Squeezits
Squeezits were an instant highlight of every grocery store trip I was dragged into during my childhood. If I had to be carted through the aisles, at least I knew there was a Squeezit in it for me. The drink truly captured my imagination. These plastic bottles with their twist-off caps and colorful fruit drinks became synonymous with childhood in the ’90s. While still so vivid in our memory, twisting the top and squirting the sugary juice into our mouths while laying in the grass after a soccer game, Squeezits were discontinued in 2001.
But there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, as General Mills discovered when they introduced seven new flavors in 1992. Despite the initial enthusiasm, sales ultimately plummeted by nearly 16%, as reported by Adweek in 1993. Squeezits briefly returned in 2006, only to disappear from shelves when they were discontinued again in 2007. The unique delivery method and intensely artificial flavors made Squeezits a perfect representation of ’90s excess and fun.
Good Humor Toasted Almond Bars
After more than six decades of bringing joy to ice cream lovers, Good Humor’s Toasted Almond bars vanished from freezer sections in June 2023. Good Humor’s Toasted Almond left ice cream trucks and freezer sections for good back in June of this year. The treat, which has been around for over 60 years and was relaunched in 1992, featured an almond core surrounded by vanilla ice cream and was coated in almond-flavored crunchy bits, and was fiercely mourned by many folks on social media.
The discontinuation hit particularly hard for longtime fans who had grown up with these distinctive treats. The unique combination of creamy vanilla ice cream, crunchy almond coating, and that special almond core created a texture and flavor profile that remains unmatched in today’s frozen dessert landscape.
Dunkin’ Dunkaccino
According to Today, a Dunkin’ spokesperson confirmed the Dunkaccino is “retired for now, but there’s always the chance for its return in the future.” Created in 2000, the popular drink is a blend of coffee and hot chocolate. This beloved beverage held a special place in many coffee lovers’ hearts, offering the perfect balance between rich coffee and sweet chocolate flavors. The retirement of this drink feels particularly cruel given how it became a cultural touchstone, even inspiring movie references and countless social media tributes.
The Dunkaccino represented more than just a drink option – it was comfort in a cup during cold mornings and late-night study sessions. Its disappearance marks the end of an era when coffee shops were willing to experiment with playful flavor combinations that brought genuine joy to customers’ daily routines.
Trader Joe’s Minty Mallows
Festive season 2024 won’t be the same for some Trader Joe’s fans as the store has removed Minty Mallows from its product list. Minty Mallows were a Trader Joe’s holiday favorite — packs of puffy marshmallow bites covered in rich dark chocolate and infused with a light peppermint flavor. They were perfect to enjoy alongside a creamy hot chocolate or as a post-Christmas dinner snack.
The marshmallow treat’s departure was announced in December 2023, confirming that they wouldn’t return for the following Christmas season. These seasonal treats had become a holiday tradition for many families, representing that magical combination of winter flavors that made the festive season even more special. Their loss feels particularly sharp during the holiday season when that perfect minty-chocolate combination seems irreplaceable.
McDonald’s McCafé Bakery Items
In July 2023, TODAY.com confirmed that McDonald’s would be ending its pandemic-era McCafé Bakery line. The Apple Fritter, Blueberry Muffin, and Cinnamon Roll—launched in October 2020 to rival coffee-shop breakfasts—were phased out nationwide by mid-July. Although fans had limited time to enjoy these bakery items, McDonald’s continues offering other sweets like chocolate chip cookies, baked apple pies, and frozen desserts. While these pastries are currently gone, the brand occasionally experiments with new or returning bakery items.
Crystal Pepsi
Crystal Pepsi was a clear, caffeine-free cola that Pepsi introduced in the early 1990s. It generated a lot of buzz thanks to its unusual appearance and heavy marketing, even capturing a noticeable share of the soda market for a short time. However, many consumers were confused by its clear look but familiar cola taste, and interest quickly faded. Pepsi eventually discontinued Crystal Pepsi, making it a memorable but short-lived experiment in soda history.
Raspberry Rally Girl Scout Cookies
The chocolate-covered cookies with their iconic bright pink color and sweet raspberry flavor captured hearts nationwide when they debuted in January 2023. Raspberry Rally Girl Scout Cookies were announced in August 2022 and went on sale in January 2023. These chocolate-covered snacks had the same basic design as the iconic Girl Scout Thin Mints but with a bright pink color and a sweet raspberry flavor instead. Despite their massive popularity and rapid sellout, the Girl Scouts made the difficult decision to discontinue them for the 2024 season.
The Raspberry Rally flavor was so popular when it came out that after it sold out, boxes were being resold on sites like eBay for black market-like prices. The organization decided to prioritize their classic varieties instead, leaving countless fans devastated by the loss of this innovative treat that perfectly balanced chocolate and fruit flavors.
Conclusion
These discontinued snacks represent more than just lost flavors – they’re edible time capsules that connected us to specific moments in our lives. From the holiday magic of Trader Joe’s Minty Mallows to the extreme ’90s energy of Surge soda, each of these treats carried cultural significance beyond their taste. The food industry’s constant evolution means we’re always saying goodbye to beloved products, often before we realize how much they meant to us.
While some of these snacks have made temporary comebacks or found spiritual successors, nothing quite captures the original magic of discovering them for the first time. The next time you see a favorite snack on the shelf, maybe grab an extra box – you never know when it might become another casualty of changing tastes and corporate decisions. What discontinued snack from your childhood do you miss the most?
The Psychology Behind Our Snack Nostalgia
There’s actually fascinating science behind why we get so emotionally attached to discontinued childhood snacks. When we eat something during our formative years, our brains create powerful neural pathways that link those flavors to feelings of safety, happiness, and belonging. It’s called the ‘reminiscence bump’ – we remember things from ages 10-30 more vividly than any other period, which is exactly when most of us were discovering these iconic treats. That first bite of a Dunkaroo or sip of Crystal Pepsi isn’t just about taste – it’s your brain instantly transporting you back to Saturday morning cartoons, school lunch trades, and simpler times when your biggest worry was whether your mom packed your favorite snack. Food companies know this too, which is why they occasionally bring back discontinued items for limited runs, banking on our collective nostalgia to drive sales. The emotional connection runs so deep that some people will pay ridiculous prices on eBay for expired packages of their childhood favorites, just to experience that memory one more time.
