13 Old-School Snacks You Can’t Find Anymore

Ever since the NECCO candy company closed, we found ourselves reminiscing about old-school snacks (like these faves from Grandma’s house). It occurred to us that while some snacks are still around (like Jell-O, M&Ms and Oreos), others have vanished. Remember Danish Go-Rounds, Marathon bars or Jack and Jill licorice candy?

Here are 13 old-school snacks no longer on the shelf—but we’d be happy to buy ’em all again!

1. The Original Everlasting Gobstopper

Everlasting Gobstoppers are still around (find today’s version on Amazon), and they claim to be the “original,” but children of the 1970s, like myself, will tell you a different story. I remember the original not as the small, mouth-manageable, multi-wrapped sweets that they are today, but as individually wrapped behemoths almost too big to fit in my mouth. It would take hours and hours to work through it, individual fruit-flavored layer by fruit-flavored layer, until finally reaching sweet-tart candy at the center.

2. Black Jack Chewing Gum

In the 1880s, inventor Thomas Adams created Black Jack gum. It was a licorice-flavored chewing gum made with “chicle” (a substance Adams had been hoping to use to manufacture tires). Black Jack was popular until the 1970s when it got edged out by soft and sweet bubble gums like Bubble Yum.

3. Apple-Berry Pop-Tarts

When Kellogg’s introduced Pop-Tarts in 1964, they were unfrosted and came in only four flavors. One of those flavors, Apple-Berry, is no longer around. But the others—Strawberry, Cherry and Brown Sugar Cinnamon—still are, along with more adventurous flavors (hello, Cookies & Creme!).

You can make copycat Pear-Berry Breakfast Tarts at home, too.

4. Kellogg’s Danish Go-Rounds

Kellogg’s introduced Danish Go-Rounds—fruit-filled pastry tubes curled into the shape of a Danish—at the same time as Pop-Tarts. They were similar, but the Danish Go-Rounds’ pastry-to-filling ratio was more filling-heavy. Kellogg’s stopped making them when Pop-Tarts took off, though many of us miss them to this day!

5. Marathon Bar

Introduced by Mars in 1973, the Marathon candy bar was an 8″ long chocolate-covered caramel braid. “It lasts a good long time,” was one of its slogans, and its wrapper bore a ruler so you could see exactly how long it took you to eat it, per inch.

6. Jack and Jill Licorice Candy

Mike and Ike is still making boxes of its fruit-flavored candy, although when the company started out in 1940, it was known as the “Just Born” candy company. Just Born used to make Jack and Jill, a licorice-flavored candy. Like licorice-flavored Black Jack gum, it’s no longer manufactured because America’s flavor preferences have changed.

People who love black licorice won’t be able to resist these chewy caramels.

7. Welch’s Jelly Donuts

You can still buy jelly doughnuts in the frozen food section, but not these babies, made with Welch’s grape jelly. From what I can see, most of the frozen doughnuts these days are aimed at the gluten-free crowd.

Here’s a recipe for homemade jelly doughnuts that you can fill with Welch’s!

8. Morton Honey Buns

Speaking of frozen doughnuts, Morton was a big player in the field back in the mid-20th century. They made some top-notch honey buns, which came four to a package and had to be reheated in the oven. Fans are still clamoring for this sweet and gooey treat!

9. Tastykake’s Original Buttercream Cupcakes

In the 1970s, I used to walk to the 7-11 near my grandparents’ house with a dollar in my pocket. I had a single purpose: to pick up a 3-pack of Tastykake Buttercream Chocolate Cupcakes. They were smaller than the Hostess cupcakes, generously filled with a buttery cream filling and topped with a soft and creamy chocolate icing. Nowadays, the original has been replaced with a two-pack with some kind of vanilla icing on top. Scandalous!

10. Hostess Pudding Pies

I grew up addicted to Hostess Cherry Pies, but once in a while, only a chocolate pudding pie would do. Hostess no longer makes pudding pies, but fortunately, I’ve found a way to cope. Every dessert in this collection is made with a box of chocolate pudding!

11. Hostess Blueberry, Peach and Pineapple Pies

You know what else Hostess doesn’t make anymore? Fruit pies with blueberry, peach or pineapple. While I understand that Americans may have moved on from pineapple-filled fruit pie in recent years, I’m having trouble accepting the loss of Hostess’ beloved hand pies in blueberry and peach.

Guess I’ll have to whip up this contest-winning blueberry pie or this gorgeous peach pie instead.

12. Hostess Big Wheels

Oh, Hostess, I don’t mean to pick on you, but why’d you have to get rid of your Big Wheels snack cakes? Especially the orange-flavored Big Wheels…sigh. For some chocolaty goodness, Ding Dongs are close enough, and Orange Cream Chiffon Cake could go a long way toward mending my broken orange-flavored Big Wheels heart.

13. Keebler Fudgetown Cookies

These were perfect! Take one buttery round cookie, top with a dollop of fudge and another buttery round cookie with a hole in it, through which you could see that lovely dollop of fudge. Happily, Keebler makes an adequate substitute: its line of EL Fudge cookies, which aren’t round, and don’t have a little peek-a-boo window, but deliver serious sandwich cookie pleasure.

Enjoyed your walk down Nostalgia Avenue? How about a trip down Food-Chain Memory Lane?