The Nostalgic Gripz Snack That's Not As Discontinued As We Thought

If you want to see a group of Gen Xers and Millennials bond over a common interest, tell them to discuss the favorite childhood snacks that they can't get anymore. As an '80s baby myself, I'm convinced nothing was better after school than a can of Planters Cheez Balls, accompanied by a box of Hi-C Ghostbusters Ecto Cooler juice. Others might reminisce about McDonald's deep fried apple pies (the modern ones don't even come close), Kudos brand granola bars, or Hostess Pudding Pies. And if you remember Gripz snacks with fondness, there is good news: you can still get them.

Gripz debuted in 2005 and were perfect for tossing in a lunchbox, back pack, or sports bag. These handheld pouches contained Cheez-Its, chocolate chip cookies, graham crackers, and other popular treats. You simply tore off the corner of the package and poured the contents right into your mouth or hand. For those of you who assumed the snack was discontinued, the line is indeed alive and well, and available at some Walmart stores and Amazon, although they have sold out at the latter before. So, if Gripz was a favorite of yours growing up, now might be the time to stock up, in case they ever really do join one of the many snacks that have been discontinued, may they rest in pieces.

While you can still purchase Gripz, some might be disappointed that their favorite types are difficult to find, if not impossible. As of this writing, there appears to be two packs that you can snag online and in stores: one contains multiple packs of Cheez-Its, and the other is a salty and sweet variety pack containing Cheez-Its, chocolate chip graham crackers, and cinnamon graham crackers. Early Gripz choices also included mini Chips Deluxe cookies in both chocolate chip and rainbow chip varieties, and nacho cheese corn chips, but these don't seem to be available anymore.

As far as cost goes, Gripz are priced pretty reasonably for a snack food. As of May 2024, you can get a 12-pack of Gripz at Walmart for $6.48, which comes out to $0.54 per pack. However, Amazon sells a variety pack of 36 for almost $50, or about $1.38 per pack. Searches for the Chips Deluxe cookies and nacho cheese brand were fruitless, unfortunately.

Looking back to the decades of yore, there was an obvious trend in miniaturizing food for hungry kids, which Gripz fit right into. During this span of time, things like Butterfinger BB's came about, as did Hershey's Kissables, which were basically mini kisses in candy-coated shells. Slices of pizza shrunk into the forms of Bagel Bites and pizza rolls, and even the standard ham and cheese sandwich dwindled into Lunchables. One could argue that such things fit better in lunch boxes and pockets, but really, they were just brilliant ideas to make a few more bucks, if we're being honest.

While Gripz are still around to tempt a new generation of snackers and pull on the nostalgia heartstrings of adults, many childhood favorites of certain generations now only pop up on Facebook fan pages, articles reminiscing of the past, and Reddit pages, full of people begging for their return.