23 foods that make us nostalgic for the ‘90s

Pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at supper time…when pizza’s on a bagel, you can eat pizza anytime — and we did, truly living up to the lyrics of Bagel Bites’ ubiquitous commercial from the 1990s. Although you truly could eat them at any point in your day, our favorite time to eat Bagel Bites was breakfast or in the wee hours of the morning during sleepovers. 

We’re honestly surprised Big League Chew is still on the market, because even as little leaguers in the ‘90s, we knew this shredded gum was meant to mimic chewing tobacco. We’re not sure if it’s addiction or nostalgia, but whenever we see a pack of Big League Chew for sale today, we still feel the urge to pack a pinch in our cheeks.

Before we had Impossible Burgers, Beyond Meat, and Quorn, there were Boca Burgers. First launched in 1979, Boca Burgers gained prominence in the ‘90s during the short-lived veggie burger craze (which also included black bean burgers and portobello burgers). That fad faded, but returned about 25 years later, with Boca Burgers managing to stick around through all the ups and downs.

Bubble Tape was a bad call for kids with no restraint. The two-yard-long roll of bubble gum knew nothing of serving sizes, and thus we learned nothing about the subject. Maybe it was a good thing that Hubba Bubba — a subsidiary of Wrigley — discontinued Bubble Tape sometime in the ‘90s. (But don’t worry, nostalgic candy fans: It eventually returned after a 10-year hiatus.) 

The Chef Boyardee brand was founded in 1928, but was nevertheless incredibly popular with kids in the ‘90s. Whether you were a fan of their ravioli, Beefaroni, Spaghettios, or any other premade pasta, your parents likely kept some cans in the pantry for a quick meal that could be made in the microwave. Believe it or not, the founder of the company was an actual Italian immigrant with a name similar to Boyardee, except he spelled it “Boiardi.”

The ‘90s were a weird time. Rapidly approaching the year 2000, we were all looking toward the new millennium and obsessed with anything that seemed futuristic. That made it the perfect time for Frito-Lay to introduce Doritos 3D, a puffed-up version of their original, two-dimensional nacho cheese tortilla chips. Doritos 3D were phased out in the U.S. while the 21st century was still very young, but have since been resurrected!

Dunkaroos have made a comeback in recent years. After these little packages of cookies and frosting were discontinued in 2012, they returned with much fanfare in the summer of 2020, boosting the spirits of many people stuck at home in the midst of a global pandemic. Now you can not only get the classic Dunkaroos snack, but also Dunkaroos cereal and yogurt. 

“Leggo my Eggo!” was an oft-used phrase in the 1990s, even though Eggo Waffles first debuted in 1953 and that slogan was coined in 1972. Still, these frozen breakfast items remained popular in the ‘90s thanks to numerous now-famous commercials and campaigns, as well as experimental varieties like fruit-topped waffles.

The best way to beat the heat during those steamy ‘90s summers? Enjoying an ice-cold freeze pop. Also known as “freezies” or “freezer pops,” these treats were invented way back in 1963 and gained popularity with each passing decade. Pop-Ice was the first company to make them, followed by Jel Sert’s “Fla-Vor-Ice” a few years later. Otter Pops came along in the ‘70s, but that company was purchased by Jel Sert in 1996, solidifying the latter as the largest producer of freeze pops in America.

Fruit by the Foot is one of those snacks that’s made to be played with. Created by General Mills in 1992, Fruit by the Foot measures three full feet in length when unrolled, which means the strips can be tied into bows, wrapped around fingers and arms, and swung in the air like a lasso, among other shenanigans. Despite having “fruit” in the name, they’re far from healthy, but at least they no longer contain artificial dyes and flavors.

Fruit Roll-Ups actually first appeared in the 1980s, but hit their sweet spot (pun intended, as they are pure sugar) in the ‘90s. If you think of the aforementioned Fruit by the Foot as an edible measuring tape, then Fruit Roll-Ups would be like edible sheets of paper. Or, in some cases, edible transfer paper, as you could (and still can!) buy a variety that includes temporary “tongue tattoos.”

In 1997, Yoplait first introduced Go-Gurt, a drinkable yogurt served in tubes instead of cups. Between the unique containers, the bright-colored packaging, and the fun flavors, Go-Gurt was a hit among kids. It still exists today, and can even be bought abroad under the names Yoplait Tubes (Canada) and Frubes (U.K.).

Fruit snacks with flavored liquid sugar inside? Yes please, said the younger, elementary school versions of ourselves back in the early ‘90s. (Although we probably weren’t that polite.) Gushers are still going strong today and are still being produced by their original company, Betty Crocker.

Despite the Hot Pocket name clearly stating that the contents of each calzone are likely to be hot, we still burned our mouths countless times back in the ‘90s. As we got older, we discovered that Lean Pockets are better for our diet, so we burned our mouths on those for a few years. Now we wouldn’t even think of eating a Hot Pocket — we just buy them for our kids to eat instead.

TV dinners were invented by Swanson back in the ‘50s, but it wasn’t until 1990 that Conagra Foods first rolled out Kid Cuisine. This was a game-changer for youngsters like us, who finally had a TV dinner that seemed like it was actually designed by kids, with options like chicken nuggets, hamburgers, and pizza — all of which also came with a dessert, of course.

We were snacking on Lunchables back when they only included crackers, a few slices of meat and cheese, and a tiny candy bar. That timeframe, for the record, was the early ‘90s, as Lunchables debuted nationally in 1989 and didn’t start offering other options — like pizza — until the mid-90s.

The exact inventor of the molten chocolate lava cake — a chocolate sponge cake filled with liquid chocolate — is up for debate, but at least we can all agree it was created in the 1980s. That explains why every eatery from fancy five-star restaurants to nationwide chains included it on their menus in the ‘90s. Once the novelty wore off, people realized you can easily make this dessert at home with the use of a ramekin. 

Sure, pizza bagels in the morning, Lunchables pizza for lunch, and Hot Pockets for dinner are great for a typical day…but what about when you just need a pizza snack? Enter Totino’s Pizza Rolls, which first dropped down from Heaven in the early ‘90s. Well, actually these tasty snacks were invented in 1968, but after numerous rebrands, it was in 1993 that they became the Totino’s Pizza Rolls we know today.

We will group Pop Rocks and Fun Dip together, as they are both essentially small pouches of flavored sugar. The difference is that the former crackles when you eat it, and the latter comes with a stick (called “Lik-A-Stix”). Eating Pop Rocks mixed with fizzy soda is also what killed Mikey, the Life Cereal spokeskid…according to a now-debunked urban legend that was popular in the pre-Internet ‘80s and ‘90s.

It’s a lollipop, without a stick — a ring of flavor you can lick…at least according to the jingle for these wearable candies that rose to popularity in the 1980s and stayed strong into the ‘90s. Ring Pops had some truly delicious fruit flavors that made them worth buying, even though they occasionally made your hands sticky. Buy hey, at least they were a nice complement to candy necklaces (which were invented a few decades prior).

Okay, one more pizza entry. (Clearly, people were obsessed with pizza in the ‘90s!) In 1995, Pizza Hut forever changed the world by introducing the stuffed crust pizza. They even had a memorable ad campaign that encouraged patrons to eat their cheese-stuffed pizza slices crust-first. We tried it that way, as instructed, but after discovering the crust to be the best part, we would always save it for last by eating slices the traditional way.

Kellogg’s invented Pop-Tarts in the 1960s and Pillsbury introduced Toaster Strudel in the 1980s, but the toaster-pastry rivalry really seemed to heat up (no pun intended) in the ‘90s. Pop-Tarts (and the Snak-Stix that were briefly available in the mid-2000s) was a common post-school snack for us, and both were part of our chronically unbalanced breakfasts. 

Remember when white chocolate had its moment in the ‘90s? Suddenly, it seemed like Americans couldn’t get enough of the stuff, which included product launches like Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme bars, as well as their white chocolate Kisses. White chocolate might not be as popular today as it was in the 1990s, but at least it now has a holiday: National White Chocolate Day, which is celebrated every September 22.