One step inside our store and it becomes obvious: Sweets abound. Chock-full of chocolate and filled to the brim with tasty treats, sugary goodness fills aisles and shelves. But this doesn’t mean we don’t miss the candy brands of yore—bars, chews, and other goodies that have gone to that giant candy shop in the sky.
Stroll down memory lane and take a moment to remember these gems of products past:
Cosmic Candy
Cosmic Candy was a short-lived candy that popped and crackled, similar to Pop Rocks. However, it had an extraterrestrial twist and branding full of stars, rockets, galactic imagery, and space-age antics.
Cosmic Candy was launched in 1978, during a time when excitement surrounding NASA and space exploration was high, with the moon landing having occurred less than a decade earlier. Due to unfounded safety rumors and sluggish sales, its popularity eventually came crashing down to earth, and those seeking a CO2-meets-candy experience returned to Pop Rocks instead.
BarNone
Hershey’s introduced BarNone in 1987. The company reformulated the bar a few years later, adding caramel and a different texture. Still, the public didn’t love the new recipe, and it disappeared from the market after declining sales.
In the 2010s, BarNone was relaunched, not by Hershey’s but by Iconic Candy (a company that purchased the original recipe and bought the rights). Thanks to its rebirth, you can find it in its original form online and in certain specialty stores, although its availability varies.
Squeezits
Ask any child of the 80s, and chances are, they drank a Squeezit or 20 on a scorching summer afternoon. Squeezits were made by General Mills, launched in 1985, and available in cherry, grape, punch, strawberry, and mystery flavors. They were wildly popular for a few years before plummeting sales met them in the 90s.
The emergence of juice pouches (which fit more easily inside school lunchboxes) and parental desire for less sugary drinks squeezed out Squeezits. They’re no longer available today, but you can find used Squeezit bottles on places like eBay (which sell for hundreds of dollars, for some reason).
Pudding Pops
Pudding Pops were a mainstay of freezers in the 80s. Essentially frozen pudding on a stick, these pops came in chocolate, vanilla, and swirl flavors. They were discontinued in the early 90s when consumer preferences no longer supported their production. Competition, in the form of frozen yogurt, fruit bars, and novelty treats, also saturated the market.
You can’t find pudding pops in grocery stores today (we’ve tried!), but you can whip them up at home. There are several easy-to-make recipes online.
Bonkers
Made by Nabisco, Bonkers were as famous for their commercials as they were for their flavors. Fruity squares with a juicy filling, these chews were staples of 80s candy stores and checkout aisles. They came in various flavors, including grape, strawberry, lemon, cherry, and watermelon, and left indulgers looking up for giant pieces of fruit falling from the sky.
Bonkers disappeared from the market in the 1990s but enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in the following decade. Today, they’re almost impossible to find. Some novelty shops online claim to sell them, but they’re nearly always out of stock. If you ever do get your hands on a pack, check the expiration date before ingesting.