11 Foods Every Kid Liked In The ’60s That You’ll Never Find Today
Remember the days when your lunchbox was packed with colorful treats that made trading at the cafeteria table a serious business? The 1960s were a golden era for kid-friendly snacks and meals, many of which have disappeared from store shelves.
Take a nostalgic trip back to these groovy eats that today’s children will never experience in their original glory.
1. Space Food Sticks
Astronaut-inspired nutrition never tasted so adventurous! These chewy, chocolate-flavored rods were marketed as the same food eaten by NASA’s finest while orbiting Earth. Kids could pretend they were floating through space with every bite.
The original Space Food Sticks vanished from shelves in the 1980s, though brief revival attempts never captured that authentic ’60s space-age appeal.
2. Quisp Cereal (Original Formula)
That propeller-headed alien mascot beckoned kids to breakfast with his otherworldly cereal. The original Quisp boasted a unique corn flavor and texture that stayed crunchy in milk far longer than scientific laws should allow.
Saturday morning cartoons weren’t complete without a bowl of these flying-saucer-shaped morsels. While a version exists today, cereal connoisseurs insist the original recipe faded away with the ’60s.
3. Reggie! Candy Bar
Baseball legend Reggie Jackson’s face smiled from this chocolate, caramel, and peanut delight that swung into America’s heart. Unwrapping one was like holding a piece of sports history.
The candy bar gained legendary status during the 1978 World Series when Jackson hit three consecutive home runs after its release.
Despite its cult following, the Reggie! Bar struck out from production, leaving fans with nothing but sweet memories.
4. Kellogg’s Danish Go-Rounds
Morning routines sparkled with these toaster pastry rings that brought bakery flair to breakfast tables nationwide.
Flaky crust encircled fruit-filled centers in flavors like raspberry, blueberry, and brown sugar cinnamon. The circular shape made them uniquely fun for small hands.
Sadly, these ring-shaped delights disappeared by the early 1970s, leaving rectangular Pop-Tarts to reign supreme in the toaster pastry kingdom.
5. Screaming Yellow Zonkers
Zaniness came packaged in black boxes adorned with absurdist humor and psychedelic designs. These sweet-glazed popcorn treats weren’t just snacks but counterculture experiences in a box!
Kids and teens alike treasured the wacky package instructions almost as much as the bright yellow popcorn inside.
The groovy munchies disappeared in the 2000s after decades of bringing quirky fun to snack time.
6. Funny Face Drink Mix
Goofy Grape and Freckle Face Strawberry transformed ordinary water into character-filled adventures. These powdered drink mixes came with cartoon faces that made kids giggle while stirring.
The original lineup included some questionably named characters like Chinese Cherry and Injun Orange that would never fly today.
Reformulated in the 1970s without artificial cyclamates, the drinks lost their signature tang before eventually vanishing completely.
7. Jell-O 1-2-3
Magic happened in refrigerators across America when this powdered mix separated into three distinct layers: creamy top, mousse middle, and classic Jell-O bottom. One box, three desserts! Kids watched in wonder as the scientific marvel took shape.
The tri-layered treat became a staple at family gatherings and dinner parties throughout the ’60s and ’70s before disappearing in the 1990s, taking its kitchen sorcery with it.
8. Bonomo Turkish Taffy
Smack it, crack it, break it into bite-sized pieces! This chewy candy wasn’t actually Turkish, but became an American playground legend. The colorful bars—vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and banana—required theatrical shattering against hard surfaces before eating.
The taffy-like texture stuck to teeth with impressive staying power. Though briefly revived in 2010, the original formula and experience remain a sweet memory of simpler times when candy doubled as entertainment.
9. Chicken Dinner Candy Bar
Contrary to its savory-sounding name, no poultry was harmed in the making of this nutty chocolate bar. The Depression-era treat survived into the ’60s with its quirky name intact, promising the energy of a full meal.
Peanuts and chocolate combined to create a substantial snack that parents somewhat approved of due to its protein content.
The oddly-named delight eventually flew the coop, leaving behind confused memories and vintage wrappers now worth a fortune.
10. Whistles & Daisys Cereal
Breakfast turned musical with these wheat cereal pieces shaped like whistles and flowers. Kids genuinely attempted to play tunes with the whistle shapes before devouring them in milk.
The corn-and-oat sister cereals came from General Mills and often appeared together in dual-compartment boxes.
The novelty of potentially functional food wore off by the early 1970s, and both musical and floral shapes were discontinued, silencing breakfast tables forever.
11. Ayds Appetite Suppressant Candy
Mom’s secret weapon in the pantry, these caramel-like diet candies helped curb hunger between meals. Marketed heavily to weight-conscious women, kids often snuck them as forbidden treats, unaware of their intended purpose.
Available in chocolate, mint, and butterscotch flavors, they tasted deceptively like regular candy. The unfortunately-named product vanished in the 1980s when its brand name became tragically associated with the AIDS epidemic.