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Monday, September 26, 2011

From the Canned Goods Aisle: Roller Coasters

Roller Coasters Pasta
Company: Chef Boyardee
Year: 80's

1986 Chef Boyardee Roller Coasters Pasta Tin Can Bank
Photo Courtesy of Gregg Koenig

Remember the delicious wavy shaped pasta and the scrumptious tomato sauce? Remember the thrill of knowing that there were 20, count them, 20 hearty meatballs in every can? Do you remember?

Well, I don't. I partly blame my parents, as I remember eating a lot of Franco American Spaghetti (Campbells) growing up, but I guess all the great Chef Boyardee treats were just never on my radar. Does that mean that they won't go on the shelves here at GBNF Groceries? Of course not. Even though I don't remember them, I'm sure there are oodles and oodles of kids out there who grew up with these noodles. So they will take their rightful spot on the shelf. I'll be sure to leave room, because I'm sure there are lots of great pasta treats that are no longer with us....

68 comments:

  1. Really!? No comments?! Well, here's one. Roller coasters are hands-down THE best canned product to EVER grace the white shelves of every grocery store in America. It was my favorite thing to eat as a kid. I would definitely stockpile these if Chef Boyardee were to ever bring them back.

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    1. John, they were my favorite too, I even wrote to chef boyardee to ask them to bring it back...lol

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    2. I also wrote to Chef Boyardee regarding bringing back my lunchtime favorite... I loved the roller coasters and want to share them now with my children but I fear they will never know the delicious and tasty roller coaster brand.

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    3. I also wrote to Chef Boyardee regarding bringing back my lunchtime favorite... I loved the roller coasters and want to share them now with my children but I fear they will never know the delicious and tasty roller coaster brand.

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    4. I also wrote to Chef Boyardee regarding bringing back my lunchtime favorite... I loved the roller coasters and want to share them now with my children but I fear they will never know the delicious and tasty roller coaster brand.

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    5. I agree! Roller Coasters were hands down the absolute best canned pasta out there. This was my all time childhood favorite. I am 43 now and oh how I wish I could have the opportunity to enjoy just one more can.

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    6. These were my FAVORITE lunch food. I would eat them cold right out of the can.

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    7. Yes....I used to get this as a kid...they were my FAVORITE.

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    8. YES THIS ALL DAY. I can't believe they discontinued them. I am in my 50's now and I'd buy a case of this and force my grown kids to try if they ever brought back. Best 'munchie' food ever lol

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    9. John this gift from the gods was just too much for the masses. I remember them well. The food pyramid would simply be a can of roller coasters if they were still in existence. Someday maybe just maybe you will find out for yourself.

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    10. One time when I was a kid I counted only 19 meatballs in my can of ABC's and 123's I believe it was, so I wrote to Chef Boyardee and they sent me a ton of free coupons!! Always count your meatballs.

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    11. They were my fav too and Chili Mac was my second.

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  2. Love, love, love Roller Coasters! I tell my kids that they were the best canned pasta ever! Why Chef Boyardee kept some others and got rid of these is beyond me!

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    1. I completely agree...Roller Coasters totally Rocked!!They were so much better then Beefaroni or Ravioli could ever be!!So miss these!!

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  3. Remember eating these in my teenage years.

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  4. Roller Coasters were by far my favorite. My mouth waters just thinking about them...

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  5. I must have had (by request) Roller Coasters for 3 out of every 5 school days for a solid 3-4 years. That's how much I loved these delicious bits of pasta. The texture was just so much better than all of the Spaghetti-O style stuff. Just an overall much better pasta-to-sauce ratio.

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  6. There hasn't been anything better put into a can since these were discontinued.

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  7. Roller Coasters were THE canned pasta! It's all I really ate growing up. Not sure why they were discontinued. Maybe they cost more to produce than other products? Not sure. Cooking spaghetti now and am boiling some lasagna noodles, and when they cool, I'm gonna cut them into smaller pieces (lasagna has that ripple on the edges) to try a homemade version of Roller Coasters :D. Wish they'd bring them back!

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  8. Huge part of my childhood. I would crawl over a mile of spaghetti-o's for these.

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  9. Now its called "Lasagna" and sold with meat sauce instead of meat balls. Its not the same but close.

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    1. I was going to mention the same thing,JMidwest. My Daughter recently bought me the lasagna, as I LOVED the roller coasters. I am going on 73 years old and can still taste them. believe it or not,I actually agree that the sauce is pretty much dead-on and the meatballs are now meat sauce. If you really loved the roller coasters, this is the closest thing to it.

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    2. LOVED Roller Coasters!! Really wish they would bring them back!!

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  10. The whole reason I did this search was to see if they still made them. Hands down THE BEST BOYARDEE product EVER. I would drive a couple hundred miles and buy a half dozen cases if I could find them somewhere. Bring 'em back!! PLEASE!!

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  11. This is still my favorite food of all time. Bring it back!

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  12. I legitimately do not understand why this was discontinued. It was easily my fav of all the varieties of canned pasta and I miss it a lot. A lot of stuff from the 80's and 90's is making a comeback and I think now would be a great time to see this being brought back.

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  13. I was just in the grocery store today dreaming of having these again.

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  14. I can't count the number of cans that I ate at my grandparents house. They might run out of ice cream, but never would they let the Roller Coasters become depleted.

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  15. These were ALWAYS MY FAVOURITE!!
    I wish they would come back...
    I begging you to bring em back!!

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  16. They pretty much all tasted the same to me (Zooaronies, Tic-tac-toes, dinosaurs, & ABC's 123's). All the other stuff like Ravioli or Beefaroni had different flavors.

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  17. It was the sauce... totally different from beefaroni, and ravioli... unique

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    1. Yes, the sauce was totally different, and I can still taste it to this day!

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  18. I'm glad I'm not the only one that definitely can tell a difference in the sauce and pasta from ALL the other similar canned pastas. Ravioli Roller Coasters is hands down the best that's ever been in my taste bud's opinion anyway! I would stand on my head and gargle peanut butter if they will BRING ROLLER CASTERS BACK!

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  19. ALWAYS my favoite canned pasta. BRING THEM BACK!!

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  20. I'm sad that the original post in this thread is from 2011. Six years later, and Chef Boyardee hasn't even acknowledged our demands, let alone met them! RO-LLER COA-STERS...RO-LLER COA-STERS...

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    1. I contacted them on Twitter about their new 'throwback' cans of Beef Ravioli and Beefaroni. They do taste more like what I remember as a kid then the current ones. I asked them why they don't just throwback and keep it the old recipe instead of the 'newer' version (I would imagine cost) and they actually responded and said that I'll be happy to know the throwbacks will be around for awhile. Then I replied to bring back the Roller Coasters LOL.

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  21. Wish they would bring them back. I would buy them all out. Lol

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  22. i absolutely loved these as a kid. id still buy them if they still made them.

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  23. I LOVED THESE AS A KID! WOULD BUY A CASE OF IT IF THEY BROUGHT THEM BACK!!

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  24. I loved just about all Chef Boyardee products when I was a kid. These days, that's way too much sodium for me.

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  25. Chef boyardee shoud bring back roller coasters past back it will be the great pr movie for people who grew up with them it be a moneymaker

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  26. I cant belive it, i thought i was the only one who loved these! Im 42 now and would love one more taste, i would swallow some noodle whole becsuse hey its a roller coaster and needs to ride down my throat lol. I would also buy them out of stock. It seems when i find something i like it gets discontinued

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  27. Happens to everything I love as much as roller coasters. The lasagna is the closest taste to it now😢

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    1. What i don't understand is how popular this item still is. Just consider the amount of revenue this company is losing. They still cannot explain why it was taken off the market.

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  28. Good riddance. Each and every Chef Boy-Ar-Dee canned product turns my stomach, and did even when I was a kid. I can't stand to even see them or smell them.

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  29. BRING THEM BACK.....today's product line is tasteless and boring and they hardly have any shelf space in stores because of that.Always on sale because nobody wants it.Is the company trying to lose business? BRING back the original and show consumers you are still in the game otherwise pack up up and let another company take a shot.

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  30. I loved these as a kid.....loved just looking at the vintage can. Please bring these back.......I would buy acade for sure

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  31. That's funny and impressive. Now if they'd just put our Roller Coasters back. I'm 76 and can still taste their deliciousness💕

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  32. I loved roller coasters! I wish they would bring them back!

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  33. I've been vegetarian for over 20 years but if I found a can of these, I would totally eat them.

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  34. I was hoping to find them too! They were my absolute favorite. Miss them. ��

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  35. My absolute favorite too. I could live on them. Sadly, we'll never see them again and there's nothing like them😪

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  36. I stand we these people in solidarity to bring back Roller Coasters.

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  37. Yes they were my absolute favorires9

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  38. would LOVE to have these back!

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  39. Oh Man! How I miss the Roller Coasters. One year (1978 I think) I asked on my Christmas list for a years supply of them and my parents wrapped up 2 cases of Roller Coasters and putt it under the Christmas tree. For those asking? They did last me just under a year......

    Please Bring them Back!

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  40. Boy were you lucky Brad507!
    Peace, Love and Light

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  41. I was SO pleasantly surprised to see that there are so many of “us” out there that have the discerning palate to be able to appreciate these little delicacies! It gives me hope for 2021! 😃

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