20 Vintage Grocery Products You’ll Only Remember If You Were Born Before 1990

Remember those trips to the grocery store as a kid? The colorful aisles packed with products that, over time, have completely vanished from the shelves? I certainly do!
Growing up in the 80s, our pantry was stocked with an assortment of treats, snacks, and staples that today’s kids would barely recognize, let alone enjoy.
Join me on this tasty trip down memory lane as we revisit those nostalgic grocery items that were once household staples, bringing back memories of simpler times and reminding us how the world of food has evolved.
1. Jell-O 1-2-3: The Triple-Layer Dessert Magic

Whoa, talk about kitchen sorcery! When Mom brought home Jell-O 1-2-3, I felt like we were living in the future. One box created three distinct layers – gelatin on the bottom, creamy mousse in the middle, and a light foam on top.
I’d press my nose against the fridge glass watching the layers separate like some kind of science experiment. The commercials made it seem so fancy, but really it was just add water, shake, and refrigerate.
Discontinued in 1996, this dessert marvel left many of us wondering why something so delightfully simple and fun had to disappear. My siblings and I would argue over who got the cup with the most defined layers.
2. Marathon Bar: The Chocolate That Went the Distance

Long before fun-size became the norm, Marathon bars stretched a whopping 8 inches of braided caramel covered in milk chocolate. The wrapper even included a ruler to prove it wasn’t just your imagination!
My Saturday allowance often went straight to buying one of these magnificent treats. The commercials featured a race between the Marathon Man and Quick Claude, emphasizing how long it took to eat the bar.
Mars discontinued this lengthy delight in 1981, breaking chocolate lovers’ hearts everywhere. Sometimes I’d try to make it last all day, taking tiny nibbles and storing it in the fridge between snack sessions.
3. Tang: The Astronaut’s Breakfast Beverage

Orange-flavored space dust! That’s how I thought of Tang growing up. This powdered orange drink became a breakfast table staple after NASA sent it to space with the astronauts in the 1960s.
My mom would mix it up in our special Tang pitcher, and I’d pretend I was floating in zero gravity while sipping it. The tangy sweetness was unlike any natural orange juice, with that distinctive artificial flavor that somehow tasted like adventure.
While Tang still exists in some markets, its cultural significance has faded substantially since its space-age heyday. I once convinced my little brother it was actual moon dust, and he believed me for an embarrassingly long time.
4. Space Food Sticks: Snacking Like an Astronaut

Feeling like Neil Armstrong was just a chewy stick away! Space Food Sticks were these bizarre, cylindrical, chewy snacks that came in flavors like chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel. Pillsbury actually developed them as a spinoff from the first solid food for astronauts.
I’d unwrap one during lunch at school, and suddenly my brown bag lunch felt like mission control. They weren’t particularly tasty – kind of like eating soft, flavored candles – but the space connection made them irresistible to us kids.
My friends and I would pretend we were floating in zero gravity while slowly chewing these nutrient-packed sticks. The packaging with its futuristic font and space imagery was half the appeal!
5. Tab Soda: The Original Diet Cola

Before Diet Coke stole the spotlight, Tab was the queen of diet sodas. That iconic pink can caught my eye every time we shopped. My aunt swore by it, keeping her fridge stocked with rows of Tab, creating a pink aluminum army.
The taste? Honestly, pretty terrible – artificially sweet with a saccharin aftertaste that lingered way too long. But that didn’t stop it from becoming a status symbol for the diet-conscious crowd of the 70s and 80s.
I snuck sips whenever I visited her house, feeling terribly grown-up despite the weird flavor. Coca-Cola finally pulled the plug on Tab in 2020, ending a nearly 60-year run that shaped diet soda history.
6. Pudding Pops: Bill Cosby’s Frozen Treat

Summer afternoons in the 80s meant chasing down the ice cream truck for the holy grail of frozen treats – Jell-O Pudding Pops! These chocolate, vanilla, and swirl frozen pudding bars were creamy perfection on a stick.
The texture was what made them special – somewhere between ice cream and frozen pudding, they melted slowly and had this amazing mouthfeel. My neighborhood friends and I would compare tongue colors after eating the chocolate ones.
General Foods discontinued them in the early 90s, and despite a brief revival attempt by Popsicle in the 2000s, nothing ever matched the original formula. I still dream about that distinctive rectangular shape with the rounded corners and that first satisfying bite.
7. Hi-C Ecto Cooler: The Ghostbusters’ Drink of Choice

Slimer from Ghostbusters didn’t just haunt the big screen – he took over the juice box aisle with Hi-C Ecto Cooler! This neon green citrus-flavored drink launched in 1987 as a movie tie-in but outlasted everyone’s expectations, surviving until 2001.
My lunchbox wasn’t complete without that bright green box sporting Slimer’s goofy face. The flavor was supposedly orange-tangerine, but let’s be honest – it tasted like liquid candy with a hint of citrus.
Opening that tiny straw and puncturing the foil top was a daily ritual. Sometimes I’d freeze it halfway and bring it to school as a slushy treat. The drink briefly returned for the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, causing mass nostalgia-fueled hysteria among us 80s kids.
8. Crystal Pepsi: The Clear Cola Experiment

Crystal Pepsi arrived in 1992 with a splash, promising all the cola flavor without the caramel coloring. My friends and I were absolutely fascinated by this transparent soda – it looked like water but tasted like Pepsi!
Part of the “clear craze” of the early 90s, this beverage capitalized on the perception that clear meant pure and healthy. The Van Halen “Right Now” commercials made it seem like the coolest drink innovation ever.
Sadly, this crystal-clear experiment fizzled out by 1994. Serving it at my 13th birthday party made me feel like the hippest kid in town. Though it’s returned for brief nostalgic promotions, nothing matches the excitement of that first crystal-clear pour.
9. PB Max: The Candy Bar That Had It All

Imagine the perfect marriage of peanut butter, oats, and milk chocolate – that was PB Max! This square candy bar from Mars featured a crunchy whole grain cookie topped with creamy peanut butter and covered in milk chocolate.
Legend has it that despite being wildly successful (generating $50 million in sales), Mars discontinued it in 1994 because the Mars family personally disliked peanut butter. What a tragedy! I’d ride my bike to the corner store just to get one of these magnificent creations.
The combination of textures made it superior to any peanut butter cup. Sometimes I’d nibble the chocolate edges first, saving the peanut butter center for last – a dessert within a dessert!
10. Squeezit: Plastic Bottles of Technicolor Juice

Nothing said “cool kid lunch” in the late 80s like a Squeezit! These plastic bottles filled with artificially flavored fruit drinks came in character shapes with names like Chucklin’ Cherry and Berry B. Wild.
The best part was the ritual – twisting off the plastic top, squeezing the soft bottle until the colorful liquid shot into your mouth, sometimes a bit too forcefully. The 1992 addition of color-changing pellets called “Mystery Color” took the experience to another level of interactive fun.
My mom limited us to one per week since they were basically liquid sugar, making them even more coveted. General Mills discontinued them in 2001, though they briefly returned in 2006. I can still feel that distinctive bottle shape in my hands.
11. OK Soda: The Anti-Marketing Marketing Experiment

“Everything is going to be OK” – that was the eerily prophetic slogan of Coca-Cola’s strangest experiment, OK Soda. Launched in 1993 with bizarre, almost dystopian marketing that seemed to mock advertising itself, this fruity cola targeted Gen X cynicism.
The cans featured artwork by alternative comic artists and a manifesto that read like existential philosophy. I collected all four can designs, displaying them in my teenage bedroom like art pieces.
The flavor was hard to describe – vaguely citrusy cola with notes of orange and vanilla. It vanished after just seven months, becoming a perfect symbol of 90s counterculture. My friends and I would call the OK Hotline just to hear the weird messages, feeling like we were part of some secret club.
12. Fruit Wrinkles: The Twisted Fruit Snacks

Fruit Wrinkles were the rebellious cousins of regular fruit snacks – twisted, contorted shapes that looked like they’d been through some kind of fruity hurricane. Made by Betty Crocker in the mid-80s, these chewy, tangy treats came in strawberry, orange, cherry, and lime flavors.
The commercials featured animated wrinkled fruit characters with faces and limbs, which was slightly disturbing but completely captivating to my 7-year-old self. I’d carefully sort mine by color before eating, saving the red ones for last.
Their unique wrinkled texture made them feel different from other fruit snacks. They disappeared from shelves in the early 90s, leaving kids with only their smoother, less interesting fruit snack counterparts.
13. Giggles Cookies: The Sandwich Cookie with a Smile

Giggles were the happiest cookies in the grocery aisle! These sandwich cookies literally had smiling faces molded into them, with two round shortbread cookies hugging a layer of chocolate and vanilla cream filling.
Made by Nabisco in the late 70s through the 80s, they were marketed with an infectious jingle: “Giggles cookies are funny faces, bet you can’t eat them without smiles on your faces!” The challenge was impossible – I always grinned while eating them.
Sometimes I’d carefully separate the cookies to lick the filling first (the proper way to eat any sandwich cookie). Their discontinuation left a frown-shaped gap in the cookie section. My grandma would always have them ready when we visited.
14. Keebler Magic Middles: The Cookie with a Secret

Keebler Magic Middles were pure sorcery in cookie form! These shortbread cookies concealed a magical surprise – a soft chocolate or peanut butter filling hidden completely inside. Not on top, not sandwiched between cookies, but magically sealed within!
Biting into one revealed the delicious secret center in a way that seemed to defy cookie physics. The elves in that hollow tree really outdid themselves with this creation.
I remember debating with friends about how they got the filling inside without any seams showing. These enchanted treats disappeared in the mid-90s despite a devoted following. My after-school ritual involved a glass of milk and at least three Magic Middles – the perfect homework fuel.
15. Pizzarias Pizza Chips: Pizza in Chip Form

Pizzarias were the snack that answered the eternal question: “What if pizza was a chip?” These triangular, pizza-flavored chips from Keebler came in a bright red bag and delivered an intense burst of tomato, cheese, and herb flavors.
The texture was unique – somewhere between a chip and a cracker with air pockets that made them lighter than regular chips. My little league team would demolish bags of these after games, red dust covering our fingers and faces.
Keebler discontinued them in the early 90s, breaking the hearts of pizza-loving snackers everywhere. I once traded my entire sandwich for a handful – a transaction I still consider one of my better childhood negotiations.
16. Josta: The First Energy Drink

Before Red Bull gave everyone wings, Josta was providing liquid energy to tired 90s teens. Launched by Pepsi in 1995, Josta holds the distinction of being the first mainstream energy drink released in the United States, featuring guarana and a hint of exotic panthera fruit.
The dark red beverage came in a black can adorned with a mysterious panther, promising an edgy experience beyond regular soda. The flavor was hard to pin down – fruity, spicy, and slightly medicinal all at once.
My high school friends and I would chug these before weekend all-nighters, convinced they gave us special powers. Pepsi discontinued Josta in 1999, but a dedicated fan base still campaigns for its return with surprising passion.
17. Planters Cheez Balls: The Perfect Orange Sphere

Planters Cheez Balls achieved snack perfection – perfectly spherical, consistently crunchy, and covered in neon orange cheese dust that would inevitably decorate your fingers, lips, and probably your shirt. The blue cylindrical container made that distinctive pop when opened, signaling good times ahead.
Unlike today’s cheese puffs, these had an airy, melt-in-your-mouth quality that made them dangerously easy to consume by the handful. My dad and I would compete to see who could toss and catch more in their mouth.
When Planters discontinued them in 2006, fans were heartbroken. Their triumphant return in 2018 caused celebration, though some diehards claim the formula isn’t quite the same as the original orange orbs of our youth.
18. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pies: Green-Frosted Glory

Cowabunga, dude! Hostess struck marketing gold with their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pies in the early 90s. These hand-sized pastries featured vanilla pudding filling and were covered with neon green-colored frosting that perfectly matched the heroes in a half-shell.
The green sugar coating would leave your tongue looking like you’d licked radioactive waste – which, given the turtles’ origin story, felt totally appropriate. Each pie came wrapped in collectible packaging featuring Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, or Raphael.
I begged for these at the grocery store based solely on the color and turtle connection. Hostess discontinued them as the turtle craze faded. My mom would only let me have one as a special Friday treat, making them taste even better.
19. Oreo Big Stuf: The Giant Single Oreo

Regular Oreos were for amateurs – Oreo Big Stuf was for serious cookie enthusiasts! Introduced in 1984, each package contained just one massive Oreo cookie about 10 times the size of a regular one, individually wrapped like the treasure it was.
The package claimed it took 20 minutes to eat one, which sounded like a challenge rather than a warning. The cream-to-cookie ratio was perfect, allowing for extended twist-lick-dunk enjoyment.
Nabisco discontinued this magnificent creation in 1991, ending the era of supersized cookies. I would save my allowance to buy these instead of regular Oreos, believing that somehow the giant version tasted better. My method was to eat it like pizza, in triangular slices.
20. Shark Bites: The Fruit Snack with Teeth

Swimming through lunchboxes everywhere in the late 80s and early 90s, Shark Bites fruit snacks from Betty Crocker were the apex predators of the snack food chain. These shark-shaped gummies came in bright colors representing different fruit flavors, with the elusive Great White shark being slightly larger and clearer in color.
Finding a Great White in your pack was like winning a miniature lottery! I’d save them for last, building anticipation throughout lunch period.
The tropical fruit flavors were supposedly orange, strawberry, and cherry, but they all tasted like sugary happiness to me. The original version disappeared around 2006, though some similar products have tried to capture the magic of those predatory little treats.