15 Breakfast Foods from the ’70s You’ll Never Find Again
These groovy breakfast throwbacks were once kitchen staples; now, they’re just retro memories.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
The 1970s brought us funky fashion, disco beats, and some truly unique breakfast options. From sugary cereals to oddball convenience meals, morning tables back then looked wildly different. Here are 15 breakfast foods from the ‘70s that have all but vanished from store shelves—and probably won’t be coming back.
1. Freakies Cereal
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Marketed with a cast of quirky cartoon monsters, Freakies was pure sugar in every bite. Kids loved the box as much as the cereal.
2. Carnation Breakfast Bars
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Not quite a meal, not quite a snack—these chewy bars promised all breakfast nutrients in one bite. They were a hit with on-the-go families but quietly faded out by the early ’80s.
3. Waffelos Cereal
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Maple-flavored waffle-shaped cereal pieces? That’s what Waffelos delivered. While it had a loyal fan base, it couldn’t compete with bigger cereal brands for long.
4. Danish Go-Rounds
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A forerunner to Pop-Tarts, these oval pastries were supposed to feel fancier. They never quite hit the sweet spot and were gone before the decade ended.
5. Maypo Hot Cereal
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The commercial’s “I want my Maypo!” slogan was iconic, but the maple-flavored oatmeal lost traction. Once a rival to Cream of Wheat, it fell out of favor with modern tastes.
6. Buc Wheats Cereal
~ tOkKa on Flickr
Wheat flakes glazed with maple syrup gave Buc Wheats a unique crunch. General Mills changed the recipe in the ’80s, and fans bailed instantly.
7. Log Cabin Syrup in a Can
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Before the plastic bottles, this maple-flavored syrup came in a little metal tin. It was a pantry fixture, but time and packaging trends moved on.
8. Post Fortified Oat Flakes
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This hearty flake cereal packed in iron and nutrients but lacked flavor. Kids didn’t love it, and parents moved on to tastier alternatives.
9. Kellogg’s Concentrate Cereal
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This tiny, dense cereal came in a small gold box and was meant to be extra nutritious. People often mixed it with other cereals, but it never took off solo.
10. Nabisco Toastettes
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Basically Pop-Tarts’ forgotten cousin, Toastettes came in fruity and cinnamon flavors. They lost the breakfast pastry war and were discontinued in the early 2000s.
11. Quake Cereal
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Created as a counterpart to Quisp, Quake had a miner mascot and a more robust corn flavor. It fizzled out in the cereal wars and was gone by mid-decade.
12. Pillsbury Space Food Sticks
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Inspired by NASA meals, these chewy sticks were meant to be futuristic nutrition on the go. They were strange, spongy, and fun for kids—until they weren’t.
13. Danka Donuts Cereal
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On paper, mini chocolate donut-shaped cereal pieces sounded great. However, the taste didn’t deliver, and sales never took off.
14. General Mills Body Buddies
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Designed as a healthier alternative to sugary cereals, Body Buddies just didn’t win over kids. The name didn’t help either; it sounded more like a workout program.
15. Kellogg’s Krumbles
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This odd, shredded wheat-based cereal lasted much longer than expected. Its dry, hay-like texture never reached mainstream appeal.