18 Snacks from the '90s and '00s You Might Not Put in Your Kids' Lunch Today

Ask any millennial and they’ll proudly tell you that growing up in the ‘90s and early 2000s was the best. The internet existed but wasn’t a huge part of daily life. Nickelodeon was at its peak. Having a sleepover was the best way to spend a weekend, especially with a pile of brightly colored, probably-not-very-nutritious snacks.

That era was a hub of snack innovation, and millennials were treated to the best: candy masquerading as granola bars, soda with weird little balls, you name it! In hindsight, many now-grown '90s kids have realized how much sugar, artificial coloring, and who knows what else was in their beloved breakfast bars and juice boxes. Why did we think purple ketchup was a good idea?

While we probably wouldn’t feed our own children this stuff, there’s no denying it was a truly delicious time to be a kid. Ahead, revisit some of the most memorable (and confounding) ‘90s snacks and 2000s snacks. They may have played a starring role in our lunchboxes, but most of them are now “historical” artifacts of a time gone by.

Kudos Bars

Kudos Bars were really just candy bars masquerading as granola bars, often covered with M&Ms or Snickers bits. We never complained if they showed up in our school lunch, but they weren’t exactly health food . Kudos Bars were discontinued in 2017.

Surge

Ah, Surge, the original Red Bull. This bright green soda was a must-have at sleepovers , partially because of its very ‘90s green and orange color scheme and partially because it was packed with sugar. Surge left shelves in 2003 but made a comeback in 2014 thanks to a fan petition. However, most of us who loved it back then couldn’t handle the flavor today.

Squeez-Its & Kool-Aid Bursts

Squeez-Its and Kool Aid Bursts were the best way to cool off on a hot summer day in the ‘90s . You know you twisted off that top and pretended it was a retainer or braces! (Why did we all do that?) Squeez-Its were discontinued in 2001, but you can still buy Kool-Aid Bursts to relieve your childhood.

Fruitopia

Did your school have a Fruitopia vending machine? Coca Cola and Minute Maid introduced their fruit-flavored beverage in the early ‘90s and the colorful concoctions were popular among young people, who considered Fruitopia a “healthier” alternative to soda . That wasn’t really the case, as the drink was just as sugary as a bottle of Coke or Mountain Dew. Fruitopia folded in 2003.

EZ Squirt Ketchup

As a kid, it’s cool when your ketchup comes out green, but as an adult, it’s a little weird, no? Ketchup shouldn’t be blue or green, just saying. Heinz’s EZ Squirt ketchups debuted in 2000 and didn’t last long, probably because, well, squirting purple ketchup on your fries or chicken strips is kinda gross.

Hi-C Ecto Cooler

So many millennials have fond memories of this yellow juice box with Slimer from Ghostbusters floating across the front. The vaguely citrus-flavored drink was an absolute essential in any lunchbox and it lasted surprisingly long on shelves, though Slimer was replaced in the mid-’90s. Ecto Cooler makes occasional comebacks aligned with new Ghostbusters movies , because you can’t beat a classic.

Oreo O’s Cereal

Oreo O’s are another triumphant comeback story; they were introduced in 1997 and were literally Oreos masquerading as breakfast cereal . Oreo O’s were first discontinued in 2007 when Post and Kraft split, but the cereal came back in 2017.

Philadelphia Snack Bars

These delicious cheesecake bars, made with a graham cracker crust, moist cream cheese, and a fruity filling, were so beloved that there’s currently a Change.org petition to bring them back.

Hubba Bubba Bubble Jug

This was just a mess. Why were we making gum out of flakes? Whose parents okayed this? This "innovative" candy was discontinued in the 2000s but did make a comeback this past Spring at select retailers.

Trix Yogurt

Many millennials have a soft spot for the brightly colored (and delicious) Trix Yogurt, which was an elite option for lunch or a snack. The fruity yogurt was discontinued, but briefly returned to shelves in 2021.

Swoops

Swoops were a fusion of Pringles-style chips and chocolate bars, launched by Hershey’s. They weren’t technically chips, but they were shaped like them! Reese’s was the most popular for obvious reasons, but they were also available in milk chocolate, York’s Peppermint Patty, and Almond Joy. Swoops debuted in 2003 and were gone by 2006.

Pizzarias

Keebler’s Pizzarias didn’t last long, but their fans still miss them. As their name suggests, they were chips that tasted like pizza and were actually made from pizza dough. The Zesty Pepperoni flavor was bright red, so it wasn’t safe to eat on the couch. Pizzarias disappeared in the late ‘90s.

3D Doritos

3D Doritos are actually back on shelves, but many grown-up millennials mourn the OG tube version, which was discontinued in 2004. You could eat Doritos without getting nacho cheese fingers! Sadly, nothing gold can stay.

Waffle Crisps

You could have a waffle for breakfast , or you could have an entire bowl of waffles instead. Waffle Crisp, introduced in 1996, was a maple syrupy cereal from Post. (You may remember those “secret recipe” commercials, where kids tried to figure out what was in Waffle Crisp to make it taste so good.) The cereal held on much longer than many items on this list, finally being discontinued in 2018.

Rice Krispie Treats Cereal

What’s better than a bowl of Rice Krispies cereal? A bowl of Rice Krispie Treats cereal, obviously! This sweet cereal was a favorite of ‘ 90s kids , but something so delicious couldn’t last forever. However, Kellogg’s briefly brought it back in the 2010s.

Juice Barrels aka Little Hug

Ask any millennial about those brightly colored juice jugs in the produce section at the grocery store and they’ll know exactly what you mean. We all have a different name for them—juice barrels, juice grenades—and they didn’t have clear branding, but they were a huge part of childhood. And they were basically just sugar water, so there’s that.

SnackWells

SnackWells were hugely popular in the diet culture of the ‘90s as a “fat-free” dessert option, as low-fat and fat-free diets were all the rage. Of course, those cookies and cakes were still high in carbs and sugar, and their popularity waned from there. The brand was finally dissolved in 2022.

Orbitz

A drink with… balls in it? What were we thinking in the ‘90s? Orbitz was the brainchild of the company that gave us Clearly Canadian. It ended within a year of its debut in 1997, but it’s forever floating in our memories.

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