Can You Name These Items You’d Find in a ’90s Lunchbox?

By: Allison Lips
Image: Wiki Commons by Thomson200

About This Quiz

If you lived through the '90s, you probably remember some of the unusual snacks and drinks that were available on store shelves. Some of those snacks, such as 3D Doritos and Butterfinger BBs, have long been discontinued. Others were drinks, such as Yoo-hoo and Kool-Aid, that were old favorites experience renewed popularity and continue to go strong.

Then there's a third category of snacks and beverages that were beloved in the '90s but have since been forgotten. These products, such as SunnyD and Gushers, linger on store shelves waiting for nostalgia to save them from being discontinued. 

The final category of '90s snacks includes those that were discontinued but were reintroduced because fans championed these products' positive qualities and campaigned for the ability to buy them again. Many of these products, such as Surge, Planters Cheez Balls and Hi-C Ecto Cooler, returned for a limited time. Often, stores quickly sell out of the limited supply, but sometimes the manufacturer will produce more or return the product to the shelves permanently, but that's a rare occurrence.  

Do you still miss '90s snacks? Have you found yourself scouring supermarket shelves hoping to find your favorite childhood snack? You're going to love testing your knowledge of '90s snacks with this quiz! 

Planters Cheez Balls were discontinued in 2006. However, Planters listened to fan campaigns and brought the snack back for a limited time in 2018. The company also reintroduced Cheez Curls, so that fans had their choice of cheesy snacks.

Betty Crocker produces Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit By the Foot. Fruit Roll-Ups are available in Blastin Berry Hot Colors, Carnival, Strawberry, Tropical Tie Die and Flavor Mixer packages.

In the 1950s, Natale Olivieri created Yoo-hoo because he wanted to add a chocolate drink to the products his company offered. Today, the company is part of the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

Rudolf Wild created Capri-Sun. In 1969, the drink went on sale as Capri-Sonne and was only available in lemon and orange. Two years later, television commercials for Carpi-Sonne featured Muhammad Ali. However, the drink wouldn't reach the United States until 1981.

In 1964, SunnyD started life as Sunny Delight. It would become available in the United Kingdom in April 1998 and in a little over a year became that country's third-largest-selling soft drink.

Gushers hit store shelves in 1991. In 2015, General Mills removed artificial flavors and colors from the snack. The snack is sold under the Betty Crocker brand and is available in watermelon, strawberry and other flavors.

Coca-Cola distributes Hi-C. The drink is available in Flashin' Fruit Punch, Smashin' Wild Berry, Poppin' Pink Lemonade, Orange Lavaburst, Grabbin' Grape, Balzin' Blueberry, Boppin' Strawberry and other flavors.

General Mills introduced Dunkaroos in the early 1990s. The snack was discontinued in the United States in May 2012. However, as of 2017, Dunkaroos are still available in Canada. In 2016, General Mills launched an ad campaign that encouraged Canadians to smuggle the cookies across the border.

Sheri Schellhaass was a food scientist at General Mills when she created Go-Gurt. The reason behind Go-Gurt's unique design as yogurt on a stick was so that kids would not need a spoon to eat yogurt.

General Mills launched Bugles in May 1964 with regional launches. Seattle, Omaha, Des Moines, Omaha, Buffalo and Syracuse were the first cities to see the snack on store shelves.

In the mid-1990s, Wonder Balls were called Nestle Magic Balls. The product was a hollow milk chocolate ball that contained a plastic figurine. In 1997, the Wonder Ball was discontinued because the toy presented a choking hazard. Three years later, it was re-released with candy replacing the toy.

Handi-Snacks come in many flavors. Over the years, Kraft has removed the red stick from the package and now encourages customers to dip the crackers into the cheese. Other flavors are Oreo Cookie Sticks 'N Creme, Premium Breadsticks 'N Cheese Dip and Mister Salty Pretzels 'N Cheese Dip.

Cheetos come in over 50 flavors. In Japan, you can get Fizzy Pepsi Cheetos, Strawberry Cheetos, Mentaiko Mayonaise, Cheeseburger-flavored Cheetos, Butter Soy Sauce Cheetos and Chocolate Cheetos.

In the United States, most Doritos flavors are some variation of cheese. However, Japan has more unusual flavors. In Japan, you can purchase the following Doritos flavors: Coconut Curry, Tuna Mayo, Cheese & Almond, Roe & Mayonnaise and Teriyaki Chicken.

In 1992, General Mills announced the launch of Trix Yogurt. The company wanted to enter the growing kids' yogurt market. It decided to use Trix for the branding because kids already recognized the name.

Squeezit was on store shelves from 1985 to 2001. The drink, which came in a squeezable plastic bottle, was available in Smarty Arty Orange, Chucklin' Cherry and Berry B. Wild flavors.

Warheads originated in Taiwan in 1975. In the early 1980s, they were imported to the United States. The sourness of the candy comes from citric acid and micro-encapsulated malic acid.

SnackWell's Devil's Food Cookie Cakes are fat-free and do not contain high fructose corn syrup. The cookie cake consists of a hard chocolate shell, creamy marshmallow and a chocolate cake.

The Wrigley Company, which is now owned by Mars, produces Hubba Bubba in regular and bubble tape forms. Hubba Bubba Bubble tape is available in original, tangy tropical and sour blue raspberry flavors.

Bill and Dorthy Harmsen created Jolly Ranchers. In 1996, the Hershey Company bought the brand. Since the 90s, the brand has expanded into gummies, fruit chews, lollipops and sour candies.

M&M's Crispy Candies were introduced in 1998. They were discontinued seven years later. In 2015, Mars announced that Crispy M&M's, which are officially called M&M's Crispy, were returning.

In 1974, Little Hug Fruit Barrels hit store shelves. They are 8 oz. bottles of a fruit-flavored drink. Little Hug Fruit Barrels are available in fruit punch, grape, blue raspberry, kiwi-strawberry, wild berry, cherry berry, lemon berry, orange, lemonade and tropical punch.

O.D. McKee, the founder of McKee Foods, chose the name Little Debbie for his snack cake line because his 4-year-old granddaughter was named Debbie. The first cake produced was Oatmeal Creme Pie.

Melody Pops or Melody Whistle Pops were originally called simply Whistle Pops. A different company made whistle Pops, but they were discontinued. Under the Melody Pops name, the lollipop is strawberry flavored.

Butterfinger BB's debuted in 1992. In 2006, the candy was discontinued. Three years later, the candy returned under the name Butterfinger Bites. The candy is essentially a ball-shaped Butterfinger, complete with the same type of peanut butter center.

When Shark Bites debuted, they were sold under the Fruit Corners banner. Inside the box, you would find great white, hammerhead, mako and tiger shark pieces. The flavors were orange, strawberry, grape and lemon.

Teddy Grahams are available in regular and "soft bakes." The Teddy Soft Bakes are available with chocolate or vanilla filling. Regular Teddy Grahams come in honey, chocolate chip, chocolate, cinnamon and birthday cake.

Pringles are available in regular, wavy and light varieties. A few regular flavors are BBQ, Cheddar Cheese, Pizza, Ranch, Buffalo Ranch, Extra Hot and Memphis Barbeque. Wavy Pringles can be found in Applewood Smoked Cheddar, Roasted Jalapeno, and Sweet and Tangy varieties.

Post and Kellogg debut similar toaster pastry products within months of each other. On February 16, 1964, Post released Country Squares. In September, Kellogg decided to test Pop-Tars in a few markets.

Today, Pixy Stix are sold under the Wonka brand. Other candies sold as Wonka are Sweetarts, Everlasting Gobstoppers, Nerds, Spree, Bottle Caps, Ruts and Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip. Wonka is owned by Nestle.

In 1912, the Oreo was invented. At the time, they were made in Nabisco's New York facilities. While Oreo cookies haven't been made in New York City since 1958, they are still made at plants in Chicago, Oregon, Virginia, and New Jersey.

Hostess, the company that makes Twinkies, was founded in 1919. The first snack cake it sold was the Hostess CupCake. In 1930, Jimmy Dewar created the Twinkie. At first, the Twinkie was two for a nickel. It quickly became Hostess' best-selling snack cake.

On February 20, 1962, John Glenn orbited Earth with his Tang. While many people believe NASA invented Tang, the drink was created by William Mitchell at General Food in 1957 and was originally called Tang Flavor Crystals.

In 1948, Nesquick was introduced as Quick Chocolate Powder. The drink's bunny mascot would join the brand in the 1970s. Currently, Nesquick is available in vanilla, strawberry and banana. You can buy it in powder or liquid form.

Crystal Pepsi was sold for the first time in the early 1990s. Since its initial arrival on store shelves, the drink has been discontinued and re-released multiple times. The most recent was in 2010.

In 1996, Coca-Cola launched Surge. Seven years later, Surge was discontinued. However, The Surge Movement convinced Coca-Cola to create a limited run for Amazon. Afterward, Surge became available in frozen form from Burger King. In 2018, the soda was added to Burger King's Freestyle Machines.

In February 1962, Hawaiian punch debuted its mascot, Punchy. Punchy was created by Martin Mandelblatt, and two years later, the brand introduced its tagline, "How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?" In 1978, Donny and Marie Osmond joined Punchy in selling Hawaiian punch.

French's Potato Sticks consist of potatoes, palm oil and salt. A serving size of French's Potato Sticks is three-quarters of a cup. It has 170 calories, 12 grams of fat, 180 milligrams of sodium and 15 grams of carbohydrates.

Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation released Orbitz in 1996. The drink came in Pineapple Banana Cherry Coconut, Vanilla Orange, Charlie Brown Chocolate and Raspberry Citrus flavors.

In 1988, Lunchables became available. They were Oscar Mayer's solution for selling more bologna, which was losing popularity. In 2017, Kraft Heinz, which owns the brand, sold $1.35 billion worth of Lunchables.

About HowStuffWorks Play

How much do you know about dinosaurs? What is an octane rating? And how do you use a proper noun? Lucky for you, HowStuffWorks Play is here to help. Our award-winning website offers reliable, easy-to-understand explanations about how the world works. From fun quizzes that bring joy to your day, to compelling photography and fascinating lists, HowStuffWorks Play offers something for everyone. Sometimes we explain how stuff works, other times, we ask you, but we’re always exploring in the name of fun! Because learning is fun, so stick with us!

Explore More Quizzes