You Are What You Were. Celebrate Retro Pop Culture At Retroland.
Through half-opened eyes and a cloud of sleep-deprived fog, we stared at them intently every morning while shoveled their contents into our mouth. That box of breakfast cereal greeted and enthralled us each day. And yet, take a walk down the cereal aisle today and only a handful of favorites from yesteryear remain – and most of those are barely recognizable. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a place to go, where you could revisit the glory days of breakfast cereal boxes?
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Some people prefer their gum in stick form. Others have grown accustomed to the slight crunch that a candy coating offers, as is commonly found in the typical gumball. Problem is, gumballs aren’t exactly the sort of thing that is easily carried in one’s pocket, unless you have an affinity for chewing lint. At the turn of the century, however, candy makers offered a compromise of sorts - a gum that offered the portability of sticks, without sacrificing that sugary shell of yummy goodness. And ever since, Chiclets have been sold around the world, both in gumball machines and in the familiar rectangular box with the cellophane window.
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1963 was a good year for cookie lovers, thanks to the introduction of Chips Ahoy! to grocery stores everywhere. Though maybe not as good as the homemade version, Chips Ahoy! were certainly a fine and addictive substitute. Paired with a generous glass of ice-cold milk (much like a glass of wine, expertly paired with a gourmet meal,) it was entirely possibly to devour the whole bag in one sitting, leaving you pawing your way through cookie fragments hiding at the bottom. If this rings any bells, join us as we remember these delectable treats.
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If there is one candy that people aren’t afraid to voice an opinion on, it is those orange, oddly shaped marshmallow confections known as Circus Peanuts. To some, they are God’s greatest gift to the candy world, worthy of undying devotion. To others, they are more akin to packaging material than a yummy snack. One thing is for certain though - there are very few people that fall into the “undecided” column.
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We, the people, sure seem to enjoy our Coca-Cola. It is a product as decidedly American as a warm slice of apple pie. Few products can boast a level of universal recognition comparable to this heavily sweetened cola-flavored soft drink that has been enjoyed by literally billions of people over the past century. Through the Great Depression, two World Wars, and every decade in between and beyond, Coca-Cola has held a special place in our hearts.
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In the 70s and 80s, kids just couldn’t get their day off on the right foot without a proper dose of delicious sugar and fright, and nothing brought it to the table like Count Chocula and his friends Franken Berry and Boo Berry. Flavored puffs and marshmallows packed a tasty punch and kept kids bouncing off the walls for hours.
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To survive in the ice cream business for over 70 years with only one flavor is a pretty monumental feat. But from 1940 to the present, Dairy Queen has been milking their vanilla soft-serve delicacy for all its worth, creating a variety of frozen treats sure to sooth on a hot summer day. And perhaps their most successful concoction is the Blizzard, a sublime blend of soft-serve and candy/cookie chunks that is sure to satiate any sweet tooth. Let's take a look back.
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It’s certainly no surprise that manufacturers of kid’s breakfast cereals have found much of their success by tying their product to popular cultural icons, such as television cartoons. But with the rapid rise in the popularity of video games in the early 80s, these computer-generated mascots were able to get in on the action as well. And with a game as enormously popular as Donkey Kong, few were suprised when a breakfast cereal soon followed. Unfortunately, its rightful place in the supermarket aisle was short lived.
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In 1982, theater audiences were introduced to a loveable critter from another planet, affectionately named E.T. in the blockbuster Steven Spielberg film of the same name. At that point in movie history, it was the most financially successful film to date, and captured the hearts of millions of children. As a result, the marketing floodgates opened. Perhaps the biggest benefactor was Reece’s, whose new Reece’s Pieces were prominently featured in the film as the cuddly alien’s favorite candy. And as packages of the peanut butter flavored morsels flew off of store shelves, it seemed only natural to give the extraterrestrial his own breakfast cereal.
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In the world of snack foods, there is perhaps no better representation of the “American Dream” than the inspiring story of a humble man named Wally Amos. He grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and learned from his aunt how to make her celebrated chocolate chip cookies. And while it took him many years, Wally “Famous” Amos learned that if you do what you love, the rewards can be amazing. His Famous Amos cookies surged in popularity throughout the 80s and are now found just about anywhere that cookies are sold.
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