From the Snack Aisle - Kellogg's Pokes

Product: Pokes Snack
Company: Kellogg's
Years: 1967 - ????


"How'd you like a poke in the mouth?" I thought to myself upon seeing these packages for the first time, thinking I was being clever and a bit dirty.
But then I did a little bit of research, and I found that Kellogg's did indeed use that tagline.
"A Poke in the mouth makes a hit in the tummy", to be exact. Great (dirty) minds think alike, I guess.

 
Image/Boxes by Grickily

So this is what I know about Pokes:
1. They came in 4 flavors. Corn, Cheese and Bar-B-Q were the original 3 flavors, and Potato Pokes were added sometime shortly after.

2. These were "Tasty little Snack Baskets", which look like they just took some Chex and opened up one end....a clever snack shape I don't think I've seen before (Bugle's are pretty similar in execution)

3. The boxes are AMAZING. I mean...LOOK at them. The Potato Pokes have an Irish Potato creature on the front! The Corn Pokes have a crazy looking Indian corn creature on it! The Cheese Pokes have a smiling hunk of (alpine?) Cheese on it! The Bar-B-Q Pokes have a ........cowboy looking......what is that.....a hunk of coal? Ok, that one I'm not sure about. But the boxes reek of the late 60's, and I would love to have a set for my collection.

4. The Reason I don't have them in my collection is because they are Rare, and Expensive if you do find them. A Corn Pokes box sold on Hakes Auctions last year for $600. My wife would kick me out of the house if I spend $600 on ANY box (unless there was a diamond ring inside of it, for her).

5. I'm not sure if these were sold in the US and in Canada or only in Canada. The only advertising I could find for them was in the Montreal Gazette, and it says on the Coupon "Kellogg's Company of Canada, 1968". I know there are Kellogg's cereals that you can only get in Canada, so maybe this was along the same lines? I never had there while they were in stores, so maybe someone can confirm for me.

I couldn't find a lot of info on these, like many of the slightly less popular brands of the 60's-70's. But an important addition to the shelves of Gone But Not Forgotten Groceries none the less.

Leave a comment if you remember these awesome yet slightly creepy looking snacks! 

From the Endangered Groceries List - Chocolate Chip Soda

 

Alert reader Apollo A. send us a unique item to add to out Endangered Groceries list today, and boy, is it a doozey. I've seen some horrid sodas in my time, but this one just doesn't seem right.

Today we bring you Presidents Choice Chocolate Chip Soda.

Created for the 25th anniversary of their Decadent Chocolate brand, Presidents Choice decided to come out with an assortment of items, such as pancake mix, cake mix, and for some weird reason, soda. It was meant to be enjoyed "straight up", or as part of an alcoholic drink. But if you ask me, I'd need a few drinks of alcohol before I'd think about putting this stuff in my mouth. There's a reason the market isn't flooded with chocolate flavored sodas, and that reason is because it's a terrible, terrible idea.....and I think Presidents Choice is already starting to realize this. Apollo told me that this soda retails for .99 cents, but he is seeing it already marked down to .33 cents a liter.

The reviews have not been positive either, so it's a good thing that this was a limited release. 

Not sure if this is sold in the US or not, as I believe Presidents Choice may only be a Canadian product, so sadly, I will probably miss out on this one. But if you have the means, I urge you all to go purchase one of these today!

Or wait until tomorrow and hit the dumpster behind the store.

If you are out at the grocery store and spot an unusual item that you have a feeling won't be on shelves long, snap a picture and send it to me at gbnfgroceries@gmail.com so we can add it to our Endangered Groceries List! 

Come on. Make your mom proud.