'90s Snacks That Were The Peak Of Cool — Now They're Just Weird

If you grew up in the '90s, you're going to recognize names like Crystal Pepsi and Squeezits. In the snack industry, the '90s were a time for experimentation and exploration with a major focus on overstimulating colors, bizarre flavor combinations, and interactive snacks. Some fascinating snacks from the 1990s are still around today, while others have been discontinued, to the dismay of nostalgic fans online and offline. While some of those live on in infamy through cult followings and petitions to bring them back, other iconic 1990s snacks are making a comeback.

1990s snack seemed to follow one rule: the more fructose corn syrup and vibrant artificial colors, the better. 1990s kids were all about interactive foods, too, like the Lunchables that let you build your own meal, or the Fruit Roll-ups that came with tongue tattoos. Let's travel back in time and play with some tasty '90s food. These snacks might seem preposterous now, but in the '90s they were all the rage.

Hubba Bubba bubble gum was launched in 1979 but seemed to reach peak popularity in the '90s, following the release of the iconic pink Hubba Bubba Bubble Tape. The gum tape made the product more interactive, as you could measure out exactly how much gum you wanted to chew and how big you wanted your bubbles to be. To build on this idea of interactive candy, the company released the Hubba Bubba Bubble Jug in 1992. The jug, which for some reason looked like laundry detergent, was filled with pink bubble gum powder that gained the consistency of chewing gum when you chewed it. However, this transformative powder-to-gum invention was discontinued sometime in the early 2000s, according to fans' memories.

Reminiscent gum-lovers relished the unique consistency of the gum so much that the bubble Jug made a triumphant return to shelves in 2024 through the brand Iconic Candy. Kim Wieson, CFO of Iconic Candy, explained, "We're excited to reintroduce this beloved design, offering a tangible piece of nostalgia that fans can hold in their hands once again". Fans seem to be pleased with the reintroduction of their favorite childhood gum, which included the original flavor as well as a "tropical fruits" variant. Users on Reddit claim it tastes the same as they remember.

In the early '90s, Pepsi released a clear soda that tasted like Pepsi but looked plain white. The product was discontinued in 1994 due to low sales, and it's not hard to see why: It's hard to recognize tell Crystal Pepsi from Coca-Cola's Sprite. The clear new drink was marketed as a new-age soft drink for those looking for a "lighter and less sweet" soda. The transparent Pepsi sans-syrup was meant to be a fresh take on "healthy" soda alternatives. Coca-Cola quickly released a competitor to the clear drink called Tab Clear that was allegedly meant to sabotage Crystal Pepsi. Perhaps it worked, because Crystal Pepsi was discontinued only two years after its launch.

Despite its failure in the '90s, Crystal Pepsi inventor David Novak told Business Insider that it was "the best idea I may have ever had in my career." He claims the idea of launching a more "pure" soda was perfectly in line with other marketing trends in the '90s, but he just hadn't been an experienced enough leader yet. Some Redditors agree that if Crystal Pepsi was launched today, it would see great success: "Now with the health consciousness of people, excluding the syrup while maintaining its general taste would be a popular thing with today's market. Clear sodas of all kinds are seemingly preferred nowadays". 

In 1995, Nestlé rolled out a unique (and slightly gross) product just in time to promote a Lion King spin-off show called "Timon and Pumbaa". The box featured the infamous sidekicks, and the pops were sold in cherry and grape flavors, both with an orange center. In true Hakuna Matata spirit, the colorful ice pops were filled with gummy bugs, so kids could feel like they were eating just like the famous meerkat and warthog. These promotional treats might not have been a hit, but they were popular with some '90s kids, and many still remember them fondly.

Nestlé discontinued the Bug Pops in 1997, and the show was cancelled 2 years later. Nostalgic fans on Reddit recall the gummy insects to be particularly delicious, though it's hard to say how genuine the sentiment is. Despite some former '90s kids wishing for the return of these unique insect-filled popsicles, it is unlikely we will see one, since they were promotional material for a television show. And honestly, bug-filled popsicles feel like the perfect treat to leave in the '90s.

Who could forget Dunkaroos, the famous '90s pantry staple that allowed kids to dip mini cookies into frosting? Betty Crocker released the snack in 1990, only for them to be discontinued in 2012, to the disappointment of American sweet tooths. They remained on shelves in Canada, prompting the "Smugglaroo" marketing campaign in 2016. The marketing initiative encouraged Canadians to "smuggle" the product to nostalgic Dunkaroos-craving Americans who missed their favorite '90s treat. The campaign even had its own website, though it too followed the fate of the Dunkaroos and was discontinued.

General Mills only announced the return of Dunkaroos to American shelves in the summer of 2020, to the excitement of nostalgic fans. The snack returned in three flavors: vanilla cookies with rainbow sprinkle frosting, chocolate cookies with chocolate frosting, and cinnamon toast crunch cookies with cinnamon frosting. Fans online debate whether the cookies taste the same as the original recipe or if nostalgia has clouded their taste buds. Some fans on Reddit described the new Dunkaroos as being quite different, especially the frosting. Others have turned to their own devices by dipping Nilla wafers in funfetti icing, dubbing them "Adultaroos".

Squeezits were released by General Mills, home of other iconic brands like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Häagen-Dazs, and Pillsbury, in the mid '80s. The snack really became a staple of the '90s for its interactive packaging. True to its name, you had to squeeze the plastic bottle to get the juice out. Each flavor was accompanied by a unique character, and the bright colors and interactive packaging made them an immediate hit with '90s kids.

Reminiscent fans fondly remember the version that came with tablets that could be dropped into the drink to change the color. Despite initial popularity, the fruit drinks were ultimately discontinued in 2001. There was an attempt to bring them back in 2006, only for them to disappear from shelves again the following year. Some fans have started a petition to show support for General Mills' iconic juice, but to no avail. Some fans speculate that the sugary juice would likely not do as well today and belongs in the '80s and '90s, when health concerns around food were less prevalent.

If you grew up in the '90s, it's likely you still remember the iconic 1998 Baby Bottle Pops and their catchy commercial jingle. Bazooka Brands, which owns the candy, even got the Jonas Brothers involved to make a commercial in which they sing the Baby Bottle Pop theme song. You were meant to lick and dip the hard candy pop into the powdered sugar, capitalizing on '90s kids' love for interactive food.

Despite the bizarre shape of the candy, the Baby Bottle Pops are still around today, and the company has released some new and different iterations that still feature the iconic baby-bottle shape. In February 2025, the company released Baby Bottle Pop Twisters in the flavors Strawberry, Blue Raspberry, Watermelon, and Berry Blast. The Twisters are a chewy candy version of the original hard candy with a sour powder core, and the company recruited NBA all-star Donovan Mitchel to be the face of the new product. However, nostalgic '90s kids will be happy to know that the original Baby Bottle Pops still grace the shelves of grocery stores all over the U.S.

The Clearly Canadian Beverage Company, known for its flavored waters, released Orbitz Sodas in 1996. The beverage was unique for the small edible gel orbs that floated in the drink and tasted like fruit. The orbs that were suspended in the soda made the drink look like a lava lamp, and it piqued consumer interest enough to be distributed across the U.S. Sadly, they were quickly ripped from shelves in 1999.

Despite initial interest in this chewable drink, customers claimed that the drink itself just didn't taste very good. A response to a Reddit thread called "Orbitz Drinks. Did anyone actually enjoy these?" stated, "Looking at them, yes. Actually drinking them? Not so much". The drink does still have a cult following of nostalgic fans, but it seems unlikely that Orbitz will make a return. As a representative of the company explained to The News Press in 2015, "Clearly Canadian spent 15 million dollars developing that drink in the 90s and all of that equipment is gone." Since then, the company has also sold the trademark for the name "Orbitz" to a travel company.

In 1991, Keebler released a novel snack called Pizzarias. These pizza-flavored chips seem to have been the first of their kind to use actual pizza dough as an ingredient. The chips came in three flavors: Cheese Pizza, Pizza Supreme, and Zesty Pepperoni. Fans in the "Bring Keebler Pizzarias Back" Facebook group recall the chips having a distinct "crisp pastry quality," which could be attributed to the use of pizza dough. According to the group, they were packed with flavor, with some nostalgic fans claiming that the flavor powder was as thick as the chip. It's hard to imagine that this was a selling point, but they were different times.

Unfortunately, Pizzarias are no longer available today, despite online communities eager to get their favorite pizza-flavored snack back. The Keebler company was sold and broken up in the late '90s, and the new owners chose to discontinue the chips. However, the good news is that there are tons of new pizza-flavored snacks to pick from, from Goldfish to Doritos, though some would argue that they don't hold a candle to the originals.

The PB Max candy bar was a peanut butter-lover's dream. The candy bar featured a crispy whole-grain cookie covered in creamy peanut butter and milk chocolate. Originally released in 1989, the Mars company marketed the product as having real peanut butter with the slogan "We mean peanut butter." Fans online distinctly remember the commercial to this day, which claimed that the "PB" in the candy's name stood for peanut butter, and not for piggy bank, pink baboon, portly ballerina, or any other combination of P and B. This rings like a bit of an obsession now, but it made sense two decades ago, when PB Max still hadn't made a name for itself.

While there are certainly some snacks from the '90s that we don't miss, this is one that impress consumers. However, the Mars company discontinued the treat in 1994, to the great disappointment and confusion of fans. Strange rumors swirled that the PB Max bar was discontinued because the Mars family didn't like peanut butter, although these were never substantiated. Nostalgia for the candy continues online, as fans fondly recall the distinct taste of the '90s treat.