Supermarket items you miss

[dwc1970]

Which supermarket products from the past that have been taken off the market do you wish they'd bring back? There are three things I wish they'd bring back:

1. Heyday bars (Nabisco)- These were cookies (wafers) that were covered with caramel and nuts.
2. Doo Dads (also Nabisco)- This was a snack food similar to Chex party mix, but already made and ready to go in a box.
3. Campbell's Chunky Chicken and Mushroom soup- The Chicken and Dumplins soup is an acceptable substitute, but I still wish they'd bring this one back.

It doesn't have to be a food product or something you'd necessarily buy at a supermarket. Anything that you used to buy all the time and miss can be listed here.

[psycat90]

Jell-o Pudding Pops. I used to survive the summers on those things.

Creamy and delicious. I read an article last year that they were bringing them back, but I've searched supermarkets in the area high and low and I've yet to find them.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

'Tato Skins potato chips by Keebler.
Super Mario Bros/Legend of Zelda breakfast cereal.

[Fringe]

Originally Posted by Big Bad Voodoo Lou

Super Mario Bros/Legend of Zelda breakfast cereal.

Og bless you for that, Big Bad Voodoo Lou. I loved that stuff when I was a little one.

[Neptunian Slug]

Originally Posted by Big Bad Voodoo Lou

'Tato Skins potato chips by Keebler.
Super Mario Bros/Legend of Zelda breakfast cereal.

You can still get them. The rights were sold by Keebler to Poore Brothers Chips . In many markets they were re-branded as TGI Fridays Potato Skins. Essentially the same thing except I haven't seen the baked potato flavor.

One thing I miss though is Swanson's Chicken and Dumplings. No celery peas or other crap. Just chicken, dumplings, and sauce. Its been years since I have seen it in any store.

[Indyellen]

Originally Posted by SHAKES

I think it was called the "Boston Marathon Chew"


I'm not sure if I got the name right, but anyway it was a looong' candybar with a measuring stick on the wrapper that would take even the most skilled of kids hours to finish because it was so damn chewy.

SHAKES, I think you're referring to a Charleston Chew. It's a long, chocolate-covered bar of very hard, chewy marshmallow. You can get them at the "everything's a dollar" stores around here 2/$1, but I think I've seen them at Wal-Mart, too.

Hope that helps!

[Mudshark]

Hey SpiceTea, I see Orange, Grape, and Strawberry Crush in glass bottles at Giant Eagle here all the time. They also have Coke in glass commerative glass bottles. We get Faygo in glass bottles a lot too.

The Big Lots where I work always has Count Chocula, Boo-Berry and Tato-Skins all the time.

They also sell regular Mr. Pibb at the Sheetz gas station in Breezewood, Pennsylvania

I miss: {list}[*]Apple Cinnamon Cheerios[*] Freakies[*]Flinstones Push Pops[*]Tropical Sprite Remix

[Infovore]

Originally Posted by Indyellen

SHAKES, I think you're referring to a Charleston Chew. It's a long, chocolate-covered bar of very hard, chewy marshmallow. You can get them at the "everything's a dollar" stores around here 2/$1, but I think I've seen them at Wal-Mart, too.

Hope that helps!

Nope, the one with the ruler in the wrapper was the Marathon bar, which is now called the "Curly Wurly." I don't think the Charleston Chew ever had a ruler. The thing with Marathon was that it was eight inches long.

http://www.oldtimecandy.com/curly-wurly.htm

[Yorikke]

Originally Posted by Big Bad Voodoo Lou

'Tato Skins potato chips by Keebler.

I LOVED 'Tato Skins!

"'Tato skins have baked potato a-peel
something-something-something
and skins that are real!"

We sell a similar product (I work at a gas station/convenience store), TGI Friday's potato skin chips, but the are only available in flavors - Sour cream and onion, and bacon-cheddar. I ONLY want them PLAIN, like a regular potato chip! *sigh*

George

[Infovore]

I just thought of another one: "New York Style" brand Bagel Chips, the cinnamon raisin variety (in the red bag). For some reason we can get the garlic kind here (San Jose, CA) but the cinnamon raisin ones have disappeared.

Anybody seen these? I'd be happy to pay for a bag or a case.

[Missy2U]

Originally Posted by winterhawk11

I just thought of another one: "New York Style" brand Bagel Chips, the cinnamon raisin variety (in the red bag). For some reason we can get the garlic kind here (San Jose, CA) but the cinnamon raisin ones have disappeared.

Anybody seen these? I'd be happy to pay for a bag or a case.

If these are what you're talking about, you can get them here, I believe.

[Anne Neville]

Originally Posted by wheresgeorge04

I LOVED 'Tato Skins!

"'Tato skins have baked potato a-peel
something-something-something

I think it's "they're made with potatoes"

and skins that are real!"

I loved them, too...

[Nutty Bunny]

I second the Creamy Garlic Chicken Helper! That stuff was great!

I miss grape Tang (this was early 70s, when I was a toddler) and Alpha Bits. I've been looking for them for about 6 months, no matter what store I was in. Now, all of a sudden, they're back, but unsweetened! WTF?!

We have pudding pops here at Price Chopper. When I saw them, I called my husband over and said, "LOOK!" We looked at the freezer, looked at each other with glee and looked back at the freezer in disbelief.

The thing is, my mother rarely bought them for us because there's too much sugar, but now that they're back, I don't buy them for that very same reason.

Thanks mom!

[Stonebow]

Choco-diles. Basically, a chocolate covered twinkie.

Staple of my youth in NYC...nowhere to be found in Arkansas.

[wasson]

Bigg Mixx cereal. It was marketed as a kid's cereal with some sort of moose or something. It came back later as some health food cereal. Now I can't find it.

[bouv]

Wheatables.

Now, I know what you're all going to say. And before you say it, that current crap that is sold in the Wheatables box is by no meansd the Wheatables I came to know and love. The one I loved what kind of like a wheat thin, but a buit more oily, and covered in the perfect blend of herbs and spices, and it was savory. The current incarnation is a crap-fest of honey-wheat. Look, if they wanted to make a honey-wheat wheatable, why didn't they just make it a variety, instead of replacing the normal version? Those bastards! And for a while, probably in response to Keebler changing the recipe, Nabisco put out a type of Wheat Thins called Crispy Thins, or something similar, that tasted just like the original Wheatables. But I think I was the only one who bought them, so they went away.

[wasson]

Oh, and how could I forget Mr. Pibb? Pibb Xtra is foul. Mr. Pibb was the best.

[silenus]

Originally Posted by Stonebow

Choco-diles. Basically, a chocolate covered twinkie.

Staple of my youth in NYC...nowhere to be found in Arkansas.

If I didn't think they'd melt, I'd ship you a case. They are relatively easy to find out here. Just as a Thank-You for starting the thread that gave us the 18"DHIBJD !

[saramamalana]

Originally Posted by psycat90

Jell-o Pudding Pops. I used to survive the summers on those things.

I came in here JUST to mention specifically that. I was talking to my mom about them the other day. Damn those things were good.

[belladonna]

Originally Posted by psycat90

I read an article last year that they were bringing them back, but I've searched supermarkets in the area high and low and I've yet to find them.

I found them at a store a while back and bought some, but they were very obviously not the same. Nowhere near as good.

As for stuff I miss, I think I might be the only person on the planet who actually liked the 1-2-3 Jello.

[badbadrubberpiggy]

Originally Posted by belladonna

As for stuff I miss, I think I might be the only person on the planet who actually liked the 1-2-3 Jello.

You're not, but it is entirely possible that we are the only TWO people on the planet who liked it. Man, I miss that stuff.

[JThunder]

Originally Posted by psycat90

Jell-o Pudding Pops.

Cos? That you?

[Misnomer]

Rollercoasters. Every time I walk past the Chef Boyardee aisle I look for them, just in case they've come back, but so far they have not.

I also can't seem to find no-salt-added Utz potato chips anymore (a brand only available in the mid-Atlantic states). They still make 'em (I could order them on line right from Utz), but I used to be able to find them on the grocery store shelves with no problem. And if any other brand of chips comes in a "no salt" variety, I haven't seen it!

Originally Posted by psycat90

Jell-o Pudding Pops.

Originally Posted by Ms Boods

Carnation Breakfast Bars.

I'll second those!

Originally Posted by Hyperelastic

However, chocolate fudge Pop Tarts are, as far as I can tell, gone. They've been gone from the shelves around here for months. I used to eat the damn things for breakfast every single day.

They're definitely still sold around here.

[Anne Neville]

There was a s'mores cereal back in the 1980s that I miss. I don't remember what it was called, though. The graham crackers were a lot like Golden Grahams in taste and texture, but with chocolate flavor added. I've looked for other s'mores cereals since, but none have ever been the same.

I miss the crunchy Reese's peanut butter cups, too (dunno if that's what they were called, but that's what I called them).

Originally Posted by dwc1970

Doo Dads (also Nabisco)- This was a snack food similar to Chex party mix, but already made and ready to go in a box.

I used to love those!

I should point out that they do sell pre-made Chex Mix in bags, in various flavors.

[Ethilrist]

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Sandwiches. French vanilla ice cream layered between two 1/4" thick brownies. With walnuts.

[Jinks]

[b]Root Beer[/i]

I have no idea which brand they used to sell over here but it all sales halted years ago now. They got me addicted and then took it away. Bastards. Now the only decent brand i can find over here is Barqs at approx. £1 a (350ml) can with £5 delivery! Or i can go to London (The Canada Shop) and pick them up myself. Bah.

And what's worse is that a supermarket nearby (Sainsburys) used to sell some barely drinkable stuff (which, naturally, i still drank), which they have now 'new and improved' into something even my dog would turn it's nose up to.

Bah. Damn you Americans and your soft drinks!

[Jinks]

Gah, stupid, idiotic, mistake.

[saramamalana]

Originally Posted by Anne Neville

There was a s'mores cereal back in the 1980s that I miss.

OMG! I thought I was the only person who remembered that! I'll bring it up and no one ever knows what I'm talking about. You just made my day.

Hey does anyone else remember Dunkin Donuts cereal?

[belladonna]

Weren't they pretty much tan froot loops with little colored confetti bits stuck to them?
If so, yes I remember them. If not--what the hell were those things?


And rubberpiggy-- About 7-8 years ago now I found some 1-2-3 Jello at a Big Lots. The packaging was all in Japanese (I think). I bought a whole bunch of it and have two brave survivors still sitting in my cabinet. I'll send you one if you'd like.

[psycat90]

Another one:

PDQ drink mixes. They were sort of like Ovaltine, big granules to be mixed with milk, and they came in Chocolate, Strawberry, and Egg Nog flavors. Yummy stuff. Especially sprinkled on ice cream.


I miss a lot of stuff that I can't get on this side of the country, mainly Goya products, but other misc. things like Parmalat milk, Carvel ice cream cakes, and Sabrett hot dogs, to name just a few.

[What Exit?]

As a kid I loved the Vanilla flavored Capt Crunch with the Whale on the cover.
I would probably find them too sweet now, but I must have been the primary consumer of them. This was in the mid 70's.

[FisherQueen]

Chicken Helper, creamy garlic flavor. Why, oh, why did they discontinue this flavor? It was the best of all of them. [sob!]

[badbadrubberpiggy]

Originally Posted by belladonna

Weren't they pretty much tan froot loops with little colored confetti bits stuck to them?
If so, yes I remember them. If not--what the hell were those things?


And rubberpiggy-- About 7-8 years ago now I found some 1-2-3 Jello at a Big Lots. The packaging was all in Japanese (I think). I bought a whole bunch of it and have two brave survivors still sitting in my cabinet. I'll send you one if you'd like.

Ohhhh...I'd love one if your serious! I miss that stuff....my e-mail is in my profile!

Sweet.....jello.

[Ashes, Ashes]

Graham Chex was the best cereal and nothing else with graham in the name can hold a candle to it's crispy goodness.

Callard and Bowser used to make a dessert nougat that I really liked. It was a little like torrone. They stopped making it and so there's no reason to go down the candy aisle anymore.

[Gaudere]

Peanut Butter Boppers. Just cylinders of peanut butter with sweet rice crispies on the outside. Probably about a zillion calories apiece.

[dwyr]

I hadn't thought about Heydays in years. I ate a ton of those when I was a kid. Also plenty of Danish-Go-Rounds.

I miss Purple Passion soda and Spoon Candy. The latter was a Jello product I think; a nifty dessert sort of like a mousse with a candy layer on top. Very tasty and easy to whip up. Sigh.

[racer72]

Milkshake candy bars. Malted milk nougat and caramel covered in chocolate. And it didn't matter how fresh the candy was, the wrapper always stuck to some of the caramel that showed through the chocolate.

[PETERFI]

1. Soft American Soft Drink - Anyone know where I can get Guarana soda in Chicago?

It tastes a little like cream soda but different. The guarana root is the source just as the sassafras used to be the source for root beer until the FDA discovered that it caused cancer in lab rats. Now wintergreen is the base flavor of root beer.

2. Tickets to Ride the CTA Culture Bus - you could originally ride it for the cost of a supertransfer plus a little more a think, 3 routes. Later I became a commentator and did not have to pay to ride. So much fun. Then CTA had to cut it for budget reasons.

3. Tickets to see Demolition Derby at Soldier Field on the 4th of July. My dad actually bought the tickets and we would see the derby, which started with all the cars circling the track with the current derby 'queen', then they would have the derby, then the fireworks show which was big and seemed to be really, really close. I was so young the first year I was really scared, but each year I liked it more.

4. King Kastle hamburgers at LaSalle Street Station and on State just South of Lake. Very similar to White Castle but better grease. They tore down the LaSalle Street King Kastle when they rebuilt the LaSalle Street Station building and forgot to build a pathway from the El to the train station. The one on State Street lasted quite a few years longer, until the building which also housed WLS-TV was remodled I think. They seemed to have a little more meat and better grease that White Castle. They were replaced by a Frozen Yogurt place which should have been healthier but somehow wasn't.

5. TCBY yougurt which used to be everywhere.

6. Arby's at 98th and Western that lost thier lease as of today. Convenient and with a drive through which a lot of them do not have.

7. Red Batman Clip-On Ties. I wore one in my third grade photo.

8. 80 page giants and 100 page giants. Not sure I would buy them today but I feel kids today are deprived because they are not issued anymore. Used to love to buy them and read Superman Story after Superman Story ) or Batman - whatever. Mostly a DC comics thing I think. Not sure if Marvel did these. I would love it if they would release the old issues on DVD-ROM. I could read for hours.

9. Soda Fountain Coca Cola. Not like todays. It tasted a lot different coming out of an old style soda fountain didn't it? Maybe they kept the lines cleaner? Maybe it was because it was served in a glass? Maybe there was more formula and less water. Its not the same.

10. Snakes, punks, sparklers, dots and self-serve ice cream all from the same store on the first floor of a house around the block. Light a punk use it to light the snakes watch them grow burning up out of the black dots. Maybe light a sparkler. Eat some dots, maybe one of those wax tubes of flavored water.

By the way, you can still sometimes get bottled softdrinks. Sometimes you can even get your shopping center to order it, though often it is a special. Coke is most likely to do it. Pepsi may or may not. Do not know about 7-up.

I do know that there is a big taste difference.

Peter

[PETERFI]

I almost forgot, until I was almost 10 I lived only a few blocks from the Wee Folks toy store at 79th and Stony Island in South Shore. I used to buy lots of toys there.

I recently learned that the owner was murdered and that the store closed only 6 months after we moved away.

The owners daughter, Carolyn Lazar Amster, wrote a book about the store, the neighborhoods, the people and the racial change over the years before her father's death called The Pied Piper of South Shore: Toys and Tragedy in Chicago which is worth reading for anyone with memories of the store or is curious about those times. But for me, a member of their birthday club, who used to go in their to get a free toy every year, and as often as I could otherwise, since they had a toy for every price and would offer kids credit(!) (kid-sized credit) it was a favorite place to buy squirt rings, police badges, balls, paddle balls, superballs, bubbles, all sorts of stuff.

My favorite birthday present at age 4 was picked there. It was a little driving toy that had a steering wheel, dashboard, horn, turnsignal, and fake street. With the birthday card and perhaps a little more from my dad it was mine. I loved it.

Can't believe I almost forgot to mention this.

Peter

[Tuckerfan]

Oh, yeah, I can't believe I forgot this, it's the one thing I'd kill for: Josta!

[minor7flat5]

Originally Posted by The Peter Files

1. [South] American Soft Drink - Anyone know where I can get Guarana soda in Chicago?

In a big city like Chicago, there must be at least one Brazilian store. That's your first step. If you don't find success there, check the international section of a good supermarket. If all else fails, order some here.

If anything, guarana is becoming more accessible to Americans. They are even bottling it in the States these days. We used to buy ours in the Ironbound section of Newark. Happily, our local supermarket started selling the stuff in two liter bottles.

[Pushkin]

In the UK, i dearly miss Whispas.

They were chunky bars with a bubbling effect inside. More delicate than Aero's which just seemed like too much chocolate and not enough bubbles.

Replaced by Cadbury's in their all new line up of bars to be broken into chunks, a much inferior product. The ratio of chocolate and bubbles inside was too little to the outer shell of chocolate, unsatisfying to say the least.

[Misnomer]

Originally Posted by Pushkin

In the UK, i dearly miss Whispas.

There's no more Wispa?!?

I think I need some time alone...

[jerseymule]

The people who make Slim Fast totally wussed out trying to be "low-carb".

When the Atkins craze really caught on, Slim Fast started reformulating many of their "shake mixes" and premixed canned shakes. My favorite flavor of shake mix was the original Slim Fast Chocolate Malt. I really hate most "diet" products, because I can't stand the taste of artificial sweeteners. But I think that the malt disguised the fake sweetener taste. I used to mix the powder with skim milk for a quick tasty breakfast. If I happened to be out of milk, the powder tasted ok mixed with water. And for a treat, I'd sprinkle the powder over coffee yogurt, or plain or vanilla yogurt. Occasionally I would buy the premixed shakes - the Cappucino Royale flavor was the only one I liked. I probably had some form of Slim Fast every day for years, ever since it first came out on the market. Until about a year ago.

Now Slim Fast powder can only be purchased online "while supplies last" but they don't offer the chocolate malt flavor. The regular chocolate flavor tastes nasty to me. And the premixed shake flavors they offer (still in stores) are watered down. They have half the carbs, half the calories, and I assume twice the water. But cost the same or more. I would rather they kept the formula the same and made the can half the size and encouraged you to mix it with water. That way at least I'd have the option of getting the full-flavored version.

[available light]

Oh, man, I miss Pepperidge Farms Corn Muffins. They came frozen, you heated them up in the microwave. The blueberry ones were good too, but the corn muffins were to die for. They were really soft and sweet, and really moist. In the mid-late 80s, me and my brother used to make those for weekend breakfasts while watching cartoons. Sooo good.

I think I have a supermarket food curse - every time I discover a great new product, they stop making it. I used to love Barilla Spicy Red Pepper spaghetti sauce, but they stopped making it after around 6 months or a year. Ditto with Best Foods (Hellmans for those east of the Mississippi) italian dressing - it was my favorite, now gone. It's happened to me lots of times.

But what I wouldn't give for a Pepperidge Farms corn muffin. I've tried many other types of pre-made corn muffins, corn muffin mixes, and from-scratch recipes, and nothing comes close.

[Idle Thoughts]

I have to second Gaudere...I LOVED Boppers. In fact, I had forgotten all about them until reading her post. I could eat about 4 of them a day.


A store right across the street still sells these things:

Corn flavored Doritos
Quake
Mr Pibb (and Tab too, another soda I thought had been long gone)
Bacon Flavored Cheese Whiz
Sugar Daddy's, Good n' Fruity's, and Zagnuts

I see them every day.



One thing I haven't seen around in YEARS was a favorite magazine of mine. Games magazine was a mag that featured all kinds of puzzles and problems and various mind benders. They disappeared from all stores here long ago and I haven't seen one since and I'm seriously wondering if maybe they stopped printing them.

[williamweigand]

The stores around here don't seem to carry UNFROSTED PopTarts anymore.

[nonacetone]

williamweigand, I buy my unfrosted Pop Tarts at Super WalMart. They only have blueberry and strawberry unfrosted.

Sadly, all the stores in this area have stopped selling Prosciutto. I guess I'm going to have to find it online somewhere.

[williamweigand]

Originally Posted by nonacetone

williamweigand, I buy my unfrosted Pop Tarts at Super WalMart. They only have blueberry and strawberry unfrosted.

Sadly, all the stores in this area have stopped selling Prosciutto. I guess I'm going to have to find it online somewhere.

Thanks. That might be the only place I hadn't looked for them.

[chaoticbear]

Originally Posted by nonacetone

williamweigand, I buy my unfrosted Pop Tarts at Super WalMart. They only have blueberry and strawberry unfrosted.

Sadly, all the stores in this area have stopped selling Prosciutto. I guess I'm going to have to find it online somewhere.

Walmart has it! It's by the deli. I can't vouch for its tastiness, though.