10 Strange Product Disappearances No One Ever Explained
Unsolved mysteries lurk in the world of product disappearances, where beloved items vanish without explanation, leaving behind curious fans and unanswered questions that still spark nostalgia and speculation today.
- Alyana Aguja
- 3 min read
From offbeat soft drinks to cult fast food favorites, some products simply vanished into thin air, leaving their consumers bewildered and fascinated. Some were discontinued because they didn’t sell very well, others were dropped for reasons never fully disclosed, generating urban legends and conspiracy theories galore. All these bizarre product disappearances are a captivating marketing history milestone, leaving behind a line of unresolved questions and a feeling of nostalgia for what might have been.
1. Crystal Pepsi
Image from Sporked
Introduced in the early ’90s, Crystal Pepsi was a caffeine-free, clear-colored soda intended to represent purity and wellness. Even after a massive publicity campaign—a Super Bowl commercial—within one year, it had disappeared. Pepsi never provided a satisfactory explanation, but insiders attributed it to in-house sabotage and public misunderstanding.
2. Altoids Sours
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These tangy little sweets gained a cult following in the 2000s with tangerine and raspberry flavors. Then, in 2010, for no public reason, they were discontinued altogether. Their fans continue to clamor for their return, but their maker says nothing.
3. Apple Newton
Image from WIRED
Launched in 1993, the Apple Newton was a groundbreaking personal digital assistant (PDA) years ahead of its time. Even with its groundbreaking features, it vanished by 1998, replaced by silence and Steve Jobs’ disdain. Some claim Apple killed it out of shame, but it quietly set the foundations for later iPhones.
4. Surge Soda
Image from The Soda Wiki - Fandom
Coca-Cola’s response to Mountain Dew, Surge, was a neon-green, super-caffeinated beverage introduced in 1997. It gained a devoted teen fan base but mysteriously disappeared by 2003 for no apparent reason. Rumors attribute the reason to poor sales, but the brand’s devoted enthusiasts still plead for a full-time return.
5. McDonald’s McDLT
Image from Life In Pleasantville
The McDLT was a 1980s burger with hot and cold compartments meant to “keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool.” It was discontinued in the early ‘90s, possibly due to its bulky, environmentally unfriendly packaging. McDonald’s never gave a formal reason, adding to the mystique.
6. OK Soda
Image from Videos Index on TIME.com
In 1993, Coca-Cola launched OK Soda to Gen X with ironic, near-anti-marketing campaigns. It was strange and cynical and flopped, slowly vanishing in less than two years. The failure is a marketing school legend, but nobody ever gave a straight answer as to why it failed.
7. Reese’s Elvis Peanut Butter & Banana Cups
Image from Reddit
This special-edition Reese’s variety debuted in 2007 as a tribute to Elvis Presley’s beloved sandwich. It became extremely popular but was recalled within months, never to be seen again. Hershey’s never commented on why, allowing speculation on licensing or manufacturing issues.
8. E.T. Atari Game
Image from Wikipedia
Often called the worst video game ever made, Atari’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released in 1982 and bombed so badly that millions of unsold cartridges were allegedly buried in a New Mexico landfill. The burial was an urban legend for years until it was proven true in 2014. Atari never officially addressed why the game was greenlit in such a rush.
9. Heinz EZ Squirt Colored Ketchup
Image from Museum of Failure
Remember green and purple ketchup? In the early 2000s, Heinz released neon-colored condiments for children, which surprisingly sold quite well for a time. Then—poof—they were gone, and Heinz never really explained why, leaving behind confused nostalgia.
10. Lifesavers Holes
Image from Dinosaur Dracula!
A spin-off of the Lifesavers candy, Holes consisted of small, punch-sized drops which were sold in flip-top dispensers in the early ’90s. Although they enjoyed popularity, they suddenly disappeared without a word, and no one ever explained why. Even the parent company of Lifesavers never commented on their vanishing.