31 Snacks & Drinks That Were Discontinued Despite People Really Loving Them (And Why They’re No Longer Around)

—u/The_Postal_Cervix

WHAT HAPPENED: Launched in the 1980s as the first-ever energy drink, Jolt Cola — with "all the sugar and twice the caffeine" — ceased production in 2010. Then, it came back in 2017 with exclusive distribution at Dollar General stores. Then...it was discontinued altogether. Some say that the battery can rebrand did the fan-favorite energy drink in, while others claim it was just ahead of its time. Regardless, you'd be lucky to get your hands on a can of this stuff these days.

—u/RaulTheSalty

WHAT HAPPENED: The whoopie pie-Oreo hybrid snack cakes we know and love debuted in 2007, until they were pulled off the shelves in the early 2010s for no real reason that folks can discern. However, I'm incredibly pleased to announce that starting in 2022, Oreo Cakesters will be making a comeback — alongside Nutter Butter Cakesters, too. (REJOICE!)

—u/BigL90

WHAT HAPPENED: For reasons that literally no one can figure out, Frito-Lay quietly pulled these off the shelves forever, and replaced them with a less-good cheddar variety. The internet may be full of copycat recipes to get as close as possible to the sticky-sweet 'n' tangy flavor of the original, but until Frito-Lay decides to bring these back for good (PLEASE), fans swear by the Dot's Pretzels version of this cult favorite.

—u/Barefoot-shadow

WHAT HAPPENED: Remember when green Skittles were lime-flavored? Yeah, me too, and UGH, I miss them. Supposedly, green apple out-performed lime in a 2013 poll, and that was the end of the lime green Skittle. Until now! It was announced in September that Skittles packages with the original lime flavor would be rolled out over the course of several months, which means you'll get to enjoy that lime-y green Skittle without ever having to suffer through a bag of All Lime again.

—u/FarmerJohnCleese

WHAT HAPPENED: In 2016, McDonald's removed Snack Wraps from their national menu altogether. We'll never know exactly why, though one redditor claims a possible reason for their discontinuation was the time it took to make each wrap, which reduced overall profits as a result. This past year, Snack Wrap diehards felt all the excitement when a TikToker — claiming to be a McDonald's employee — announced that they were coming back imminently, but McDonald's has since stated that "there are no plans to bring Snack Wraps back to nationwide menus in the US or Canada."

—u/DystopianRoach

WHAT HAPPENED: While Bubble Yum isn't entirely gone for good, for the real ones who know that Cotton Candy was hands down the best flavor, I'm afraid you're entirely out of luck. Because we can never have nice things, apparently General Mills only manufactures two flavors of Bubble Yum these days: Original, and Jolly Rancher Blue Raspberry (?!?!). Neither of which are Cotton Candy.

—u/daylaten-1short

WHAT HAPPENED: Jell-O Pudding Pops might just be the most quintessential example of new-and-improved, not necessarily equaling better. These icy, creamy treats were all the rage in the '80s, and increased in popularity as we entered the '90s...but they eventually ceased to turn a profit. General Foods licensed the Jell-O brand to Popsicle, who made their own version of the original Pudding Pop, but they just weren't the same as the original. Ultimately, Pudding Pops were pulled out of the freezer section forever, though KraftHeinz does have a DIY recipe listed on their website. (Will it be as good as actual Pudding Pops? NO.)

—u/MindLikeAMindfield

WHAT HAPPENED: There are nearly 40,000 signatures on an impassioned Change.org petition, and we STILL DON'T HAVE OUR BELOVED CHEESECAKE BARS BACK 😭. This, my friends, is a sure sign of the apocalypse. While the internet is absolutely overflowing with copycat recipes, none of them will ever bring back the totally revolutionary original, and that's simply a crime.

—u/-Dee-Dee-

WHAT HAPPENED: When the "healthy eating" movement swept through American fast-food establishments in the '90s, McDonald's handheld apple pies changed from ultra-crispy, deep-fried treats to baked, usually soggy afterthoughts. You can, however, still find deep-fried versions of this fan-favorite dessert... You'll just have to step outside of the continental United States. Countries like the UK, Mexico, Brazil, and Greece still carry the deep-fried version, as well as McDonald's locations in Hawaii. So, like, if you somehow couldn't find a great reason to visit Hawaii before, getting your hands on one of these nostalgic classics might just be worth booking that flight.

—u/hicanipetyourpupper

WHAT HAPPENED: Rice Krispies? Fine. Rice Krispies Treats? Better. Rice Krispies Treats CEREAL?! Untouched. Like many of these nostalgic faves, Rice Krispies Treats Cereal was phased out, made a comeback with a slightly modified (read: less good) formula, and was then discontinued for good. In fact, Kellogg's confirmed this via Twitter in 2020, so, it's not looking great for the RKT Cereal stans. That said, some redditors swear that they're still able to find boxes of this stuff in their local Walmarts, so if you're desperate for a Rice Krispies Treat kick, it might be worth some investigating.

WHAT HAPPENED: In an honestly shocking plot twist, Ritz Bits Cheddar and Peanut Butter are still on grocery store shelves to this day, but the S'mores version — the GOAT — is nowhere to be found. The brand went on the record via Twitter in 2016 to state that "Ritz Bits S'mores have been discontinued," and I've been waiting for these little bites of perfection to come back ever since.

—u/SexyR63VinylScratch

WHAT HAPPENED: The super-caffeinated, lemon-lime soda was Coca-Cola's answer to — you guessed it — Mountain Dew. And, IMO, it reigned supreme. So it's surprising that the popular soda was discontinued rather abruptly in 2011. Obviously, Vault-lovers have mourned its loss ever since, but there are several theories as to why exactly it was pulled off shelves. It's likely that Vault's demise came after Coca-Cola funneled more of its resources into Mello Yello, which had inherently more brand-recognition associated with it...but some redditors think Vault folded after Coca-Cola "bought controlling interest in an established energy drink called Monster," which, you know, is obviously still alive and well.

Side note: If anyone wants to send me this $170 unopened can of Vault soda, I'll love you forever.