11 Once-Popular '80s Snacks Most People Forgot About

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Break out the neon windbreakers, and crank up The Bangles on the boom box, because we're about to walk like Egyptians as we take a totally tubular trip to the snack aisle of the 1980s. It's hard to boil an entire era down to just a few words or descriptors — a predicament that, in itself, is soooo '80s. The defiance, the refusal to be boxed into any one category — this was a decade wherein rebel energy thrived. Heavy metal, Madonna, and MTV reigned, and not only were we breakdancing like bosses, but we were breaking all the rules, too. Flash(dance) forward to 2026, and we're still gripping that "don't fence me in" mentality.

Another thing we're holding on to like the Wilson Phillips song: Nostalgic memories of the munchies from way back then. Just like the decade's music, and pop culture vibe in general, '80s bites were bold. They had neon labels, wild flavors, and the rebellious, "eff the rules" energy of the time period. There was also an excitement for experimentation that found its way (via the boardrooms, and marketing offices, of big brands) to the snack aisle. More simply said, snacks in the '80s slapped.

Kids then had a veritable Rolodex of old-school vending machine snacks to choose from, and some were literally gushing with creativity. (We're looking at you, chewing gum with a liquid center.) Sadly, you won't find many around these days. But here, we can remember 11 once-popular '80s snacks most people forgot about.

One might think you wouldn't dare mess with the perfection that is JELL-O Pudding. But in the '80s, some real genius decided one day to put that pudding on a stick — a popsicle stick, to be exact. Thus, they created a sweet memory that's now (literally) frozen in time. Consumers ran to the freezer aisles, and in a snap, Pudding Pops were popping up everywhere, from kids' birthday parties to backyards on hot, sunny days. 

Of course, yes, we already had popsicles, but we knew them to be fruit-flavored, and kind of crunchy, and icy. Pudding Pops flipped the script to bring us smooth, creamy treats in dessert-like, indulgent flavors like chocolate, and vanilla. At the same time, Pudding Pops were somehow marketed to parents as a healthier option, with key selling points being the Pops' milk base, and the fact that they were lower in calories than classic ice cream bars.

The snacks' TV ads did not age well due to an unfortunate choice of spokesperson. (Oof; bye, Bill Cosby.) But the sweet affection many '80s babies still have for these frozen treats on a stick is forever. And while we can always make our own retro Jell-O recipes, like homemade flan pudding pops, to quell our cravings, nothing hits quite like the original. Suffice it to say, Jello-O Pudding Pops deserve a comeback.

Long before the TikTok trash can cookies trend took hold, there were trash can candies. Of course, we're talking about Garbage Can-dy. It was a wild concept, but while the name may have been "garbage," the taste of this candy was decidedly not. 

Even on paper, the snack seemed doomed to fail. After all, who would want to eat candy shaped like actual pieces of trash from what looked like a mini garbage can? But — blame it on the '80s, and its unreserved embrace of all things weird — these fruit-flavored candy bits in the form of fish bones, shoes, cans, and bottles made a big splash when they launched. Soon, nearly everyone was taking out the trash (swiping these sweet treats off store shelves) with glee. The popularity of these doll-sized, candy-filled pails was a testament to '80s consumers' appreciation of, and open-mindedness to, cheeky fun. After all, it was this same decade (and the very same company, even) that delivered us Garbage Pail Kids cards. (We seem to be highlighting a theme here ...)

Sadly, Garbage Can-dy was not long for this world, and — like so many other novelty snacks — it faded away once the newness of this buzzy "junk food" wore off. Once pop culture entered the '90s, trash was no longer trending, and Garbage Can-dy was officially canned. Those of us who adored the sugary snack were miffed, by the way, and we still talk trash about that absolutely garbage decision.

Among the discontinued chocolate candies we'll probably never eat again is the Summit Cookie Bar. Along with its more lasting contemporary, Twix, this sweet treat brought a mind-boggling concept to the table: What if you didn't have to choose between a candy bar, and a cookie? Each Summit combined wafer-style cookies, peanuts, and chocolate to create a crossover catnip for sweet-toothed humans. Unsurprisingly, when those humans were presented with the chance to have it all in one delicious snack, they were intrigued. 

These were lighter, and airier, than the brick-like candy bars of the day. (We love you, but we've gotta call you out here, Snickers.) They also supplied that uniquely crispy wafer texture rarely found in chocolate. It was a pairing that melted hearts ... before they themselves melted. You see, therein lies the rub: Summit Cookie Bars came in hot, but they could not take the heat — literally.

Summit's initially warm reception grew icy, and — though the company did try to remedy the issue via everything from new wrappers, to altered shapes, to making changes to the recipe — the melting continued, leaving purchasers less than pleased. After selling millions, Summit Cookie Bars melted into the background before being discontinued entirely. In many hearts, it will forever remain an ingenious creation that let us all have it all — at least for one brief, chocolate-smeared moment.

For a brief, shining moment in the 1980s, one Keebler creation was a hot potato: Keebler Tato Skins. What set these savory spud snacks apart from the rest was how substantial they were. Far from the thin, fragile potato chips that seemed to shatter if you even looked at them, Keebler's version featured thick slabs of salty goodness that you could really wrap your fingers around. Consumers loved finally having a heartier alternative, and they swarmed store shelves to stock up on bags of Tato Skins.

The timing of the launch was marketing genius, since at restaurants nationwide, and for hosts at home, potato skins were a trending appetizer. Keebler Tato Skins was the snack-in-a-bag that somehow captured all the magic of the hot app in an easy, portable package. The brand went so far as to mimic the aesthetics of a spud to a tee as well. Each chip looked just like the real thing, with one paler side, and one darker, crispier side that imitated an actual potato skin.

As for the taste, there were seemingly no complaints. Customers reportedly loved the crunch, and the fact that a bag of Tato Skins typically had far fewer broken pieces than one would reasonably find in a bag of skinny, shatter-on-the-spot chips. Flavors like Cheddar Cheese n' Bacon, and Sour Cream n' Chives, were big hits. Sadly, this hot potato eventually turned cold, leaving us with only warm 1980s snack memories.

Long before newfangled Gushers took the snack world by storm, Fruit Corners was forging a fruity snack path with its line of chewy treats. First introduced by General Mills in the mid-'80s, Fruit Corners was a brand that rolled out everything from Fruit Roll-Ups to Fruit Bars, to Shark Bites, to the absolute wonders that were Fruit Wrinkles. 

Bear with us as we give a well-deserved spotlight moment to Fruit Wrinkles in particular. These fruit-flavored gummies were ugly, indeed — wrinkled, gnarled-looking messes of a snack. But what these gummy nuggets lacked in aesthetic appea,l they more than made up for on the taste scale. The flavor was yumm-o, and it still lives rent-free in the minds of Fruit Corners fans. 

What made the marketing behind Fruit Corners snacks really savvy was the way the brand angled the product to appeal to the parents. (The flavor already had the kiddos hooked.) Fruit Corners homed in on the fact that the treats were made with real fruit, making parental units instantly feel better about buying them. Mom and Dad got the sense that they were making a smarter choice, and kids got a sweet treat. But although the brand was popular for a while, and it seemingly enjoyed a successful stint, Fruit Corners eventually turned a corner ... and hit a wall.

Dearly departed Choco-Bliss is among the discontinued Hostess snacks still mourned today. It dropped like a glorious, cocoa-laden bomb when it first exploded onto the snack scene in 1986. Introducing itself as a "Chocolate Lover's Dream," it connected immediately with its target audience, who practically dashed to the stores to sample it for themselves. And Hostess did not lie; this snack was stacked with chocolate, on chocolate, on even more chocolate.

Each package of Choco-Bliss featured a pair of thick slabs of devil's food cake sandwiching a more-than-generous layer of chocolate cream between them. The chocolate sammie was made even more decadent by a topping of chocolate icing, and the trio of textures (cake, cream, and icing) unabashedly romanced chocolate fanatics — creating bliss, indeed.

Suffice it to say, these chocolate treats were big on flavor. They were also big in size, with other treats practically trembled in the looming shadow of these sweet snack cakes. The commercials were big as well — big hits, that is. They were certainly not shy, and instead a bit risqué in the way they promised sheer ecstasy. And — oh, my — when Choco-Bliss was officially finished, we were all left pretty darn unsatisfied, to say the least.

Back in the early 1980s, when someone mentioned a handheld convenience pie, your mind would automatically be filled with visions of fruity deliciousness. But Hostess changed all that, and shook things up, when its Pudding Pie hit store shelves in the middle of the decade. In an instant, shoppers forgot all about those once-beloved, fruit-filled pies, as they were too busy clamoring for a creamier sugar fix.

Saying buh-bye to the standard apple, peach, and blueberry options, Hostess packed its flaky, handheld pastries with decadent chocolate, and vanilla pudding. Not satisfied enough to leave the one-upmanship there, the brand decided to finish its trailblazing Pudding Pies with a glorious glaze that was just solid enough to crack into, resulting in a perfect moment of impact between our teeth, and that sugary crust. The initial crunch of the first bite would then instantly give way to a creamy center that practically gushed with vanilla, or chocolate, goodness.

As these pastries were handheld snacks, they completely eliminated the need for fussing with forks or plates of any kind, and this only served to cement their place in the hearts of shoppers looking for a sweet, on-the-go treat. For a time, these pie pockets could be found on nearly every grocery store shelf, as well as in vending machines nationwide. That time passed, however, and now these tasty '80s treasures are only in the past, and in nostalgic online forums.

We have had some good-natured debates regarding what the best breakfast cereals are, and there are more than likely a few peeps who would tell you that Kellogg's Banana Frosted Flakes deserve a seat at that table. While Banana Frosted Flakes may have existed for only a few short years, from 1981 to 1984, all you need to do is head to any online forum dedicated to nostalgic foodie recollections to have proof that this was one cereal that had us swooning.

Before you go thinking that this was just another sad, poser cereal justifying its name with a paltry dusting of artificial flavor, rest assured, Kellogg's took its moniker seriously. These morning flakes featured actual bits of banana, an element that created a cereal that came correct. It had an undeniable banana flavor that consumers appreciated.

While adding actual bananas to the mix would likely end in a mushy mess, these banana morsels delivered a delightfully crunchy quality (similar to that of a banana chip) to every spoonful. The cereal had its fans, but was also controversial around some breakfast tables, and this was probably the reason for its ultimate demise. But while it lasted, for those with an affinity for the OG Frosted Flakes, and who understood the banana a-peel, this version was a win. Many ate it up, and thought this Frosted Flakes iteration was absolutely gr-r-reat.

Long before Oreo Most Stuf was even a thought, there was Oreo Big Stuf. While most of us have heard the familiar adage, "less is more," we'd confidently wager that the big-wigs at Oreo would beg to differ. After all, the company that created such magnificent monstrosities as the Oreo Big Stuf isn't likely to lean stingy when it comes to dessert decadence.

Introduced in the mid-'80s, the Oreo Big Stuf was essentially a single Oreo cookie blown up to epic (borderline absurd) proportions. It came individually wrapped, and while it was indeed only one cookie, it was several times the size of your standard Oreo. Let that sink in — or even dunk it into a tall glass of milk. But wait, actually, maybe hold off on that past part, because — the joke is on you here — the gargantuan cookies were actually too big to dunk into the average glass. And what a gloriously delicious predicament it was.

Kids, unsurprisingly, loved the promise of having even more sugar in their little fists. Adults, though, didn't share the sentiment — especially not after their eyes scanned the nutrition label, and discovered a whopping 300 calories per cookie alongside a more-than-hefty helping of fat. This may have been what ultimately sealed the cookies' fate. Despite having built a solid fanbase over the years, the snacks were discontinued in the early '90s.

Peanut Butter Boppers were launched onto the snack scene by Nature Valley in 1985, and they were an instant hit. You could say, if these snacks were a pop song, they would definitely be a bop. Their popularity was widespread in that it crossed genres, moonlighting as both a candy bar (it tasted decadent enough to deserve those bragging rights), and a wholesome snack (made by Nature Valley, after all). With kids going gonzo over the candy bar taste, and parents appeased enough by the good-for-you angle, Peanut Butter Boppers were, for a time, quite popular.

Each Bopper had a soft, creamy peanut butter center that practically melted in your mouth. This was encased in a crunchy coating that varied according to the flavor shoppers chose. Available options included Fudge Chip, Honey Crisp, Peanut Crunch, and more. True to form, each iteration toed the fine line between kid-friendly candy, and parent-approved snack.

The fact that each Bopper came individually wrapped won the hearts of frazzled parents on the lookout for easy-to-grab, on-the-go snacks for their always-famished broods. Sadly, despite their popularity, Peanut Butter Boppers did not last to see the dawn of a new decade. However, we did get a totally rad callback thanks to the hit TV series, "Stranger Things." This saw a limited-edition revival that sent fans scrambling to relive, even for just one moment, their sweetest memories.

If there was ever a snack that lived up to its name, it was Giggles, a beloved '80s cookie brand that always delivered smiles (literally). Launched in the mid-1980s, Giggles had a rather cartoonish look, with a big smiley face etched onto each sandwich cookie. The garish grin was so silly, it made it nearly impossible to not smile back as you cracked the Oreo-esque layers of a Giggles cookie open.

While we've already dared to make the comparison, we must insist, Giggles were not just some brand-name knockoff. Unlike Oreos, which feature one (albeit delicious) creme filling, Giggles gave us two in a single cookie for maximum enjoyment. While we may not have been laughing out loud, Giggles' vanilla and fudge fillings most certainly had some saying, "Mmmm." And other flavor options abounded: Giggles came with either chocolate cookies or vanilla, and later, a peanut butter version was invited to join the '80s snack party.

The marketing banked on the product's sense of fun, showcasing the smiling faces that beamed at buyers every step of the way. There were also kid-friendly prizes in the boxes. For one shining, smiling moment, Giggles were widely shared, and savored. Sadly, the laughter eventually faded, and by the end of the '80s, the Giggles were gone.