13 Forgotten Snacks You'd Only Find at Gas Stations in the 1960s

Back in the 1960s, a gas station was more than a place to fuel up. It was a quick stop for road trip snacks, cold drinks, and treats you grabbed before hitting the highway. The shelves were stocked with simple, salty, sweet, and sometimes strange goodies that road-trippers loved. Many of those snacks have since faded away, pushed out by big modern brands and changing tastes. A few still hang on in tiny amounts, but most are just memories now. Here are thirteen forgotten snacks that once defined the 1960s gas station stop and have nearly disappeared today.

1. Pickled Eggs in Jars

Sitting right by the register, big glass jars held pink or pale pickled eggs floating in cloudy brine. Drivers would grab one for a cheap, filling snack on a long trip. They were salty, tangy, and a little intimidating to anyone who had never tried one. The eggs soaked in vinegar for ages, giving them a sharp bite. For truckers and road-trippers, they were a quick protein hit with no fuss. As packaged snacks took over and food safety standards tightened, those mysterious jars slowly vanished. Today you almost never see them, and most younger drivers have never tried one.

2. Beef Jerky from a Jar

Long before sleek packaged strips, gas stations sold tough, dried beef jerky straight from a big jar on the counter. You picked your piece and paid by the strip. It was chewy, super salty, and built to last for hours in a glove box. Road-trippers loved it as a snack that never went bad on the road. The flavor was simple, and the texture took real effort to chew. Modern jerky now comes in tidy, resealable bags with fancy flavors. The old jar version, sold loose and unbranded, has completely disappeared from the roadside snack scene.

3. Penny Candy by the Handful

Gas stations kept bins and boxes of loose penny candy that kids could grab a handful of for just a few coins. There were chewy pieces, hard candies, and little sweets in every color. Parents would hand over a nickel and let the kids pick their own mix. The fun was in choosing and the cheap thrill of getting a lot for almost nothing. As prepackaged candy bars took over and loose candy raised hygiene worries, those open bins disappeared. The penny candy selection that once made gas station stops exciting for kids is now basically a thing of the past.

4. Moon Pies

The Moon Pie was a round snack of two cookies with marshmallow in the middle, all dipped in chocolate. Cheap and filling, it was a road-trip favorite, often paired with a soda. Drivers grabbed them for a sweet energy boost on long drives. The soft cookie and gooey marshmallow made it satisfying without costing much. While Moon Pies still exist today, they were once a true gas station icon found at nearly every stop. Now they are far less common on roadside shelves, mostly remembered fondly by those who grew up grabbing one for the road.

5. Bottled Sodas in Glass

Before plastic took over, gas stations had coolers full of ice-cold sodas in glass bottles, often opened on a built-in bottle opener right on the cooler. Local and regional flavors you cannot find now lined the shelves. The cold glass and that hiss of the cap coming off were part of the magic. Many of those small soda brands have long since vanished. Big national companies and plastic bottles changed everything. While glass bottle sodas pop up as a novelty today, the wide variety of cheap regional ones that filled 1960s gas station coolers is mostly gone.

6. Cheese and Cracker Tins

Some gas stations sold little tins or packs of crackers paired with a spreadable cheese and a tiny red plastic spreader. It was a self-contained snack perfect for eating in the car. The cheese was processed and shelf-stable, lasting forever without a fridge. Drivers liked it as a quick, no-mess bite between meals. The combo felt almost fancy for a roadside stop. As fresher, flashier snacks came along, the old-school cheese-and-cracker sets faded. A few similar products remain, but the classic 1960s gas-station version has largely disappeared from shelves.

7. Sardines in Small Tins

Tiny flat tins of sardines were a common sight at 1960s gas stations, offering a cheap, protein-packed snack for hungry travelers. You peeled back the lid and ate them right out of the can, often with crackers. They were salty, oily, and an acquired taste for sure. Truckers and budget-minded drivers relied on them for a filling bite. The smell alone kept some people away. As snack tastes shifted toward sweeter, less fishy options, sardines lost their roadside spot. While you can still find them in grocery stores, they have all but vanished from gas station shelves.

8. Circus Peanuts

These big, orange, peanut-shaped marshmallow candies had a strange banana flavor and a spongy texture. They were dirt cheap and sold loose or in bags at gas station counters. Kids either loved them or found them bizarre, but they were everywhere on the road. The flavor did not match the peanut shape at all, which added to the oddness. They were sweet, chewy, and a little stale-tasting even when fresh. As candy got more sophisticated, these quirky treats slowly disappeared from most stops. Circus peanuts still exist in some stores, but they are a rare and divisive roadside find now.

9. Salted Peanuts in the Shell

Bags of salted peanuts still in their shells were a classic gas station grab, perfect for cracking open while driving. People would crack them one by one and toss the shells, making the snack last for miles. They were cheap, salty, and satisfying without being messy in the hands. Some folks even dropped them into a bottle of cola for an old Southern trick. As pre-shelled and flavored nuts became popular, the simple in-shell bag lost favor. You can still find peanuts today, but the in-shell version that defined 1960s road trips is much harder to spot now.

10. Slim Jim Originals

Early Slim Jims were thin, spicy meat sticks sold individually at gas station counters for just pennies. They were chewy, greasy, and packed with a salty, smoky kick that road-trippers loved. Grabbing one or two for the drive was a common ritual. The original versions were simpler than today’s flashy branded sticks. While Slim Jims still exist in modern form, the loose, no-frills originals sold one at a time have changed a lot. The whole experience of picking a single stick from a jar by the register is a piece of gas station history that has mostly faded away.

11. Hostess Fruit Pies

Individually wrapped fruit pies were a hearty gas station snack, filled with apple, cherry, or lemon and coated in a sweet glaze. Big enough to count as a small meal, they fueled many a long drive. The flaky crust and gooey filling made them a road trip favorite for hungry travelers. They were cheap, filling, and did not need a fridge. While some fruit pies still exist, the variety and prominence they once had at gas stations have shrunk significantly. The dependable rack of fruit pies that greeted 1960s drivers is now far less common on the road.

12. Charms Hard Candy

Charms were square hard candies sold in little stacked rolls, each one a bright fruit flavor. Cheap and long-lasting, they were perfect for sucking on during a long, boring stretch of highway. Drivers kept them in the car to stay alert and beat boredom. The flavors were simple, and the candies took ages to finish, which was part of the appeal. As softer, flashier candies took over, these basic hard squares lost their spot at the register. Charms have become quite rare, and the steady supply that once filled 1960s gas station shelves has mostly disappeared from sight.

13. Sen-Sen Breath Fresheners

Sen-Sen were tiny black licorice-flavored breath fresheners sold in small paper packets at gas station counters. Drivers used them to freshen up after coffee or a smoke on the road. The flavor was intense and old-fashioned, a strong burst of licorice in a tiny square. They were not quite candy and not quite mint, sitting in their own odd category. For decades, they were a counter staple at roadside stops. As modern mints and gums took over, this peculiar little freshener faded out. Sen-Sen is now extremely hard to find, a forgotten relic of the 1960s gas station counter.

• Tags:
• Gas Station
• 1960s Snacks
• Road Trip
• Vintage Food
• Retro Nostalgia