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16 Snacks From the ‘60s That Need to Come Back

16 Snacks From the ‘60s That Need to Come Back

In sports, crunch time refers to the part of the game or match that decides the outcome. But for kids growing up in the 1960s, crunch time meant chowing down on snacks while watching television. A lot of those food offerings have been off grocery store shelves for years, and in some cases decades, yet as even as Baby Boomers and Gen Xers transition into their senior years, they sometimes still pine for the snacks of their youth.

To compile a list of snacks from the ‘60s that need to come back, 24/7 Tempo has consulted sources such as the Daily Meal, Snack Stack, Click Americana, MeTV, Snack History, General Mills, Groceries Gone But Not Forgotten, and Newsweek. (From various eras, here’s a list of popular discontinued snack foods we really miss.)

Why are snacks that Baby Boomers and Gen Xers enjoyed in their youth gone? There can be several reasons: sales failed to match revenue projections; the product didn’t fit into new company strategies (often because a new firm buys the snack’s parent; or the public’s tastes shifted toward more healthful options. (Here are some healthy versions of old-school junk-food snacks you want to try.)

It should be noted that some of the products that joined the choir silent are versions of other beloved items that remain on the shelves – and in some cases the originals themselves might still be sold in other countries. 

Jilted consumers are also using the power of social media and crowd-sourcing platforms like Change.org and iPetitions to hector companies into reviving cherished snacks. They’ve had some success, bringing back 3D Doritos, Dunkaroos, and Oreo Cakesters. Whether they can bring back Jell-O 1-2-3, the gelatin with different toppings on the base, remains to be seen.

Read about snacks from the ‘60s that need to come back:

Chit Chat Crackers

Nabisco by Mike Mozart
Source: jeepersmedia / Flickr

  • Introduced: 1964
  • Maker: Nabisco
  • Description: Barbecue-flavored crackers

The maker of favorites such as Premium Saltine Crackers, Animal Crackers, and Honey Maid graham crackers had a misfire with Chit Chat Crackers. The barbecue-flavored product was introduced in 1964 and did not have the longevity of its other offerings.

Corn Diggers

Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Introduced: 1960s
  • Maker: Nabisco
  • Description: Cone-shaped popcorn-flavored snacks

Advertised as having “hot-popped taste,” these salty treats were made with a pinched shape designed for dipping. They failed to have legs among the snack-eating crowd.

Daisys

Source: Wolterk / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Source: Wolterk / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Introduced: 1966
  • Maker: General Mills
  • Description: Salty popover-flavored snacks shaped like daisies

General Mills introduced what was advertised as a “snack that looks like a daisy” with “a flavor like oven-puffed popover only crunchy!” Some of the ads for the product featured a young woman with a flower clenched in her teeth, a campaign the company could probably not get away with today.

doo dads Snack Mix

Source: Kwangmoozaa / iStock via Getty Images

Source: Kwangmoozaa / iStock via Getty Images
  • Introduced: 1960s
  • Maker: Nabisco
  • Description: Cereal/snack mix

This was a snack made up of five parts: Toasted peanuts, pretzels, rice squares, wheat squares, and cheese Tid-Bit Crackers. Fans of this snack swear its taste is superior to Chex Mix. Competition from chips, crackers, and other snacks led to its demise in the 1990s, despite the addition of various flavors.

Flings

Cropped image of bowl of cheese puffs against white background
Source: Toasted Pictures / Shutterstock.com

Source: Toasted Pictures / Shutterstock.com
  • Introduced: 1960s
  • Maker: Nabisco
  • Description: Curled puffs

Flings, another Nabisco snack, were curled puffs that came in three flavors: chicken, cheese, and ham and Swiss.

French Frauds French Fried Potato Snacks

Source: Fascinadora / iStock via Getty Images

Source: Fascinadora / iStock via Getty Images
  • Introduced: 1968
  • Maker: Pillsbury
  • Description: Potato snack food

This Pillsbury product was a baked snack created to look like french fries (which is where the “fraud” came in) and onion rings. An advertisement suggested customers have beef stroganoff and tossed salad before sinking their teeth into these snacks.

Jell-O 1-2-3

Jell-O 1-2-3 by Carol
Source: puresugar / Flickr

  • Introduced: 1969
  • Maker: Kraft Foods
  • Description: Gelatin with two toppings

Jell-O 1-2-3 was one of the more famous missteps by General Foods. The popularity of Jell-O convinced the company to make gelatin dessert with two toppings in flavors including strawberry, raspberry, orange, cherry, and lime. Jell-O 1-2-3 was on shelves until the 1990s as it and other gelatin treats declined in popularity.

Joey Chips

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Source: Courtesy of General Mills.com
  • Introduced: 1967
  • Maker: General Mills
  • Description: Kettle-cooked potato-and-corn chips

This General Mills snack befuddled consumers — it was part corn and part potato. And who was Joey anyhow?

Korkers Corn Twists

Source: Merrimon Crawford / Shutterstock

Source: Merrimon Crawford / Shutterstock
  • Introduced: 1968
  • Maker: Nabisco
  • Description: Corn twists

The spiral-shaped corn twists were marketed as great for dipping. Nabisco called the fans of Korkers “krunchers” who can “unwind” by “getting twisted up in a box of Korkers.” The snack disappeared in the 1970s.

Mr. Wiggle gelatin

  • Introduced: 1965
  • Maker: Kraft Foods
  • Description: Candy-flavored gelatin

To try and goose Jell-O sales, Nabisco created Mr. Wiggle. This was candy-flavored Jell-O that came in six flavors but made without sugar. The varieties were Gumdrop Grape, Candycorn Orange, Jellybean Strawberry, Lollypop Lime, Rockcandy Raspberry, and Candyball Cherry.

Pik Chicks

Source: Dimas Ardian / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Source: Dimas Ardian / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Introduced: 1966
  • Maker: Nabisco
  • Description: Barbecue-flavored chicken snacks

When Nabisco introduced these barbecue-flavored chicken snacks in 1966, the company boasted they were “something to cluck about.” Apparently, they weren’t.

Pokes

Source: P Maxwell Photography / Shutterstock

Source: P Maxwell Photography / Shutterstock
  • Introduced: 1967
  • Maker: Kellogg’s
  • Description: Snack similar to Chex in four flavors: corn, cheese, barbecue, and potato

These crunchy snacks look very much like the Chex line of snacks and were advertised as “fun but not filling.” The box for each flavor featured a character associated with that flavor: Corn (Native American), cheese (Swiss or Austrian), barbecue (cowboy), and potato (leprechaun). Doubtful those ads would fly today.

Screaming Yellow Zonkers popcorn snack

Source: Louella938 / Shutterstock

Source: Louella938 / Shutterstock
  • Introduced: 1969
  • Maker: Lincoln Snacks
  • Description: Sugar-glazed popcorn snack

Screaming Yellow Zonkers were a treat produced by the now-defunct Nebraska-based Lincoln Snacks Company. Zonkers were known for their striking black packaging featuring various illustrations and humorous tips on how to open the box. They were discontinued when Lincoln Snacks was purchased by Conagra in the early 21st century,

Sip ‘n Chips

friendship, and leisure concept - happy friends with non-alcoholic drinks and snacks watching tv at home in evening
Source: Ground Picture / Shutterstock.com

Source: Ground Picture / Shutterstock.com
  • Introduced: 1965
  • Maker: Nabisco
  • Description: Cheese crackers

This cheese-flavored product from Nabisco was said to be made to pair with drinks and “designed to fit the curve of your hand.”

Triple Decker

Nestlé by Bycroft Boy
Source: bycroftboy / Flickr

  • Introduced: 1960s
  • Maker: Nestlé
  • Description: Candy bar

The Triple Decker was made of three thin layers a semi-sweet chocolate bottom, white chocolate middle, and milk chocolate top. It was popular at the start but faded quickly.

Whistles

Source: Mumemories / Getty Images

Source: Mumemories / Getty Images
  • Introduced: 1966
  • Maker: General Mills
  • Description: Salty cheese-flavored snacks shaped like little whistles

These salty cheese-flavored snacks shaped like little tubes were part of the same group of snacks as Daisys and Bugles. Only Bugles survived. All of the snacks were branded as “televittles,” and consumers were encouraged to “crunch along” with the new television shows.

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