There are a lot of snacks out there that fill many of us with nostalgia, but arguably no other decade had better snacks than the '90s! Sadly, a lot of these tasty treats no longer exist (or are really hard to obtain in the U.S.).
Whether you were the youngster swapping these treats at lunch, or the parent who was begged to buy them at the grocery store, these treats will spark some '90s memories. And while some of them can still be bought today, it's just not the same.
Dunkaroos Were Dunkable And Delicious Until 2012
Dunk-a-roos are truly a '90s novelty. They originally came with cinnamon graham-flavored cookies and a small dollop of icing that you could dunk the cookies into, hence the name.
Kids of the '90s who brought these to school were usually the coolest, but the reign of Dunk-a-roos only lasted so long. They were discontinued in 2012 and in a fierce campaign to get them back, Canada — who still produces them — launched "Smugglaroos," encouraging Canadians to smuggle them to their southern neighbors.
Butterfinger BB's Were Snack Size Deliciousness
In 1992, Butterfinger used The Simpsons to advertise Butterfinger BB's, which were like malted milk balls except the inside was the Butterfinger deliciousness we all know and love.
These were some of the best snacks you could get in the '90s until they were discontinued in 2006. In 2009, Butterfinger tried to redeem themselves by introducing Butterfinger Mini Bites, but we all know it's not the same.
Hi-C Ecto Cooler Came Back For A Limited Time
When The Real Ghostbusters, a cartoon based on the 1984 live-action movie, came out, Hi-C began to advertise Ecto Cooler. This green drink was a rebranded version of their Citrus Cooler and was so popular, that it stayed in production even after The Real Ghostbusters got canceled in 1991.
Ecto Cooler was discontinued by 2001, much to the dismay of its fans, but when the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters debuted, Hi-C decided to sell Ecto Cooler once again for a limited time. It was a disaster to say the least since its limited qualities made the product hard to find despite the popular demand.
Cosmic Brownies Were Out Of THis World
Cosmic Brownies were one of the best treats to find in your lunch box. These fudgy brownies were topped with frosting and sprinkled with crunchy, colorful chocolate chips.
These weren't the only Little Debbie favorites, though. '90s kids loved eating Oatmeal Creme Pies, Star Crunch, Zebra Cakes, and Nutty Bars. Luckily, most of them are still available. Yummy!
Try Saying "Baby Bottle Pop" Without Singing The Jingle
These bad boys were more or less for the late '90s bloomers since Baby Bottle Pop wasn't introduced until 1998. Still, most kids growing up in the '90s can attest to having these at one point in their childhood.
The lollipop top is shaped like the top of a baby bottle, which is where it gets its name from obviously. The best part about these was that you could screw off the top and dip it into the candy powder in the bottle.
Oreo O's Were So Unhealthy But So Good
Oreo O's made eating cookies for breakfast a near possibility ever since they were introduced in 1997, instantly becoming one of the most popular cereals around.
Everyone was disappointed when Oreo O's were discontinued in 2007 and since then the only place you could get them from was South Korea, selling on eBay for well over $10.
Crispy M&M's Had A Center We Didn't Know We Needed
Another treat that makes '90s kids yearn for yesteryear is Crispy M&M's. Introduced in 1999, these M&M's contained a crispy wafer center that you didn't know you needed.
People were upset when they were discontinued in 2005, but they've recently been put back into production since 2015. Another '90s M&M's invention was M&M's minis.
Surge Soda Has Had A Recent Surge In Sales
Coca-Cola introduced Surge in the '90s as a "hardcore" drink to compete with Pepsi's Mountain Dew. The citrus-flavored soda instantly became a cult classic.
By 2003, Surge still wasn't selling as well as Mountain Dew, which caused it to get discontinued, but in recent years movements to get Surge back on the market have been somewhat successful.
No One Really Knew How To Drink Squeezit
Squeezit was such a joy to have in one's lunch box. These fruit juices came in a plastic bottle that had to be squeezed in order to be consumed.
They became even more fun when General Mills rolled out the color-changing editions, which featured a pellet that had to be dropped into the tube. Unfortunately, they were discontinued by 2001.
Gushers Were A Flavor Explosion
Any kid who brought Fruit Gushers to school became the envy of all their classmates and had to worry about sharing. Gushers were kind of like Fruit Roll-Ups but were little gems filled with a sweet gooey burst of sugar.
If you've ever wondered what exact shape Gushers are supposed to be, they're elongated hexagonal bipyramids.
Choco Taco Had The Best Name Of Any '90s Treat
Choco Taco was by far one of the best treats you could score from the neighborhood ice cream truck. Choco Tacos consisted of a taco shell-shaped waffle cone, filled with vanilla ice cream and fudge swirls, then topped off with a chocolate shell and peanuts.
It was a messy treat, indeed, but sometimes that's just what made the Choco Taco so special. Since 1996, you've been able to get these straight from your local supermarket.
Fruit By The Foot Was One Of The More Fun Treats
Similar to Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit by the Foot was three times as cool — in that it was three feet of this fruit-flavored snack rolled into itself. These are arguably more fun than Fruit Roll-Ups since there are multiple ways that it can be consumed.
Fruit by the Foot was introduced in 1991 and is still available to this day, although you probably wouldn't catch any '90s kids buying any in their adult lives for fear of being judged for eating was is essentially just sugar.
Push Pop Were Messy, Gooey, And Delicious
Push Pops were the ultimate candy-on-the-go for many '90s kids. These cylindrical lollipops could be pushed up and then pushed back into their tubes for later consumption.
These bad boys were introduced in the late '80s, which explains their extreme popularity among a wide range of those people who have grown up in the '90s.
Go-Gurt Was Perfect For Parents Who Needed Their Kids To Eat Something Pseudo-Healthy
Go-Gurt is yogurt you can eat without a spoon since it's in a tube that you can squirt right into your mouth. Not only did Go-Gurt make yogurt consumption convenient, but it made eating yogurt incredibly cool.
Go-Gurt was introduced in 1999 as the first yogurt made specifically for kids. It certainly was found in many kids' lunchboxes since its release.
Minute Maid Juice Bars Were Even Better Frozen
Minute Maid Frozen Juice Bars were the joy of many '90s kids' summer memories and they always tasted that much better when you got them as a treat at school.
Anyone who remembers eating these, however, knows that it could become a messy ordeal. By the end, you were sure to have juice running down your arms.
Kudos To These Old School Granola bars
Kudos granola bars actually made eating granola bars enjoyable. They were originally introduced in the late '80s as an alternative to eating candy bars.
At first, there were only chocolate chip, nutty fudge, and peanut butter, but in the '90s the advent of M&M's on top made the deal that much sweeter.
Ring Pop Was The Only Bling You Needed
Ring Pops were for the candy connoisseurs who chose to be flashy about their treat of choice. These guys featured a jewel-shaped hard candy on top of a wearable plastic ring, which made its consumption very convenient.
Ring Pops, Push Pops, and Baby Bottle Pops were all products of Topps, the same company that makes all those sports trading cards.
No One Really Knew What Flavor The White Shark Bite Was
Of all the fruit snacks that have been available throughout the '90s, none were quite as popular as Shark Bites. Contrary to popular belief, the yellow shark is not lemon flavored but strawberry.
Also, there have been debates about whether the white shark gummy is supposed to mimic the other flavors or if it is its own flavor.
Yoplait Trix Yogurt Was The Best Of Both Worlds
Also to come out of the '90s was Yoplait Trix yogurt, which was based on Trix cereal. This yogurt featured fun duo-flavors, which looked even more inviting when opened as the colors of this yogurt were very distinct.
This was another yogurt that was marketed directly towards sugar-crazed '90s kids.
Wonderball Was A Wonderful Treat
"What's in the Wonder Ball?" When it was first introduced in the early '90s, it could have been anything! At first, these ball-shaped chocolate shells contained small toys of Disney characters but the product was briefly discontinued because that was deemed a choking hazard.
In 2000, they were reintroduced, but instead of toys, they just put more candy on the inside.
Lunchables Were The Only Acceptable School Lunch
If there is one thing that screams "'90s elementary and middle school lunch," it's a good old-fashioned Lunchable. Coming in multiple different varieties, these boxed lunches had everything a kid could wish for: crackers, juice, cheese, meat, and some type of treat.
And, if your parents were really cool, you might have even had the golden ticket of Lunchables, the pizza pack. We're not saying that everything in these little boxed meals was edible," but they definitely did the trick in the '90s if your parents were hard-pressed on lunch-making time in the morning trying to get all of the kids out the door!
Cooooooooooooooookie Crisp
General Mills had a sick sense of humor when it came to Cookie Crisp, aka the cereal every kid wanted, but no parent would ever buy. We mean, it is a breakfast product, technically speaking! So what if it so happens to look and taste exactly like chocolate chip cookies?
And it didn't help that this particular cereal had a really cool commercial. The bandit dog named Chip rigging any bells? Well, unless you were watching Nickelodeon in the '90s, probably not. Even though this cereal was put on US shelves in 1997, they don't really advertise anymore since it's not the healthiest thing.
Warheads Separated The Strong From The Weak
Warhead sour candy was a true testament to your pain threshold if you were a kid in the '90s. Not only did they taste horrible, but these little hard candies hurt! They might have been small, but they were full of pain-inducing flavor that made more than one kids taste buds scream in agony.
We're not sure about you, but this is one of those candies that we always traded away on Halloween. There's just something about a super sour candy that "turns sweet" after 15 seconds that we could never get behind, even all of these years later.
Little Hugs Fruit Barrels For Those Hot Summer Days
Scene: it's the Fourth of July in the early '90s, and you have a bunch of neighborhood friends and their families over for a BBQ in the backyard. You're all playing and running around in the heat, so you run to the fridge to get the best sugary drink money can buy: Little Hugs Fruit Barrels. End scene.
Not only did these little barrels give you an extra jolt of sugary energy, but they came in various flavors. The hard part was trying not to chug the tiny amount of juice in one gulp!
Trix When It Had All Of The Fun Shapes
Trix cereal was a staple cereal in many homes of 90s children. Not only did they have the awesome slogan of "silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids," but it also came in funky shapes that made it look way cooler than other bland cereals like, gasp, Cheerios.
Ironically, Trix is no longer making the funky shapes, opting to stick with the round mold for all of the "flavors." But get this: is it the company who decided to make everything round, or can '90s kids no longer see the shapes because they're now adults? These are the questions that keep us up at night.
Bubble Jug Because Sticks Of Gum Was So '80s
You know you won the jackpot in the '90s if your parents allowed you to buy Bubble Jug Bubble Gum. Not only was this an absurd amount of gum, but it wasn't even that great! If you recall this sugary concoction, you literally had to shake the jug to solidify the powdery substance.
After the jug was sufficiently shaken like a Polaroid picture, then you chugged it! Let's just say that this wasn't exactly the best message to give young kids! Nevertheless, it was a staple of '90s snacking and made you the coolest kid in school if you whipped a jug of gum out of your locker.
Jet-Puffed FunMallows To Spice Up Every Bonfire
Nothing said cool '90s kid quite like whipping out a pack of Jet-Puffed FunMallows at a bonfire. Not only were these marshmallows flavored, but they also came in fun flower shapes. Yes, these are the marshmallows we never asked for and yet the ones everyone needed to have in their pantry at home.
If you didn't offer these sugary treats at a slumber party to top-off hot chocolate, then you were automatically put on a "do not talk to" list. They were that important when it came to '90s snacks.
3D Doritos Were The Only Way To EAt The Nacho-Flavored Chip
If you're saying you don't like the nacho-flavored goodness that is Doritos chips, you're lying. And if you're saying you were around for the amazing era that brought us 3D Doritos and you weren't a fan, you're definitely lying! These funky 3D chips were a must-have at every sporting event, picnic, and outdoor gathering.
The Frito-Lay company introduced the 3D chip in 1998, and it quickly became a popular snacking food among the children of the '90s. Unfortunately, the product only stuck around for a short while, and it was discontinued in 2002.
Scooby-Doo Fruit Snacks To Add A Little Mystery To Lunch
No school lunch was ever complete without a pack of Scooby-Doo Fruit Snacks. The only hope of each '90s kid when they opened the pack was that the whole gang was there, including the Mystery Machine. Otherwise, it felt like you were missing out on one of the flavors!
And while the fruit snacks are still available, Betty Crocker has since changed up their recipe. So, even though Scooby-Doo and the rest of Mystery Inc. can technically still be found on grocery store shelves, they don't taste the same as the Scooby snacks from the '90s.
French Toast Crunch Because One Can Never Have Enough Sugar
There were two types of people in the '90s, those who went for Cinnamon Toast Crunch and those who went for the French Toast Crunch cereal when their parents brought them to go grocery shopping. Of course, the latter French Toast Crunch was the sugary cereal no one asked for, but General Mills went ahead and made anyway.
And, boy, are we better off for it! Well, '90s parents probably sprouted a gray hair or two trying to get the infamous red box out of the grocery cart, but kids couldn't get enough of the syrupy flavor! Yes, we said it, syrup flavor.
