27 Foods From the 1970s That Vanished Into Thin Air

The decade of disco and bell-bottoms gave us something else worth remembering.

Food.

Wild, experimental, sometimes bizarre food that defined a generation of American households.

These weren’t just snacks—they were experiences, conversation starters, and the stuff of kitchen table legends that grandparents still talk about today.

Your parents probably had strong opinions about these. Your grandparents definitely did.

Here are 27 foods from the 1970s that disappeared from shelves but never left our memories.

1. The Banana Flip

This yellow cake folded like a taco and stuffed with cream was pure genius. Or madness.

Made by brands like Nichols and Mickey’s, it looked exactly like what would happen if a banana and a taco had a baby.

Kids would gather around whoever had one at lunch. Just like arcade games later—one kid playing, five watching.

Gone but not forgotten.

2. Cheese Tid-Bits

Nabisco knew what they were doing.

These cheese sticks were different from everything else on the shelf. That perfect crunch. That perfect salt ratio.

If you had these in your lunch, you were the popular kid that day.

Now we’re stuck with Goldfish.

3. Space Food Sticks

44 calories per stick. The future in edible form.

Pillsbury launched these in 1970 with flavors like chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel.

They promised nutritional balance. They delivered something that looked suspiciously like dog treats.

But man, did we feel like astronauts eating them.

4. Baron von Redberry Cereal

General Mills created a World War I German pilot mascot in 1972.

Berry-flavored oats with marshmallows that tasted like fruit punch.

The Baron battled Sir Grapefellow for cereal supremacy. “Der Berrygoodest” vs “The Grapest.”

Saturday mornings meant everyone was watching the same commercials. Everyone picked sides.

Marketing was different then.

5. Crazy Cow Cereal

Pour milk. Watch magic happen.

The chocolate or strawberry coating turned your milk into flavored heaven.

General Mills knew exactly what kids wanted in 1976. Plus Star Wars trading cards? Game over.

Worth every quarter saved from your allowance.

6. Aspen Soda

Clear apple soda from Pepsi. Four years from 1978 to 1982.

That’s it. That’s all we got.

You either tried it and remember it forever, or you missed out completely.

Then it vanished like it never existed.

7. Googles, Kookoos, and Razzies

Dolly Madison went all-in with peanut mascots on the packaging.

Kookoos were basically Ding Dongs. Razzies were yellow cake versions.

But Googles? Mystery cakes.

Yellow with white frosting. Maybe cinnamon. Nobody really knows anymore.

They’re the Bigfoot of snack cakes. Everyone swears they remember them differently.

8. Koogle

Kraft’s 1971 answer to peanut butter that wouldn’t glue your mouth shut.

Chocolate, vanilla, banana, cinnamon flavors. Spread it on anything.

Kids would trade sandwiches just to try different flavors.

Revolutionary? Maybe. Successful? Not quite.

9. Pizza Spins

1968 to 1975. Seven years of crispy pinwheel chips with pizza flavor.

The box showed pizza with no cheese.

Kids would spend quarters on these like they were arcade tokens.

Was it really pizza? Philosophy majors are still debating this.

10. Toastettes

Nabisco’s toaster pastry from 1967. Thin crust. Warm center. Light sugar sprinkle.

Some swore these beat Pop-Tarts hands down.

Every household picked a side. Friendships ended over this debate.

They lasted until 2002. Longer than most marriages.

11. Danish Go-Rounds (Later Danish Rings)

The original Go-Rounds broke too easily. Kellogg’s fixed that in 1976 with Danish Rings.

Flakier than Pop-Tarts. Oval-shaped.

Your mom bought these when she wanted to feel fancy.

Perfect on paper. Gone by 1980.

12. The Reggie Bar

“If I played in New York, they’d name a candy bar after me.”

Reggie Jackson said it. Standard Brands did it.

1978 Yankees home opener. Peanuts, caramel, chocolate.

Fans threw them on the field when Jackson hit a home run.

It was an event. Everyone knew about it. Everyone had an opinion.

Career ended in 1981. The candy bar’s, not Jackson’s.

13. Fruit Brute Cereal

General Mills unleashed a werewolf mascot in 1974.

Fruit-flavored frosting with marshmallow bits.

The kid who brought this to school was automatically cool.

Quentin Tarantino loved it. Featured in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.

That’s a legacy.

14. Marathon Bar

Eight inches of braided caramel covered in chocolate.

Mars Candy Company made sure you knew exactly how long—they put a ruler on the packaging.

“The candy bar you can’t eat quickly.” Every kid took that as a personal challenge.

You’d spend your whole allowance on these. No regrets.

Challenge accepted. Challenge completed. Bar discontinued 1981.

15. Tuna Twist

Three flavors: onion, cheddar, Italian. Mix with tuna and mayo.

Turn four sandwiches into six. The commercials had singing vegetables.

Moms loved it. Kids tolerated it.

One problem: the textured vegetable protein made people sick.

Goodbye, Tuna Twist.

16. Mug-O-Lunch

Betty Crocker’s 1976 instant meal. Add ingredients to mug. Pour boiling water.

Wait four minutes. Four agonizing minutes.

Just like waiting 45 minutes for TV dinners. We had patience then.

The microwave killed this innovation.

17. Concentrate Cereal

Kellogg’s created this in 1959 but it survived into the late ’70s.

Looked like fish food. Tasted like… well, parents ate it.

“Greatest concentration of nutrients ever offered.”

Kids stayed away. Far away. This was in the adult section of the pantry.

18. Snack Mate Cheese

Nabisco’s spray cheese launched in 1966 but owned the ’70s.

Every party needed crackers and aerosol cheese.

Kids felt like artists creating cheese sculptures. Or just shooting it straight into their mouths.

Now it’s called Easy Cheese. Progress?

19. Hickory Farms at the Mall

Every mall had one. The smell alone could stop shoppers in their tracks.

Cheese. Crackers. Sausage rolls. Chocolate bars.

Going to the mall was an event. Hickory Farms was a required stop.

Malls are disappearing. So are Hickory Farms stores.

20. Foil-Wrapped Everything

Ding Dongs in foil. Pudding in tin cans. TV dinners on aluminum trays.

Something about unwrapping foil made everything taste better.

45 minutes in the oven for a complete meal. No one complained about the wait.

Heaven help you if your peas invaded your cherry dessert.

21. Swanson TV Dinners

Not new but perfected in the ’70s. Mom worked. Dad worked.

These aluminum trays saved dinner.

Three compartments. One mission: Don’t let the foods touch.

It was like Operation, but with food.

22. Pillsbury Food Sticks

Different from Space Food Sticks. These promised something special.

They delivered something…forgettable.

Even the ’70s had failures. Not everything could be gold.

23. Figurines Breakfast Bars

Kellogg’s attempt at a breakfast bar in the mid-70s. Came in chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon.

They looked like candy bars but promised nutrition.

Kids thought they were getting away with something eating these for breakfast.

Then they vanished without explanation.

Thanks for catching that error! The McDonald’s cookies were definitely an ’80s phenomenon that came with Happy Meals and the McDonaldland characters.

24. Hunt’s Snack Pack in Metal Cans

Pull-tab metal cans. Chocolate pudding never tasted better.

Something about that metal container made it special.

The satisfying pop when you opened it. The slight metallic taste that somehow made it better.

Plastic cups arrived. Magic disappeared.

25. Frito Bandito Corn Chips

Fritos had a controversial mascot. The chips were good.

The marketing aged poorly.

Some things are better left in the past.

But those chips? Still missed.

26. Kaboom Cereal

Clown mascot. Vitamin-fortified. Sugar-coated.

Every parent’s nightmare. Every kid’s dream.

You knew which houses had the good cereal. That’s where you wanted sleepovers.

Discontinued multiple times. Kept coming back. Finally gone for good.

27. PDQ Drink Mix

Chocolate or strawberry powder. Ovaltine’s competitor.

The name meant Pretty Darn Quick.

Mix it wrong and you got chunks. But nobody cared.

It wasn’t quick enough. Nesquik won that war.

Every Kitchen Table Has a Story

These foods weren’t just products. They were experiences shared across kitchen tables, debated at family reunions, and remembered in stories passed down through generations.

Ask your parents about their favorite discontinued snack. Better yet, ask your grandparents. You’ll get more than just a food memory—you’ll uncover stories about the stores they shopped at, the friends they shared snacks with, and the simpler times when a new cereal could be the highlight of the week.

These vanished foods are breadcrumbs in your family’s story.

Every “Remember when?” leads to another memory, another connection, another piece of your history.

Because genealogy isn’t just about names and dates. It’s about the Banana Flips your grandmother secretly loved, the Space Food Sticks your uncle swore by, and that one time your dad spent his entire allowance on Marathon Bars.

Document those snack runs. Save those kitchen table stories. Because those food memories—that’s the stuff family legends are made of.

Need help uncovering more? Check out our Generational Journeys E-Book for 170 Interview Questions to Unlock Your Family’s Past.

Those stories matter. Those memories count.

And somewhere in those snack-filled recollections, you’ll find the threads that connect generations—one discontinued treat at a time.