Iconic Classic Snacks We All Used To Love As Kids

Released: 1953
Invented by: Kellogg’s
Original Price: 15 cents*

These days we’re a little more conscious about the amount of sugar we let our kids consume at breakfast time. However, back in 1953, the cereal market was booming and Kellogg’s was on top of their game with Sugar Smacks.

Sugar Smacks @BuzzFeed / Pinterest.com

The iconic cereal is still on the market now, but it’s undergone a few changes over the years. Sugar Smacks were incredibly popular upon their release, especially because Superman himself (or rather, actor George Reeves in character) advertised them.

 They’re still available now under the name Honey Smacks for around $3.60 in most grocery stores, though their popularity has waned over the years. This could be due to the emergence of dozens of other sugary cereals, as well as other health-conscious options.

Released: 1924
Invented by: Akron Candy Company
Original Price: 1 cent*

Every kid has memories of sucking on a lollipop after visiting the doctor, or begging their mom for one at the checkout. But out of all the different varieties of tasty suckers out there, there’s nothing quite as nostalgic as Dum Dums. Dum Dums have been around for the better part of 100 years, debuting back in 1924. 

Dum Dums @Kristi Key / Pinterest.com

It’s hard to believe that such a modern staple of the candy industry has been around for nearly a century. Dum Dums have been around for the better part of 100 years, debuting way back in 1924. No doubt the flavors have changed over the years though, as dozens of food trends like the pumpkin spice craze have developed.

The original makers, Akron Candy Company, later sold Dum Dums to the Spangler Candy Company in 1953. When they first hit the market you could buy one of these colorful candies for just 1 cent. Now, you can purchase them in massive bulk at Walmart for little over $10. 

Released: 1954
Invented by: Ferrara Candy Company
Original Price: 5 cents*

Atomic Fireballs may have been invented way back in the mid-50s, but these hard-shelled cinnamon flavored jawbreakers are just as popular as ever. You can buy an entire bulk tub containing 240 pieces on Amazon for little over $16. 

Atomic Fireballs 1954 @Patty Blake / Pinterest.com

The Ferrara Candy Company really hit the nail on the head with these bitesize morsels. Even NASA controllers endorsed them, calling them their “Console Candy of Choice.” According to website Balettie, Ferrara underestimated how popular Atomic Fireballs would be as they ended up selling 50,000 cases per day instead of the 200 they had prepared for.

With a very specific flavor unlike any other candy on the market, Atomic Fireballs were able to successfully fill a niche. Decades later this flavor was adopted by a New Orleans whiskey company for their Fireball whiskey, which was an instant hit as well.

Released: 1959
Invented by: Kellogg’s
Original Price: 18 cents*

Back in the 1950s, Kellogg’s was keen to come up with a product that could rival that of General Mills’ supremely popular Cheerios. As a result, they came up with OKs. Much healthier than some of the other products at the time, Kellogg’s promoted them as the “Best in Oats.” 

OKs 1959 @KelloggCompany / Twitter.com | 1962 @Stacey Watson / Pinterest.com

The gimmick certainly worked for a while, as the boxes began to sell like hotcakes. The great-tasting and cleverly-branded cereal was molded into the shapes of the letters “O” and “K”, and the boxes featured  the mascot Big Otis, a tartan-clad character looking brave, strong, and healthy.

Sadly, OKs didn’t last that long and by 1962 they had been discontinued, much to the disappointment of oat (and Otis) lovers everywhere. However, Kellogg’s was tasked with creating a cereal that could use the “O” mold machine, and found their next smash hit: Froot Loops.

Released: 1950
Invented by: Adams & Brooks
Original Price: 3 cents* 

Back in 1950, there was only one way to go to satisfy a sweet craving – and Hershey’s is probably still jealous they didn’t come up with it first. Cup-O-Golds are similar in flavor profile to Mallowmars with their chocolate and marshmallow combo, but are lacking that cookie crunch that made Mallowmars the snacking phenomenon they once were.

Cup-O-Gold 1950 @Gina D. / Pinterest.com

While the Adams & Brooks product was a tad more popular back in the day, it’s still available to buy today. They  look similar to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, only the inside is pure, fluffy marshmallow instead of delectable peanut butter.

It won’t be quite as cheap as it was when it was unleashed upon the market 80 years ago, though. These days, Cup-o-Gold’s are available on the West Coast for $1.25. The price may have gone up, but it’s still the same mouthwatering product we’ve known and loved for decades.

Released: 1972
Invented by: General Mills
Original Price: 25 cents*

Cereals often have whacky and kooky concepts to try and lure younger consumers in, which is probably why General Mills went with Sir Grapefellow. The 1972 product featured grape flavored cereal with marshmallow stars and was packaged in an unforgettable purple box. 

Sir Grapefellow 1970s @Lester Kempner / Pinterest.com

Interestingly, the character of the cereal was a fictional World War I pilot who was the arch-enemy of another General Mills’ character, Baron von Redberry. The two would argue in the advertising over which one was better.

Sadly, Sir Grapefellow perished and didn’t go on to sell as many units as GM had hoped, even at 25 cents per pack with a free toy included. Sadly, Sir Grapefellow perished and didn’t go on to sell as many units as General Mills had hoped, even at 25 cents per pack with a free toy included. Perhaps it was the pressure from Kellogg’s Froot Loops that ultimately led to Sir Grapefellow’s untimely demise.

Released: 1985
Invented by: Ralston
Original Price: $2*

Cereal products are predominantly marketed to kids, which is why they often ink lucrative commercial deals with TV shows, despite the harmful connection between using popular cartoon characters to entice children into a potentially addictive relationship with sweets.

Rainbow Brite Cereal @eatthis / YouTube.com

Back in 1975, Ralston partnered with Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer to produce a product that was both colorful and tasty, although the company made sure to state that it was “fortified with 9 essential vitamins and minerals.”

The story on the back matched the movie, telling consumers, “Now you can bring the magical world of Rainbow Brite to your breakfast table every morning.” The movie itself took $4.9 million at the box office, while the cereal box stayed on shelves until 1990. 

Released: 1960’s
Invented by: Whirlpool Corporation for NASA
Original Price: Unknown

Ice cream in general is a really popular dessert across the world. In fact, Americans alone consume more than 23 pounds a year per person, according to the IDFA. As one of the most-loved frozen products there is, the market is a lucrative one – even in space. 

Astronaut Ice Cream @AstronautFoods / Facebook.com

Back in the 1960s, the Whirlpool Corporation was tasked with creating freeze-dried ice cream for astronauts to eat in space, but it never quite took off. The only time the freeze-dried ice cream entered orbit was in 1968, but that didn’t stop it from catching on like wildfire with the American public.

Absolutely enamored with the space race, kids of the 60s and 70s went bananas for astronaut ice cream, despite the fact that it was hardly consumed by actual astronauts. The freeze-dried fare is harder to come by these days, but is still available in the gift shop of the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.  

Released: 1893
Invented by: Quaker City Chocolate & Confectionery Company
Original Price: Unknown

Good & Plenty has been around for so long that it’s near impossible to know what the original price was, but you can bet it’s cheaper than what we’re paying now! In fact, the tasty licorice candy is so old that it’s widely thought to be the first branded candy in the entire US. 

1963/1955 Good and Plenty Candy Ads @OutstandingCol / Twitter.com | @Debi Brooks / Pinterest.com

Hershey might be the proud owner now, but Good & Plenty was the brainchild of Quaker City Chocolate & Confectionery Company, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fans from the early days might remember the advertisements featuring “Choo-Choo Charlie.”

Good & Plenty is just one of the many products that makes Hershey’s a $20 billion dollar business titan. Though it might not be one of Hershey’s cash cows, as licorice fans are few and far between, the historic candy is certainly here to stay. 

Released: 1962
Invented by: Ferrara Candy Company
Original Price: 5 cents*

What better way to get your sweet fix than by picking up a box of Lemonheads? Regardless of whether you’re a fan now or you’ve been a fan since they first hit the market in 1962, you can’t deny that the little boxes of lemon-flavored candy brighten your day. 

Lemonheads 1962 @wikicommons | @DANIEL LEVIN / Facebook.com

These viciously sour candies have been making kids and adults alike pucker since 1962, and are surely here to stay. In addition to the original flavor, the company has also come out with variations such as Grapheads, Cherryheads, and Appleheads.

If you were lucky enough to have a few extra cents in the early 1960s you could pick up a box for just 5 cents. These days, they’re a little more expensive thanks to inflation. Kroger has you covered with one box for $1, so they still won’t break the bank. 

Released: 1920
Invented by: The Heide Company
Original Price: 1 cent*

Little multicolored, multi-flavored gummy drops of deliciousness, otherwise known as Jujubes, have been around since the roaring 20s. German-born immigrant Henry Heidi invented the sweet candies that became a huge part of American culture, creating a family business that would outlive him.

Jujubes @lifescapes-luccag / Pinterest.com

Jujubes might not be popular with the kids of today, but for decades they were a highly sought after treat. The chewy, stick-to-your-gums candy comes in five classic flavors, all molded into the iconic gumdrop shape.  

When they were first unleashed upon the public you could pick up Jujubes for next to nothing. Now, they’re still one of the cheapest candies on the market. Walmart sells a 5.5 ounce tub for just $5.99. All the family can enjoy them at that price – if you want to share, that is. 

Released: 1950s
Invented by: Belgica
Original Price: 2 cents*

Americans call them Satellite Wafers, while other parts of the world call them Flying Saucers. The sherbet-filled rice paper capsules come in all sorts of different colors and are still just as loved now as they were when they were invented in Antwerp back in the ‘50s. 

Satellite Wafers @wholesalecandyoutlet / Facebook.com

These Belgian treats absolutely took off in America upon introduction to the snack market. The funky pastels immediately invoke nostalgia, reminiscent of a simpler time with simpler, sweeter candy treats. Perhaps Satellite Wafers are due for a reboot!

They remain a true favorite in most countries and are available to buy from major grocery chains, as well as Amazon. A world without these little discs of sugar isn’t one that we would want to live in. It’s good to know that some things never change!

Released: 1957
Invented by: Emerson Drug Company
Original Price: 5 cents*

In the 1950s, while soft drinks like Cooke were busy turning into gargantuan titans in the market, Emerson’s Fizzies were trying to get a piece of the action. Ruth Millard invented the fruit-flavored tablets that turned water into fizzy drinks for the Emerson Drug Company back in 1959. 

Fizzies @IRememberJFK / Twitter.com

As the years ticked by, the range of flavors grew to include grape, orange, cherry, lemon-line, cola, and roo-beer. Sales were so good throughout the decade that even competitors like Kool-Aid couldn’t keep up with demand. 

Fizzies eventually stopped production in the 1970s as artificial sweeteners were banned, but reemerged back in the 2000s as part of Amerilab Technologies. Despite the new formulation which had less sugar and was made using legal artificial sweeteners, Fizzies couldn’t find their way in the modern economy, and discontinued again in 2016.

Released: 1956
Invented by: Mondelez International
Original Price: 4 cents*

Some think Certs are simply mints, while others say they’re officially candy. Whatever camp you’re in, there’s no denying that they’re truly an iconic part of American snack history. The product was created by Mondelez International in 1956 as the first nationally marketed mint to hit the shelves. That’s quite the achievement. 

Certs 1956 @Bobbie Hofmister / Pinterest.com

For a long time, the Certs were so popular that the name almost became synonymous with mints, the same way that Kleenex can be substituted for tissues, or Ziploc for plastic bags. Unfortunately, this came to an abrupt end when Certs were taken off the market in the 2010s. 

Certs continued to be a popular product for decades, but disaster struck in 2018. Some say it’s because the ingredients included partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil which has since been banned in the country. Either way, it’s a sad loss that’s felt in convenience stores across the United States.