18 Discontinued 1970s Snacks Everyone Loved

The snack foods of the 1970s were a colorful landscape of daring innovations, fun brand names, and flavors that recalled a time that was driven by creativity and change. From the Space Food Sticks that were inspired by astronauts to sports-themed snacks such as the Reggie Bars and popcorn varieties such as the Screaming Yellow Zonkers, these snacks were not simply about taste but about providing a unique experience. These snacks were also about convenience and novelty. Over the years, these snacks have disappeared from store shelves due to consumer behavior, cost, and business decisions. Today, we have the memories of caramel pulls and colorful wrappers that recall a simpler time that was driven by creativity.

1. Space Food Sticks

The Space Food Sticks were placed alongside the candy bars, but they also represented something new. Introduced in the late 1960s and enjoyed throughout the 1970s, these chewy food sticks were offered in peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel varieties. As a symbol of the excitement of the space race, they were a popular choice. Children included them in their lunchboxes, dreaming of going to the moon instead of doing their math homework. While they were dense and had a slightly gritty texture, they were sweet and hard to stop eating. As the world changed, they were no longer popular, and by the 1980s, they were gone.

2. Marathon Bar

The Marathon Bar was close to eight inches in length and had caramel that was braided and then coated with a thick layer of milk chocolate. Introduced to the general market in 1973, the Marathon Bar stood out not only in length but also in that it had a red wrapper with a ruler inside. Children could compare sizes before devouring the strands of caramel. The caramel was hard to pull and took a long time to eat. Despite this, the Marathon Bar gained popularity, but production stopped in the early 1980s. Costs and tastes changed, and the product was forgotten, but people remembered the excitement that came with devouring something that seemed larger than life.

3. Chocolate Flavored Wacky Wafers

While Wacky Wafers were normally fruit-flavored wafers, the chocolate variation provided a sweeter take on the treat in the 1970s. These wafers came in strips, and each wafer was similar to a coin made of sweet chalk. The taste was not as strong as expected, yet the wafers provided a treat for the appetites of young kids. They were easy to share, easy to carry around, and easy to devour in one sitting. Over time, production was stopped as the company focused on other flavors. This variation was forgotten, yet the simple pleasure of eating Wacky Wafers filled many pockets and bags in school yards.

4. Reggie! Bar

This candy was created in 1976 and was named after the baseball star Reggie Jackson. This candy consisted of a combination of peanuts and caramel under a layer of chocolate. This candy was initially marketed at Yankee Stadium, with thousands of them being handed out during a promotional event. The wrappers of this candy featured bold letters to match the stadium atmosphere. This candy was successful, but its distribution was irregular. This candy was no longer available in stores by the early 1980s. This candy represented an era in which sports icons were equally influential in the snack section of stores as cereal mascots.

5. Screaming Yellow Zonkers

Screaming Yellow Zonkers was no ordinary popcorn. Although introduced earlier, the 1970s saw them become widely popular. They had caramel popcorn contained within a bright yellow box adorned with witty sayings. Their packaging was enough to stop people on the street and put a smile on their faces. Eating them was a sweet and crunchy experience, with the popcorn having a hint of roasted corn. Their brand was built on the idea of humor, making the experience of snacking on them a fun one. However, the production of the snacks was soon stopped, with the name remaining synonymous with the brand.

6. Nabisco Swiss Cheese Crackers

Nabisco Swiss Cheese Crackers were small wedges of cheese with small holes stamped into each one. They had a strong, savory taste that was distinct from plain saltines. Families would serve them in bowls at gatherings, and children would eat them by the handful. They were crunchy without being fragile and had a pleasant taste of cheese on the tongue. As the trend for snacks shifted over the years, new versions were developed and gradually replaced the originals. Nabisco discontinued them at some point, and those who miss them search for similar products.

7. Banana Flip

Banana Flip was a soft snack cake with a banana cream filling covered with a chocolate coating. It was manufactured by Hostess in the 1970s. What made the Banana Flip unique was its bright yellow color and its sweet aroma. It was a light sponge cake with a snap from the chocolate coating. It was also a treat put inside the lunchbox at the end of the day. However, the Banana Flip was phased out gradually with the changing product offerings. Though other cakes were still on the market, the Banana Flip remained a favorite among those who preferred fruit-flavored treats rather than the plain taste of vanilla.

8. Koogle Peanut Spread

Koogle Peanut Spread was a spread that made regular bread a sweet treat. It was first introduced by Kraft in the early 1970s and was available in a variety of flavors such as chocolate, cinnamon, and banana. It was unlike regular peanut butter in its taste, which was sweeter and smoother. It was especially appealing to children. However, it was also laden with a lot of sugar, which was not appealing to parents. As a result, the product was gradually phased out and was no longer available on the market by the end of the 1970s. It is a product that symbolizes the 1970s.

9. Pizza Spins

Pizza Spins were crunchy corn snacks that came in the form of miniature wheels. These were seasoned with tomato and cheese flavorings. These were introduced in 1968 by General Mills and took advantage of the popularity that the 1970s had to offer. These were bold in flavor in every single bite. These left fingers with a bright orange hue that lingered after consumption. These were lighter than potato chips but equally enjoyable. Despite their popularity, these were eventually removed from the market due to increased competition in the snack industry. These were one of those flavors that people looked for in the present day.

10. Whistle Pops

Whistle Pops combined the idea of sound and sweets, resulting in a unique and entertaining product. These pops were shaped like miniature plastic whistles, each topped with a hard candy, and were designed for kids to blow through the whistle while the hard candy was dissolving, releasing a sweet, fruity taste. These pops, being a bit naughty, became a huge success, especially at birthday parties, reflecting the lighthearted nature of the 1970s. Eventually, because of safety issues, they were removed from the market, but they epitomize the creative essence of the 1970s, recalling the sticky hands and happy sounds of the era.

11. Daisy Fresh Marshmallow Cones

Daisy Fresh Marshmallow Cones were similar to ice cream cones; however, they were filled with light, fluffy marshmallows rather than ice cream. They were packaged individually under a piece of plastic and were appealing with their pastel colors and swirled designs. The wafer cone offered a pleasant crunch beneath the marshmallow treat. No freezer was required, and they were easily stored on pantry shelves for families to indulge in. As the world around them changed and the market grew crowded, they gradually fell out of favor. They faded into obscurity, only remembered by those who would reach for them after dinner.

12. Frosty O’s Cereal Snack Bars

Frosty O’s Cereal Snack Bars took breakfast cereal and turned it into a snack food that you could carry with you. Bound together with a sweet syrup and topped with a sweet coating, they were a crunchy snack that did not require a bowl to eat. Kids took them to school in their backpacks to give them a boost of energy between activities. The snack bars tasted like something familiar, yet different from traditional candy. As snack foods featuring granola gained popularity, the Frosty O’s snack bars disappeared from the shelves, never to be made again, but remembered as a breakfast food turned into a convenient snack food that was fun to eat.

13. Cup O’ Gold Candy Bar

The Cup O’ Gold Candy Bar had a rich coconut and marshmallow filling that was enclosed in a shell of milk chocolate. Even though it was introduced before this time, it remained a 1970s favorite in many areas. The filling had a dense, chewy texture that was nice in comparison to the smooth chocolate that enclosed it. Over the years, the availability of this chocolate had become limited. Even though it was not forgotten completely, it was no longer found in mainstream stores. For coconut and sweet lovers everywhere, it was a treat that was savored.

14. PB Max

PB Max was created towards the end of the 1970s, a thick square bar that combined peanut butter, oats, and chocolate into one hearty bite. Made by Mars, the candy had a substantial texture that was unlike most candy, with the oat base providing a crunchy texture and the peanut butter providing a rich taste. Although the candy was a success, internal decisions within the company led to the discontinuation of the candy early in the 1990s. Developed as a result of the snacking innovations of the late 70s, PB Max was a part of the bold flavors of the 1970s.

15. Fruit Brute Cereal

Fruit Brute Cereal, a General Mills monster-themed breakfast food, enjoyed a brief revival in the 1970s but once again disappeared into the realm of nostalgia. The breakfast food itself was a mixture of fruit flavors and marshmallows in the shape of ghosts and monsters, all packaged in boxes featuring a werewolf character that was an integral part of the breakfast food’s appeal to children. The breakfast food itself had a sweet citrus taste with a crunchy sugar coating, but it never enjoyed a long-term production cycle.

16. Deviled Ham Spread Snack Kits

Deviled Ham Spread Snack Kits were a combination of small cans of spiced ham and crackers. While they were once popular for a quick snack back in the 1970s, they were also a convenient option for families who wanted a quick and easy meal on the go. The ham was smoky with a hint of tanginess and was spread on crackers for a quick snack. However, with the rise of fresh and refrigerated products, the need for these no longer remained relevant, and they were phased out.

17. Seven Up Bar

The Seven Up Bar divided a milk chocolate shell into seven different segments, each containing a different flavored cream or nuts. It was a favorite, even though it was invented earlier, and it remained so well into the 1970s. Each section of the chocolate presented a new surprise, whether it was a caramel, a coconut, and so on, making it feel as if it was a little assortment of different items in one chocolate bar. The design of the chocolate made it easy to share, which was a joy in itself. Production of the chocolate stopped in the late 1970s, as the cost of making it rose, but it remained a symbol of the surprise that was in one chocolate bar.

18. Tangy Taffy Original Formula

Tangy Taffy, which later got a new name, was originally a long, chewy, and stretchy candy filled with a sour fruit taste. In the 1970s, the taste was more tart, and the chew was thicker compared to the later version of the product. Children would pull and twist the candy before taking a bite of the intense taste. The colorful wrappers gave a hint of the intense taste of the product, and the taste did not disappoint. Over the years, the product has undergone a series of changes, including the name, and the original version has disappeared, leaving only the memory of the intense taste.

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