10 Nostalgic Candies from your Childhood that were Discontinued
3 min reading time
Some candies are just too good to forget. Others were trademarks of our childhood, whether we'd choose to eat them today or not. We're here to take you on a trip down memory lane with 10 discontinued candies from your childhood. Cue the nostalgia.
Fruit String Things
General Mill's Fruit String Things were not only tasty, but super fun to play with! Any 90's kid can appreciate this chewy fruit snack as one of the greatest of all time, but as all good things must come to an end, they were discontinued years later.
Wonder Balls
Originally known as Nestle Magic, these chocolate balls enclosed the ultimate surprise with a variety of tiny kids' toys. However, in 1997, they were discontinued after being deemed a 'choking hazard' for children. They made a comeback as the better known Wonderball in 2000, and the newly branded treat was filled with candy instead. You can find the new Wonderballs right on our website!
Butterfinger BB's
Bart Simpson helped us all fall in love with Butterfinger BB's back in the early 1990s, showcasing his favorite candy on 'The Simpsons.' Although extremely easy to melt into a chocolatey mess, their crispy, crunchy, peanut buttery goodness was just too tasty to care. There was quite an uproar after their discontinuation in 2006, leading to a tweaked revival in 2009 known as Butterfinger Bites, but they're just not the same.
Space Dust Sizzling Candy
Introduced by General Foods in 1978, Space Dust was essentially the sequel to Pop Rocks, which were introduced two years earlier. After parents complained the name was too similar to the drug, Angel Dust, and worried about it's safety, the creator took out full page ads to try and ease their concerns. It apparently was simply not enough, however, as they were discontinued shortly after.
Marathon Bars
The coolest part about a Marathon Bar was it's whopping 8' size, complete with a ruler built into the wrapper for full disclosure. The caramel covered chocolate was a great buy as it lasted a long time, but unfortunately, the production itself did not. In 1983, after only 8 years, they were removed from shelves due to low sales. You can now find a new version created by Cadbury, called the Curly Wurly, but only in the UK.
Garbage Can-Dy
With such a clever name, these candy-filled plastic trash cans were a hit with kids; and only kids. The super sugary candies were shaped like items youd find in the garbage, such as bottles, fishbones, old shoes and more. When the Topps factory in Pennsylvania closed in 1996, the production was never picked up by anyone else.
Ouch! Bubble Gum
Despite its discontinuation decades ago, Ouch! Bubble Gum was an unforgettable candy from the 90's. This may be due to predecessors like Bubble Tape, Double Bubble and more keeping their spirit alive today. These sticks of gum, featuring flavors like grape, watermelon and strawberry, were packaged in a unique metal container to look like an actual Band Aid tin.
Shark Bites
These bite-sized fruit snacks by Betty Crocker first came out in 1988, but the great white sharks weren't added to the mix until later. These chalky chews were quite tasty, but eventually were removed entirely once Betty Crocker vowed to stop using all artificial colors. Technically, these candies do still exist, but the original recipe we loved so much is extinct.
GatorGum
Gatorade released GatorGum in the 1980's, marketing the same thirst-quenching ability that their drinks are known for. But in reality, their tart flavor had a slightly different effect on your tastebuds, leading to an eventual removal from stores.
Bar None
Hershey's debut into the gourmet chocolate bar game all began with their Bar None in 1986. A chocolate-covered cocoa wafer filled with more chocolate AND peanuts offered a delicious combination of all the best parts of any chocolate bar. Unfortunately, after 11 years of mediocre sales, they were discontinued for good. Lucky for us, we can still enjoy those same classic ingredients in so many other Hershey treats.
