’90s Snacks That Every Kid Wanted
If you were a kid in the ’90s like me, you probably remember some of your favorite lunchtime treats and after-school snacks. Some of these have come back around for us nostalgic Millennials, but I swear they don’t taste the same! Whether you treasured cookies, fruit snacks or fun drinks, the ’90s had it all. Here are a few you might remember, then be sure to comment some other ones you loved.
Dunkaroos
If you liked sweet treats, chances are your lunchbox wasn’t complete without a pack of Dunkaroos. The concept was simple yet delicious, featuring tiny cookies paired with a small tub of frosting in flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, and my favorite: rainbow sprinkles. The kangaroo mascot was a big part of the fun, too.
While they disappeared for a while in the 2000s, the nostalgia factor was so strong that they eventually made a comeback; however, I don’t think this treat tastes as good in my 30s.
Buy Dunkaroos here.
Fruit Gushers
They looked like ordinary fruit snacks, but when you bit into one, the liquid center “gushed” out, making it feel more like a candy experiment. You may also recall those creepy commercials featuring kids’ heads transforming into giant fruits after eating them. However, the texture was part of what made them unforgettable. They were chewy on the outside, juicy in the middle and sticky enough to leave you picking at your teeth long after you finished the pack.
Today, they’re still around, but for anyone who grew up in the ’90s, nothing quite matches the excitement of opening that foil pouch and finding the neon-colored gems inside. Pro tip: you can often get these at Costco.
Buy Gushers here.
3D Doritos
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At some point in the ’90s, someone decided that regular Doritos just weren’t extreme enough, and that’s how 3D Doritos were born. These crunchy, puffed-up triangles came in a futuristic-looking tube instead of the usual bag. The flavors were familiar, with nacho cheese and cool ranch, but it was the texture that made them so memorable.
3D Doritos vanished after just a few years, but they left a big enough impression that fans still talk about them to this day. For a while, bags of the originals even popped up on eBay at outrageous prices. They hit shelves once again as Doritos 3D Crunch, but were discontinued again in 2023.
Capri Sun
Few things say ’90s childhood quite like poking a tiny straw into a shiny silver pouch of Capri Sun. The drink was refreshing, but if you missed the straw hole, you’d end up squeezing juice all over your hands. Commercials made the brand iconic, showing kids morphing into liquid silver figures as they raced around playgrounds and beaches.
The slim pouches were easy to toss into lunchboxes, and the flavors ranged from classics like Pacific Cooler to wild tropical blends. When you were done with the drink, you could then turn it into a cell phone or another fun invention at recess.
Capri Sun is still around; there was a fan panic in 2024 that the brand was switching to bottles, but the company assured the world that the metallic pouches were “here to stay.”
Fruit by the Foot
Part candy, part toy, Fruit by the Foot was one of those snacks that made eating fun even for picky eaters. Each one came rolled up in a tight spiral, and kids would unroll the long strip in order to eat them — the appeal was that it lasted longer than most treats, like the similar-but-smaller Fruit Roll Up. You could nibble it slowly or just unspool the whole thing and eat it in giant bites, depending on your mood, since it was over two feet long.
You can buy Fruit by the Foot here.
Looking back, these snacks were more than just treats; they were an integral part of the rhythm of growing up in the 1990s. They were traded in cafeterias, devoured on the bus ride home and advertised in commercials that played nonstop on Saturday mornings. What other snacks do you remember?
Remind 
February 2021
1990s Rom-Coms
Pop some popcorn and cozy up to feel-good movies and TV shows from a generation ago.
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