Food tagged with 80s - 4/7

Freshen Up

Let’s face it, there have been few technological advancements in chewing gum since it first became popular. Sure, new flavors have been introduced, formulas have been perfected to produce better bubbles, and various shapes have come and gone over the years. But 1975 marked a new era with the introduction of squirting gum. The first company to go down this path was Adams, with their spearmint-flavored Freshen-up gum.

Gold Mine

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The art of creative packaging has sold a lot of candy to a lot of kids. Find a unique way to market your confection and you could be looking at a gold mine of profits. Perhaps that was the inspiration for Gold Mine gum, little golden nuggets of chewy goodness, cleverly packaged in a burlap sack.

Hawaiian Punch

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Until the 1980s, commercial-watching consumers could catch the striped-shirt wearing mascot, Punchy, popping the unsuspecting tourist Opie/Oaf after offering him a nice Hawaiian Punch. Punchy’s fisticuff days are a thing of the past, but that ruby-red concoction many of us have grown to love over the years remains as popular as ever. For over 60s [...]

Hi-C

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We can trace back many of our beloved comfort foods to the 50s, an era which introduced such pop culture staples as Jello Instant Pudding and Rice-a-Roni. The arrival of this innovative decade also brought a new fruity beverage in a big tin can, Hi-C. A perfect thirst-quencher on a hot summer's day, and (slightly) more healthy than soda, kids loved it right out of the gate and have continued to gulp down glasses of the sweet concoction for over 60 years.

Hydrox

8 Comments

The cookie world, as you might imagine, is just a tad competitive, and when it comes to two chocolate wafers embracing a layer of sweet vanilla crème, there has always been a heavyweight and an underdog. We know you are aware of the former, but for the uninitiated, we would like to talk about the latter, and thy name is Hydrox. While their demise can be directly linked to their Nabisco counterpart, they are the cookie of choice of millions of people who, in 2008, demanded their cookie back. Let’s see what all the fuss was about.

Jello Pudding Pops

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For a legion of 80s kids, the antidote for a hot summer day was a creamy Jello Pudding Pop. These frozen treats first hit the stands in the late 70s and caused spokesperson Bill Cosby to expand his Jell-O repertoire substantially. All this advertising, however, was likely directed at the parents; kids certainly didn’t need to be told how awesome Pudding Pops were. They just knew. In fact, these treats continue to top the list of foods that kids from the 80s reminisce about. Let's take a look at Mr. Cosby, sharing his love of Pudding Pops with television viewers:

Jelly Belly

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Jelly beans are not a new confection by any means. In fact, versions of the kidney_shaped candy with the hard shell and gooey interior have a history that dates back to the Civil War era. For those who like variety, however, the traditional version never offered much more than a handful of generic, artificial flavors. That is, until the arrival of the Jelly Belly. From that day forth, seemingly every flavor under the sun became available in jelly bean form, thereby converting millions of candy fans into jelly bean connoisseurs.

Jiffy Pop

Jolly Green Giant

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He was a man of few words, those of which had clearly been plagiarized from Santa Claus. He was green, he was a giant, and had it not been for an extreme makeover, he might never have found his way into our collective hearts. Hawking his wares of freshly canned vegetables, he is none other than the Jolly Green Giant. Let’s take a look back at this memorable mascot.

Jolly Rancher

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Once upon a time, Jolly Rancher was a Colorado confectionery company that supplied the locals with fine, hand-dipped chocolates and “rancher-maid” ice cream. As fate would have it, they are barely remembered for those treats. Instead, sales of their flavorful hard candy sticks would far surpass their other wares, and their wildest dreams. Decades later, Jolly Rancher is a household name and a beloved candy for many a former kid.