The Discontinued Dairy Queen Treat That May Never Have A Comeback

Ah, the '90s, an era defined by bold colors, torn-up jeans, and MTV when it actually played music videos 24/7. Then, of course, there were all the various food brands and restaurants vying for more market share from the growing youth population. Who can forget nostalgic Surge soda from the '90s and convenience stores teeming with a variety of vibrant SoBe drinks? Some of us may have forgotten about one craze that was all the rage during the decade of digital pets and the rise of gaming consoles — but DQ fans from that time will never forget the discontinued Dairy Queen Breeze. 

Many people, especially parents, were on a kind of health kick in the '90s (If your parents were like mine, it was more of a health warpath) as more and more companies hawked fatty, sugary products. That led some of those corporations to begin offering what appeared to be healthier alternatives along with tried-and-true top-sellers, and Dairy Queen was no exception. The Blizzard treat had been a staple of the fast food joint since 1985, but in order to appeal to a wider audience, the company saw an opportunity in the frozen yogurt craze. 

While Dairy Queen's soft serve isn't what you think it is (Hint: it can't be called "ice cream" for a reason), the Blizzard's doppelgänger, the Breeze, was crafted from bona fide frozen yogurt. Made from cultured milk instead of fatty cream, frozen yogurt gained popularity in the '80s as folks viewed it as something of a miracle indulgence they could feel good about eating. The Breeze entered the frozen yogurt arena in 1990, but was gone by 2000 as the fro-yo empire started to crumble.

Frozen yogurt, or "frogurt" as it was dubbed in the 1970s, was having a heyday in the '80s with health-conscious folks trying to beat the system by purchasing low fat alternatives to ice cream. Dairy Queen wasn't oblivious to the latest craze and wanted to get in on the 10% market share fro-yo had in the frozen dessert sector. Yet, Dairy Queen got in on the trend just as it began to experience its downfall.

A combination of frozen yogurt joints like TCBY saturating the market, and savvy consumers removing their rose-colored glasses to discover the dessert was typically loaded with sugar (You have to do something to make up for the lack of delicious cream) led to sales declining throughout the '90s. Despite promoting the product through television advertisements in its early years, the Breeze never really took off. In fact, the product would frequently spoil after getting passed on by customer after customer.

Still, those who did enjoy it have harbored nostalgia for the treat ever since it was axed decades ago. One individual went so far as to create a Change.org petition to bring the Breeze back — but don't get your hopes up for a return anytime soon. In four years, the petition has only garnered 52 verified signatures, reflecting how poorly the discontinued Dairy Queen dessert faired in the '90s.