The Best ’80s Snacks Everyone Loved — Eat This Not That

By Ghuman

Introduction

The ’80s were a time of excess and indulgence, and snacks were no exception. From classic candy bars to sugary cereals, the ’80s were a time of delicious treats. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best ’80s snacks that everyone loved. We’ll also provide some healthier alternatives for those looking to indulge without the guilt. So, grab your favorite ’80s snack and let’s get started!

The Best ’80s Snacks Everyone Loved — Eat This Not That

The ’80s were a time of excess, and that included snacks. From sugary cereals to neon-colored candy, the snacks of the ’80s were a far cry from the health-conscious snacks of today. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t delicious. Here are some of the best ’80s snacks that everyone loved.

Pop Rocks

Pop Rocks were the ultimate ’80s candy. The popping sensation was unlike anything else, and kids everywhere loved it. The candy was so popular that it spawned a whole line of products, including Pop Rocks gum and Pop Rocks ice cream.

Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos

Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos were a game-changer when they were released in 2012. The combination of a crunchy Doritos shell and Taco Bell’s signature fillings was a hit with ’80s kids and adults alike. The tacos are still a popular menu item today.

Fruit Roll-Ups

Fruit Roll-Ups were a staple of ’80s lunchboxes. The sweet, chewy snacks were a hit with kids and adults alike. The original Fruit Roll-Ups were made with real fruit, but today’s versions are made with artificial flavors and colors.

Jell-O Pudding Pops

Jell-O Pudding Pops were a summertime favorite in the ’80s. The frozen treats were a hit with kids and adults alike. The original pudding pops were made with real pudding, but today’s versions are made with artificial flavors and colors.

Teddy Grahams

Teddy Grahams were a popular snack in the ’80s. The bite-sized graham crackers were shaped like teddy bears and came in a variety of flavors. The original Teddy Grahams were made with real honey, but today’s versions are made with artificial sweeteners.

Kool-Aid Bursts

Kool-Aid Bursts were a popular drink in the ’80s. The brightly colored drinks came in a variety of flavors and were a hit with kids and adults alike. The original Kool-Aid Bursts were made with real fruit juice, but today’s versions are made with artificial flavors and colors.

Pixy Stix

Pixy Stix were a popular candy in the ’80s. The brightly colored straws were filled with a sweet, powdery candy that kids loved. The original Pixy Stix were made with real sugar, but today’s versions are made with artificial sweeteners.

Fun Dip

Fun Dip was a popular candy in the ’80s. The candy came in a variety of flavors and was a hit with kids and adults alike. The original Fun Dip was made with real sugar, but today’s versions are made with artificial sweeteners.

Pop Tarts

Pop Tarts were a popular breakfast food in the ’80s. The toaster pastries came in a variety of flavors and were a hit with kids and adults alike. The original Pop Tarts were made with real fruit, but today’s versions are made with artificial flavors and colors.

Twinkies

Twinkies were a popular snack in the ’80s. The spongy cakes were filled with a creamy filling and were a hit with kids and adults alike. The original Twinkies were made with real cream, but today’s versions are made with artificial flavors and colors.

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The 1980s were a time of neon, big hair, punk rock, and lots of junk food. Even if you didn’t live through it personally, you may have second-hand nostalgia thanks to shows like Stranger Things. From New Coke to Dairy Queen blizzards, the ’80s brought us tons of delicious treats.

Here are 25 foods from the 1980s that’ll make you long to return a much simpler decade. Some of them are still available today!

And for more, don’t miss 6 Things You’ll See at Costco This Year.

can of slice soda in ice from 1980s ad
Courtesy of PepsiCo

Once part of PepsiCo, Slice was a line of fruity sodas that survived until the late 2000s. Some of the more out-of-the-box flavors included apple, cherry cola, and fruit punch. No surprise here, but the sugar rush-inducing soda only contained 10 percent fruit juice.

vintage hostess pudding pies
Hostess/YouTube

You may think of HoHos and Twinkies when you think about Hostess. But in the ’80s, the brand’s pudding pies were a crowd-pleaser. A chocolate-covered crust gave way to a creamy vanilla pudding filling; the treat was kind of like a Boston cream pie doughnut. If you want to see the pie in action, here’s a commercial from 1986.

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triple push pops

Although they looked like big glue sticks, Triple Power Push Pops were oversized lollipops, with three flavors in each cylinder. The best part was being able to save the lollipop for later in its cylindrical tube.

dr pepper gum
Oh Mommy Dearest/eBay

In the ’80s, drinking Dr. Pepper soda wasn’t enough—one must also have chewed it. The gum had a liquid filling and emulated Dr. Pepper’s fruity, slightly spiced flavor. It’s discontinued now, but if you’re lucky, you can snag a vintage pack for less than $30.

bottle of hidden valley ranch

Hidden Valley Ranch’s dressing was created in the 1950s, but it took off in the 1980s. According to That ’80s Blog, it wasn’t until 1983 when a shelf-stable recipe was developed and the familiar dressing bottle we know and love (or hate) was born. Suddenly, ranch was being used everywhere, from dousing iceberg lettuce to coating chicken to serving as a pizza dipping sauce.

$12.74 for 2 40-oz bottles
at Amazon

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RELATED: This 7-day smoothie diet will help you shed those last few pounds.

original new york seltzer water

Before La Croix had its moment, the sparkling water spotlight shone on Original New York Seltzer, which debuted in 1981. (La Croix had been invented, but, it wasn’t nearly as known yet.) Original New York was known for its mini glass bottles and colorless carbonated water, which came in flavors like root beer, vanilla, and raspberry. It was eventually discontinued, but it was brought back in 2015. You can buy some on Amazon today.

box of giggles cookies from 1980s commercial
Nabisco/YouTube

Giggles Cookies were kind of like Oreos (and even made by the same parent company, Nabisco), but with terrifying faces on them. Inside the sandwiched cookies were both fudge and vanilla cream fillings.

RELATED: Learn how to harness the power of tea to lose weight.

squeezit
General Mills/YouTube

Even for ’90s kids, these radioactive-colored bottles with a twist cap are iconic. You had to squeeze the bottle to extract the fruit-flavored juice. Flavors in the lineup included Chucklin’ Cherry, Berry B. Wild, and Grumpy Grape. They reappeared for a bit in 2006 but were gone again quickly after.

keebler magic middles
Courtesy of Keebler

Those tree-dwelling Keebler Elves once graced our shelves with their Fudge Magic Middle cookies. The circular cookie was made of shortbread, and the inside featured a soft, fudgy chocolate filling. Although they were discontinued, their legend lives on, thanks to a Facebook page demanding their return.

funny feet ice cream on stick
Walls/YouTube

If you want proof that the ’80s were weird, look no further than the British Funny Feet ice cream. The composition was strange—strawberry-flavored ice cream in the shape of a foot stuck on a Popsicle stick—but the ice cream was delightful. They disappeared in the 1990s but made a comeback in 2013.

post smurf berry crunch cereal
Post/YouTube

The animated series The Smurfs ran from 1981 to 1989, and during that period, the characters were honored with their own branded cereal by Post. Smurf Berry Crunch wasn’t blue, but a mixture of red and purple. Eventually, it was replaced by Smurf Magic Berries, which had star-shaped marshmallows in it.

fat frog ice cream commercial cartoon
Good Humor/YouTube

Hailing from Ireland, Fat Frog ice cream was another frozen treat of the time. It was shaped like a frog and had gumball eyes. Appetizing!

dixie drumstix crackers box
Nabisco/Facebook

Mmm… chicken-flavored crackers, for when you want chicken without any of the protein. They were even shaped like drumsticks!

care bears waffles
Downyflake/YouTube

It’s too bad Instagram wasn’t around at the same time as Care Bears Waffles. With their rainbow specks of berries, these breakfast treats would have been a hit. Sadly, they’ve been relegated to our memories and this vintage ad that insists the waffles are “a bear hug in every bite!”

pepperidge farm star wars cookies
Pepperidge Farm/YouTube

Star Wars has had a ton of merchandise throughout the years. Possibly the most delicious of the bunch, though, were the Pepperidge Farm cookies that paid homage to the sci-fi favorite. There were three different flavors released in 1983: peanut butter, vanilla, and chocolate. Each box contained cookies shaped like beloved characters from the movies—even Jabba the Hut made an appearance.

Wondering what everyone else is eating? Don’t miss The 25 Most Popular Snack Brands in America.

crisp apple pop tarts

You can still find Pop-Tarts in myriad flavors on the grocery shelves, but you won’t find Dutch Apple. The flavor was launched in the ’70s but was one of the official Pop-Tart flavors of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team. We’re not saying eating Pop-Tarts will help you win an Olympic medal, but the team did go on to win eight of them in Sarajevo, so you decide.

Famous amos bite size chocolate chip cookies
Walmart

After working as a talent scout for the William Morris agency, Wally Amos turned his aunt’s chocolate chip cookie recipe into the crispy, chocolatey treats we know and love today. He created the brand in 1975, but it wasn’t until the ’80s that it took off. He no longer owns his namesake cookies, but fortunately for us, they’re still on grocery store shelves.

$27.52 for 80 bags
at Amazon

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box of sunkist fruit snacks

What’s better than real fruit? Fun Fruits. Which were small, gummy, and grew on Fun Fruit trees, obviously. They aren’t called Fun Fruits anymore, but you can still get Sunkist fruit snacks today.

totinos pizza rolls

Jeno’s Pizza Rolls were developed in the late 1960s, but in the 1980s, the brand was sold to Pillsbury. It was rebranded as Totino’s Pizza Rolls, which is the brand we all know and love today.

$58 for 160 rolls
at Amazon

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burger king french toast sticks with syrup dip

Until the mid-1980s, Burger King’s breakfast menu was almost the same as McDonald’s. Then the company revamped it by adding French Toast Sticks, a tasty treat that was easy to eat on the go.

And if you want to get nostalgic, check out these 19 Old Happy Meal Toys That’ll Bring You Back to Your Childhood.

Dairy queen chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard

Although Dairy Queen had been around a long time, it wasn’t until 1985 that the now-iconic Blizzard was introduced. A thick milkshake with candy mix-ins, the treat is so thick that DQ employees will turn it upside down to show you how thick it is.

lunchables ham cheddar

You might think of Lunchables more as ’90s treats, but they came out in 1989. Sorry to the ’80s kids who preceded them and missed out on these fun, processed meal kits.

tcby cake batter soft serve
Courtesy of TCBY

Remember the frozen yogurt boom of the early 2000s? Well before that, there was TCBY. Frozen yogurt was the must-have treat, especially once The Country’s Best Yogurt (TCBY) went national in the ’80s.

lean cuisine mac and cheese

A sub-brand of Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine launched in 1981 as a lighter alternative to the classic frozen meals. Although it had a strong emphasis on dieting in the ’80s, today the brand has shifted more towards “wellness.”

doritos cool ranch chips bag

Doritos, the messy tortilla chips with intense flavors, came out in the mid-1960s, but in 1986 the brand released Cool Ranch. And life hasn’t been the same since.

RELATED: 7 Classic Childhood Snacks You Can Make Yourself

While you might never get your hands on some of these snacks again, the good news is that many of them are still in stores. And if you’re suddenly craving a Blizzard, we don’t blame you.

And for more, check out these 108 most popular sodas ranked by how toxic they are.