, making these treats instantly recognizable to children and adults alike. Long before food science became trendy, Hostess had somehow solved the seemingly impossible riddle of room-temperature creamy pudding that wouldn’t spoil in your locker until lunchtime.
4. Bagel Bites
The introduction of Bagel Bites in 1985 revolutionized after-school snacking with their combination of miniature bagels and pizza toppings. The catchy advertising jingle “Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at suppertime” became embedded in popular culture, effectively conveying their versatility. These frozen snacks cooked in just 12 minutes in conventional ovens, making them accessible even to young consumers with limited cooking skills. The variety of topping options including pepperoni, sausage, and plain cheese allowed for customization within families. While countless frozen snack innovations have come and gone, the survival of Bagel Bites into the present day proves that solving a fundamental problem—making pizza available at literally any time—creates enduring customer loyalty.
3. Quisp Cereal
Children’s breakfast tables in the 1980s often featured Quisp Cereal, distinguished by its flying saucer shapes and space-themed marketing. The Quaker Oats product featured a propeller-headed alien mascot who starred in animated commercials alongside rival cereal character Quake. The uniquely shaped pieces maintained structural integrity in milk longer than many competitors, creating a consistently crunchy eating experience. After a period of limited distribution, Quaker reintroduced the cereal in 2001 based on consumer demand. Next time you’re scanning grocery store shelves, look up—you might spot that yellow box with the alien mascot, proving that sometimes even discontinued cereals can make successful return voyages to Earth.
2. Squeezits
General Mills transformed the juice drink category in 1985 with Squeezits, featuring character-shaped bottles and interactive consumption design. These colorful beverages contained six different flavors with personalities like Chucklin’ Cherry and Grumpy Grape printed directly on the flexible plastic containers. The packaging innovation allowed children to control the flow by squeezing the bottle, creating an entirely new beverage experience. Production continued until 2001, when changing packaging preferences and school policies on sugary drinks impacted sales. If you never experienced the simple joy of deliberately squeezing too hard to make your drink shoot dramatically across the table, you missed a fundamental rite of passage for 1980s children.
1. Jell-O Pudding Pops
General Foods revolutionized frozen desserts in 1979 with Jell-O Pudding Pops, which maintained popularity throughout the 1980s by transforming familiar pudding into frozen form. These smooth, creamy popsicles came in chocolate, vanilla, and swirl varieties, offering richer texture than water-based alternatives. Celebrity endorsements helped these treats achieve $300 million in annual sales at their peak. Despite their massive popularity, production challenges and changing ownership led to their discontinuation, though brief reintroductions under different manufacturing processes occurred. What modern food scientists still haven’t managed to replicate is that magical moment when your teeth first bit through the slightly firm exterior into the creamy center—a texture combination that remains the holy grail of frozen dessert development.
