From the Beverage Aisle: Nestle's Choco Boom

Product: Choco Boom
Company: Nestle
Years: 1970-71

Hey Gone But Not Forgotten Groceriers! (wait, is that a thing?)
Every once in a while you come across an item that is so forgotten about that even the mighty internet is of no help to you.

I googled Choco Boom, and it told me I had cancer. (Come on Web MD....you're better then that).

I also found one other person, The Urban Archeologist (http://www.urbanarcheologist.net/) who didn't know what this stuff was either after finding several empty cans.

Image by the Urban Archeologist -  http://www.urbanarcheologist.net/

But yeah, I don't have much on this one. It's another weird mystery that I wish I could solve but can't. So what do I know?

It's a product put out by Nestle's in the early 70's.....a chocolate flavored drink. Think Yoo-hoo. Yeah, you got it....

The only other thing I know is that if they did in fact make liquid dynamite, under no circumstances drink it. I mean, come on...use some common sense.....you'd be blown up.

BOOM!
Choco Boom.

Legendary DJ Bruce Marrow of WABC/WNBC face (Cruisin' Brucie as he was called) was sort of the spokesperson as you can see by the comic book ad below, so maybe I should contact him and get to the bottom of this.

I have a feeling this mystery has only begun......hopefully more to come......

From the Frozen Food Aisle: Birdseye Cool 'N Creamy Pudding

Product: Cool N' Creamy Pudding
Company: Birdseye
Years - Late 60s - early 70s

Recently I received an email from a reader/fan/ downright awesome person named Amy Bernstein-Feldman. She was inquiring about a product that she knew she remembered, but couldn't recall exactly what it was. It was a Cool Whip like Pudding from the 70's, but Amy couldn't figure out exactly what it was she was remembering.

So using my magical extinct grocery powers, I started to do some digging. And some more digging. And some more digging. I broke 3 shovels, threw out my back, and possibly uncovered an old indian burial ground, so there is a good chance I'm now cursed. But at last, I hit gold, and came across this product: Birdseye Cool 'n Creamy Pudding. It was a frozen pudding that came in a container very similar to what Cool Whip comes in today. You would thaw the pudding out, and it would be a rich, smooth consistency that was very different then other brand pudding that you could get in the store, and would last in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

It came in 3 flavors, Chocolate, Vanilla, and Butterscotch.

So it turns out that Amy wasn't crazy after all. The product did exist.

And the best part? The awesome 60's Commercials:

From the Beverage Aisle: PDQ

Product: PDQ
Company: Ovaltine
Years: 60's-80's

For the record, there is absolutely nothing wrong with regular ol' white milk. It's good, and good for you, but there are a bunch of companies out there that just want to spice up your milk drinking experience. Some are still around (such as Nestle Quik and Hershey's syrup), and some are but a memory (Milk Mate and Pinch N' Sip), so I was surprised when an internet friend of mine was selling something I didn't know anything about: PDQ.

Photo by Grickly

PDQ was created by Ovaltine in the mid to late 60s. It wasn't a powder like many of the other similar products, but instead was more of a small pebble/chip of the flavoring that would dissolve in milk. It came in Chocolate, Strawberry, and the seasonal Egg Nog. I wish that last line was a typo, but it wasn't. They actually made Egg Nog Milk flavoring.

Part of the appeal of this product is that you could also use it as a topping on ice cream ("Who want's some Egg Nog Flavored Ice Cream!!!" said the worst parents ever.)

 
Something else you might remember of these bottles was that they would often have a collectable label or lid, such as Endangered Species/Cars/and Marvel Superheros in the early 80s.

Like many of the items I blog about, I'm surprised this one somehow made it past my kid "unhealthy food" radar. Nestle Quik was always in my house growing up, so I'm guessing it was just never brought to my attention. It sort of looks like a jar of coffee grounds to me. Maybe that's why I didn't care.

Plus, as a side note, I'm surprised they used the abbreviation P.D.Q., since that stands for "Pretty Damn Quick". I guess you could argue that it stands for "Pretty Darn Quick", but you would be wrong. And I guess it's better then the first name they pitched, "PMFGDQ".

You figure it out.

Photo by Grickly

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.

From the Frozen Foods Dept.: Micro Magic Milkshakes

Product: Micro Magic Milkshakes
Company: Simplot (J.R. Simplot Co.)
Years: 1989-?

Image by Jason Liebig

I don't even want to write about Micro Magic Milkshakes. It's so stupid. Really. I mean, if you put any ice cream in the microwave for 45 seconds, it becomes the consistency of a shake.......doesn't it?

The J.R. Simplot company has taken us for fools, people.....FOOLS!

This microwave shake came in three, possibly four flavors: Everyone knows about the Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, but according to the newspaper article below, there was also an Orange version. I don't remember the orange ones, and I've never seen a package from one, so not sure if they were regional or what the deal is. The point is, I can't believe I'm still talking about a cup of $1.39 ice cream that was melted in the microwave and presented as a milkshake.

These were part of Micro Magic's "Hey America: You got a new microwave! Let's all get fat!" campaign from the late 80's that included not only the milk shakes, but microwave french fries and microwave cheeseburgers.

"Let's nuke these bitches and eat!!!!" *tears open packages*

I would normally say that this was just a "Fad" food of the 80's, but microwave burgers and fries are still around today. In fact, Kroger sells a microwave milkshake still to this day. Yup.

Does anyone buy them? If I had to guess, I'd say that I don't really care and I STILL can't believe I'm talking about melted ice cream. I could be reading a book, or building a tree house with my kids....

If J.R. Simplot was selling dehydrated water I bet people would buy it.

But I will say this, I think everyone remembers these on the shelves of their frozen food aisles in the late 80's/early 90's, and perhaps, if not for any reason other then curiosity, bought some.
I can still remember my mom coming home with them one day and pulling them from the paper Piggly Wiggly bag like she just pulled a rabbit out of a hat, and as we all stood around the microwave watching the dimly lit carousel spinning round and round inside, as if some actual magic was taking place inside, and I realized, at that moment, that my mom had indeed wasted $1.39.

I sure hope she used a coupon.