Ever wonder why certain flavors can transport you right back to your childhood? That unmistakable craving for something you haven’t tasted in decades is hitting adults everywhere as they suddenly remember the forgotten treasures that once lined gas station shelves. Hamish Campbell, vice president and executive creative director of the design agency Pearlfisher, told Fast Company in 2023, “The ’90s had a freedom of expression and I think that’s what people are wanting – and it’s still answering a need of how we can bring some joy back to all the pressures that are on us in the real world.” From bizarre pizza-flavored chips to mysteriously sweet bubble gum concoctions, these snacks defined an era of bold experimentation that we’re all desperately missing. So let’s dive into this delicious time capsule.
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Keebler Pizzarias Pizza Chips
Pizzarias were crunchy chips with the shape and texture of a tortilla chip and all the cheesy flavor of a classic pizza slice. They were made from pizza dough that gave the chips a distinct texture and quality and were coated with a Dorito-like cheese powder that stuck to your fingers as you snacked. Introduced in 1991, the pizza-inspired line of snacks included three flavor options: original, supreme, and zesty pepperoni. These weren’t just pizza-flavored chips, they were literally made from pizza dough, which gave them that distinctive chewy-crunchy texture that no other snack has managed to replicate. Although the brand was ultimately discontinued after the sale and breakup of Keebler in the late 1990s, Pizzarias developed a cult following. At least two Pizzarias fan groups on Facebook, such as “Bring back Pizzaria Chips made by Keebler” and “Bring Keebler Pizzaria’s Back” are lobbying Utz Quality Foods, the current owner of the trademark, to relaunch the brand; as of October 2023, the groups had over 10,000 Followers. As this person said on the Facebook group, “Pizzerias were amazing. I can never forget their flavor. It’s burned into memory.”
Planters P.B. Crisps
Back in 1992, the company expanded its snack food offerings to include P.B. Crisps. These crunchy treats were like peanut-shaped wafer cookies filled with smooth peanut butter cream. Crisps were also available in chocolate creme and peanut butter and jelly flavors. All three flavors sold modestly in the mid-1990s, disappearing from shelves just a few years after their release. The genius was in the design: these weren’t just any wafer cookies, but perfectly peanut-shaped ones that made eating them feel almost ceremonial. In 2017, Jim at Planters said on X (it was still Twitter at the time), “We appreciate the love for P.B. Crisps, unfortunately, there was not enough consumer demand for us to continue producing it.” It’s hard to believe P.B. Crisps suffered low sales when so many today are trying to get the snack to return (there is even a “bring back Planters P.B. Crisps” website.)
Bubble Jug Powdered Gum
The 1990s were a glory age for bubble gum. Beyond the fun-flavored squares of Bubblicious, Bubble Yum, and Hubba Bubba, gum back then came in all kinds of forms: beepers, tape, bandages, pop rocks, and even powdered in a jug. The powdered gum in the iconic pink jug was perhaps the strangest snack innovation of the decade. The Bubble Jug line was emptied out by Wrigley sometime in the early 2000s. It lay dormant for two decades before the company Iconic Candy picked up the jug and refilled it for a whole new generation in 2024. You’d pour the sweet, fruity powder into your mouth and somehow transform it into actual bubble gum through the magic of saliva and determination. Kim Wiesen, CFO of Iconic Candy, said in a press release, “The iconic pink jug of Bubble Jug is more than just packaging; it’s a symbol engraved in the memories of ’90s kids everywhere … We’re excited to reintroduce this beloved design, offering a tangible piece of nostalgia that fans can hold in their hands once again.”
Creme Savers
In the fall of 1998, Life Savers branched out with a line of hard candy, sans signature holes, called Creme Savers. Made with real cream, these swirly designed suckers, which resembled starlight peppermints, came in Strawberries & Creme, Orange & Creme, and Chocolate & Caramel Creme flavors. These weren’t your typical hard candies, they were sophisticated little flavor bombs that lasted forever in your mouth. The creamy center would slowly meld with the hard outer shell, creating this perfect balance that no modern candy has quite captured. In 2020 Dunkaroos made a triumphant comeback to store shelves and Creme Savers weren’t far behind. They actually did make a comeback in recent years, proving that sometimes our collective craving is powerful enough to resurrect the dead. The fact that they disappeared in the first place still baffles anyone who remembers their perfect flavor combinations.
Fritos Bar-B-Q
In 2018, Frito-Lay did what seemed unfathomable – it discontinued Fritos Bar-B-Q. The backlash was immediate, with a fan starting a Change.org petition, bemoaning that the brand’s Honey BBQ Twists and Chili Cheese flavors were no substitutes. After hearing the demand from eaters, Frito-Lay brought back Fritos Bar-B-Q in limited fashion for the summers of 2020 and 2021 before permanently reinstating the flavor to the roster in 2022. Unlike other barbecue chips that relied on sweet and smoky flavor profiles, Fritos Bar-B-Q had this unique corn chip base that absorbed the seasoning differently. In the summer of 2024, the ranch flavor returned yet again, branded with the series “Yellowstone.” Fans were beyond ready to snap up and eat the flavor that already tasted pre-dipped. The corn crunch combined with that specific barbecue blend created something that was simultaneously familiar yet impossible to find elsewhere.
Butterfinger BBs
Butterfinger BB’s were addictive, marble-sized, crunchy nods to the classic Butterfinger bar. Rolling into stores in the early 1990s, the candy quickly became a snack-time favorite thanks in part to playful campaigns featuring “The Simpsons,” which helped paint them as the coolest candy bite around. Of course, the bite-sized nature of this candy also made for a great movie theater treat. These weren’t just mini Butterfingers, they were perfectly spherical pieces of heaven that you could pop in your mouth like expensive candy. By 2006, however, this candy was suddenly gone. Many wondered why BB’s were discontinued, but Nestlé didn’t provide an explanation. The crispy, honeycomb center coated in chocolate was impossible to eat just one of, and their disappearance left a hole in the snack aisle that regular Butterfinger bars just couldn’t fill. There’s an online petition to bring them back, claiming today’s Butterfinger Bites just don’t compare to these marble-sized treats.
Shark Bites Fruit Snacks
Shark Bites hit all the markers of a great ’90s nostalgia snack: novelty shape, brightly colored packaging, and a transformation to a nearly unrecognizable product by the dawn of the new millennium. These shark-shaped gummies hit shelves in 1988 and peaked in the early 1990s when commercials for the shark-shaped gummies framed the General Mills product as a more exciting alternative to the average fruit snack. Made by Betty Crocker (a General Mills brand), Shark Bites had a similar taste and texture to the popular ’80s snack Fruit Wrinkles, but with an edgier twist. Part of the thrill of eating Shark Bites was the hunt for the elusive single Great White-shaped gummy in every package. At one point, Shark Bites came with a few special pieces of shark teeth in the package. The anticipation of finding that coveted Great White shark in your pouch was like winning a tiny, edible lottery. Betty Crocker still sells Shark Bites, but the current product bears little resemblance in taste or appearance to its ’90s predecessor. You won’t find any chalky white or tooth-shaped pieces in the version on shelves today, making some fans of the original fruit snack wonder: What’s even the point?
Altoids Sours
Few mints from the early 2000s incite nostalgia quite like Altoids Sours. Kids would carry them around in their backpacks to share between classes, and the familiar sound of them clinking in the tin would turn heads. They were technically considered mints, though the unforgettable mouth‑puckering punch and fruity flavors made them taste more like candy. These weren’t your grandpa’s breath mints, they were tiny flavor grenades that could make your face scrunch up in the most delightfully painful way. The satisfying metallic click of the tin opening was almost as addictive as the sour candies inside. To the dismay of many, Altoids Sour were discontinued around 2010. After our mouths had time to heal from the sourness, it was announced they’d be making a comeback in late 2024, with the original flavors of mango, tangerine, and citrus. Trading these tins during school became its own form of currency, and the empty tins found second lives as storage containers for everything from coins to secret notes.
Squeezits
Squeezits were the lunchbox staple in the 1980s (and 1990s, too). According to General Mills, the maker of the Squeezit, the fruit juice in a squeezable bottle was launched in 1985. It originally came in four flavors: red punch, orange, grape, and cherry. By 1992, more flavors were offered and the bottles changed to feature their faces, like Silly Billy Strawberry, Smarty Arty Orange, and Berry B. The plastic bottle design was revolutionary for its time, allowing kids to literally squeeze every last drop of sugary goodness. The cartoon characters on each bottle had personalities that somehow made the drinks taste different, even though they were probably all just variations of high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavoring. Squeezit was the quintessential fun drink for ’90s kids, packaged in a squeezable plastic bottle. The vibrant colors and fruity flavors made it a lunchbox favorite, particularly because of its interactive design. Bursting with nostalgia, many remember the thrill of twisting off the cap. Although it was a hit, Squeezit disappeared from shelves as tastes shifted.
WOW! Chips (Olestra)
Commercials for WOW boasted that Olean fried chips had none of the fat of traditional fried potato chips with all the familiar salty, crispy taste. Frito Lay released WOW versions of its Ruffles, Lays, and Doritos brands and collected a whopping $347 million in sales in the first year. These chips promised the impossible: all the taste with none of the guilt. They were the holy grail of snack foods, until reality set in. But, it didn’t take long for consumer complaints to start pouring in. The wonder chips were found to cause digestive distress in many people, a direct side-effect of Olestra. According to a review by Lawson KD, Middleton SJ, and Hassall CD, Olestra can’t be absorbed by the digestive system, it creates a laxative effect which can manifest as anything from mild cramping to severe diarrhea. In 2004, Frito-Lay did its best to save its fat-free chips by swapping the WOW label for “light”, although it continued using Olean in its recipe. Frito Lay eventually discontinued its production of fat-free chips entirely. Unlike other iconic products of the 1990s, WOW chips are one snack no one wants to make a comeback.
These forgotten gas station gems represent more than just snacks, they’re edible time capsules that capture the experimental spirit of the nineties. Whether it was the satisfying crunch of Pizzarias or the mouth-puckering intensity of Altoids Sours, each treat offered something unique that today’s sanitized snack landscape seems to have forgotten. The fact that so many of these products have dedicated Facebook groups and petition campaigns proves that our collective sweet tooth has a long memory. What do you think? Which of these forgotten favorites would you most want to see make a triumphant return to gas station shelves?