15 ’80s Lunchroom Treats That Are No Longer Made
Nostalgia packs a punch when it comes to the treats that defined our lunch hours.
- Alyana Aguja
- 5 min read
In the ’80s, school lunch wasn’t just about sandwiches and juice boxes — it was a marketplace of snack-time legends. From peanut butter-packed bars to pizza-flavored crisps, these now-extinct treats tell the story of a generation raised on bright packaging and big flavor. While these snacks have vanished from shelves, they live on in the collective memory of those who once traded, hoarded, and devoured them between classes.
1. PB Max
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A peanut butter lover’s dream, PB Max was a chunky square of creamy peanut butter, oats, and a whole lot of attitude, all wrapped in milk chocolate. Mars introduced it in the late ’80s but quietly killed it off in the early ’90s, allegedly because the Mars family didn’t like peanut butter. For kids who unwrapped this treat at lunch, it was like winning the snack lottery.
2. Keebler Pizzarias
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These pizza-flavored chips made from real pizza dough were wildly popular for a short burst. The cheesy, greasy essence of pizza in a bag made them an instant hit during the lunch hour. Sadly, they disappeared by the mid-’90s, leaving fans heartbroken and snack-deprived.
3. Marathon Bar
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This long, braided caramel-and-chocolate bar stretched out nearly a foot and came in a bright red wrapper with a ruler on the back. While it started in the ’70s, it hung around just long enough into the early ’80s to be remembered fondly by Gen X lunch-packers. Sticky, chewy, and wildly impractical for braces, it was worth every tug.
4. Giggles Cookies
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Imagine sandwich cookies with smiling faces and gooey fillings — Giggles brought that sugary joy. These were Keebler’s answer to Oreos, filled with chocolate and vanilla cream, and each cookie wore a creepy little smile. By the early ’90s, they vanished without much explanation, but kids from the ’80s never forgot those edible emojis.
5. Reggie! Bar
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Named after baseball great Reggie Jackson, this candy bar mixed peanuts, caramel, and chocolate in one chunky, loud bite. It was launched in the late ’70s but hit peak popularity among school kids in the early ’80s. It eventually struck out and was pulled from the shelves, though it made a couple of comebacks no one really noticed.
6. Danish Go-Rounds
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Before Pop-Tarts took over completely, Kellogg’s offered Danish Go-Rounds: toaster pastries with a spiral shape and fruit filling. They were flaky, oddly chewy, and slightly more sophisticated than their square cousins. Despite their charm, they were discontinued by the early ’80s, slipping away quietly like the end of a Saturday cartoon block.
7. Seven Up Bars
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Not related to the soda, the Seven Up Bar had seven tiny squares filled with different fillings — like coconut, cherry, and caramel — all covered in chocolate. It felt like a sampler box crammed into a single candy bar. It disappeared in the ’70s but lingered in vending machines and lunchboxes into the early ’80s before vanishing entirely.
8. Oompas
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Made by the Willy Wonka brand, Oompas were like big, chewy peanut butter and chocolate M&Ms. They were weirdly addictive and often melted in your hand before they ever made it to your mouth. Eventually replaced by Chewy Gobstoppers, Oompas faded into candy obscurity.
9. Pizza Spins
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These wheel-shaped, pizza-flavored snack crackers came from General Mills and had a cult following. They weren’t exactly gourmet, but they scratched a pizza itch during cafeteria swaps. Production stopped in the mid-’70s, but their lunchroom presence carried over into the early ’80s thanks to forgotten pantries and vending machines.
10. Hershey’s Bar None
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Launched in 1987, the Bar None was supposed to be the ultimate chocolate lover’s bar: a crispy wafer with chocolate filling, peanuts, and a thick chocolate coating. It came in a dark brown wrapper and felt like a secret weapon in any lunchbox trade. But by the mid-’90s, Hershey quietly pulled the plug, and it was gone.
11. Tato Skins
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Keebler’s Tato Skins weren’t just potato chips; they were thick, rugged crisps that tasted like actual potato skins with bacon, cheddar, or ranch flavors. They felt heartier than your average chip, perfect for middle school appetites. The brand lives on in name, but the original formula is long gone.
12. Bonkers Fruit Candy
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These chewy, square fruit candies had explosive fruity fillings and chaotic commercials to match. Bonkers were a favorite in brown bags and lunch trays for their bright flavors and ridiculous chewiness. They fell off shelves sometime in the early ’90s, despite a cult fan base.
13. Choco-Bliss
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This Hostess creation was like a cloud of chocolate: cake, pudding filling, and a thick fudge topping. They felt slightly more upscale than Twinkies and gave off major cafeteria royalty vibes. Discontinued in the early ’90s, they still haunt snack nostalgia forums to this day.
14. Dunkaroos (Original Formula)
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Yes, the brand still exists, but the original Dunkaroos with cinnamon graham cookies and sugary vanilla frosting are long gone. The rebooted versions just don’t hit the same way. In the ’80s and early ’90s, nothing beat the feeling of scooping frosting with those kangaroo-stamped cookies during lunchtime.
15. Quackers
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These duck-shaped cheese crackers were Nabisco’s playful answer to Goldfish. They had a lighter, puffier texture and came in a bright blue box that screamed fun. Despite their charm, they vanished sometime in the early ’90s, leaving Goldfish to swim alone.