From the Cereal Aisle: Buc Wheats

Product: Buc Wheats Cereal
Company: General Mills
Years: 1971-1983

Picture by Bolio88

I am not generally a fan of flakes when it comes to my breakfast cereals. Honey Toasted, Frosted, Corn, Bran.....flakes of any kind really. Maybe it's the awkwardness of the flake shape, and the sharp roof of the mouth piercing edges that they often produce. Maybe it's the negative connotation that the work "Flake" has:

FLAKE

n. An unreliable person; someone who agrees to do something, but never follows through.

1. John forgot to show up for work again this month. He's such a flake. 

I'm petty sure my parents knew my opposition to flake based cereals growing up, which is why I don't recall a box of Buc Wheats cereal ever entering our house. I'm sure it was delicious...I mean.....look at the nice.......brown box..........with that bowl of brown flakes........and the exciting "Wildlife Print" offer on the back of the box.......who needs fun prizes like baking soda submarines, or Garfield bike reflectors.......I'll be the only kid on my block with a Les Kouba deer print...........exciting. *crickets*

Buc Wheats were pretty popular for a while, mostly because of the Maple glaze that was gently brushed over each flake with butterfly wings (I can't prove that). But then for some reason in the early 80s, they changed the formula. Instead of a maple glaze, they changed to a honey glaze. And I'm sure you can imagine the anarchy that erupted when people realized what General Mills had done. General Mills headquarters was stormed by angry townspeople and burned to the ground. The cereal aisles ran red with the blood of GM executives.
That's what I imagine anyway. Hey, I was like 6 at the time, I can't remember a lot. It's much cooler then imagining people just not buying the cereal anymore...even if that's more or less what happened. 

Image by CheshireCat666

Buc Wheats had a good 10 year run as the "Sticky Wheaties of the 70's", but the change in the sweetener proved to be too much for most people, and poof, it was gone.

Maybe you have fond memories of this cereal. Maybe you wish it would make it's triumphant return to Cereal Aisles across America.......hell, across the globe.

I don't. But then again, I'm pretty much a flake.

From the Snack Aisle: Oreos Bacon Cream Cookies

Item: Oreos Bacon Cream
Company: Nabisco
Years: 2013-2013 (24 hours aprox.)



Oh shit, I was trying to be clever and I think I might have actually given Nabisco a good idea.
I mean, they've tapped out every other Oreo flavor combination in the last 2 or 3 years.

"It's like dipping a warm piece of bacon into a glass of Chocolate Milk!®"

 Yum!!!!

From the Candy Aisle: Marathon Bar

Product: Marathon Bar
Company: Mars Inc.
Years: 1973-1981

Image by Jason Liebig

Talk to Jason Liebig.
Visit his outstanding blog called CollectingCandy.com. Specifically, his post about Marathon Bars. I mean, the man lives, sleeps, and breathes Marathon Bars. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if at some point in his life, he owned a pet named "Marathon". A miniature pony perhaps? Not really sure. But he's got the entire low down on the candy bar everyone loved and now longs for.

Me? I've never even eaten one. Well, I guess I can't say I've never eaten one. I was around at the same time they were, for a few years anyway, so I guess my parents could have given me one in those years before I start forming meaningful memories. It's totally possible. So I guess I should really say "I've never eaten a Marathon Bar" in the same way I'd say "I've never eaten a spider" (FACT: people do sometimes sleep with their mouths open). Hey, Things happen in our lives sometimes that we for whatever reason just don't remember. I mean, I must have had a run in with a Marathon Bar at some point.....right?  They sure do sound like they were popular from what people tell me.

It was an 8 inch braided caramel inside, covered in chocolate, with the iconic red wrapper. On the wrapper? A ruler, so you knew without a shadow of a doubt you were getting what was advertised. Genius. I wish other companies that supply food based on length did that same thing. Subway, I'm looking in your direction.

image by 197?now

An interesting note about Marathon's TV commercials: they featured John Wayne's son Patrick as Marathon John who would regularly confront villain Quick Claude.

So that's all I got on the Marathon Bar. It was a candy bar that I certainly needed to add to the shelves here at Gone But Not Forgotten Groceries, even if I've never had one that I can remember. But I wish I had. They look delicious. There is a similar bar in the UK called the Curly Wurly. I'll have to contact my UK friends* and see if they can hook me up.

*(Note to self - make some UK friends).

Until then, I'll have to keep eating the same old boring candy bars I've been eating for the last 30+ years. And possibly a few spiders.**

**(Second Note to self - keep your yap shut while sleeping).

From the Beverage Aisle: King Stir

Product: King Stir
Company: Pacific Hawaiian Products
Years: I'm guessing late 60's. Complete Guess, though.

Image by grickly

King Stir.....the Bubbly drink mix on swizzle sticks.

Here's another product that was just a bit before my time, but I recently saw this item posted on Flickr by Grickly, and I fell in love with it. The magical swirl in the glass.....the candy coated swizzle sticks.....the legless king.....love I tell you. Love it.

I know very little about this other then that the packaging rocks, so any and all info to help fill in the Bio would be welcomed. It was made in Fullerton, CA in what I'm guessing was the mid to late 60's by a company called Pacific Hawaiian Product. It came in Orange and Lemon Lime (Imitation Flavors) and I'm betting it came in more.

So yeah, I know about .5% of the history of this. But I know 100% that the package is amazing.

And I'd really like to know what's up with the legless king. Combine Accident? Or is he a ghost king?

From the Snack Aisle: Nabisco Chit Chat Crackers

Product: Chit Chat Barbecue Crackers
Company: Nabisco
Years: 1964-?

Short post today. I've got a bad head cold and feel pretty crummy. I need a bowl of chicken soup and some crackers to make it go away.

That's my segway into the post. Crackers. Yup, pretty crummy I tell you.

 Nabisco makes crackers, that's their thing. And I'm guessing over the last 50+ years they've had hundreds of crackers I've never heard of and have never seen. That's why it's always fun to stumble upon a long gone flavor, such as the Chit Chat Crackers.

What a 60's sounding name.

I just picture people sitting around their horribly decorated apartments talking about how awesome the last episode of "Gidget" was. Then someone would say "hey, lets go down to the drive in and get some burgers!", to which someone else would respond "We don't have to, I've got a box of new Chit Chat Crackers, by Nabisco!", to which the first guy would then respond in a really whiny Richie-from-Happy-Days-voice "But I wanted a Cheeseburger!"
Then they'd all start to dance. Probably the Twist......no, no...the Mashed Potato.Yeah. That's it.

So, yeah, I don't really know much about these crackers. Other then the Nabisco trademark of the name "Chit Chat" expired back in 2005 and is still available if you're bored and/or starting a fledgling cracker company.

That's all I got today. I need to go blow nose and drink a bottle of NyQuil.

And don't lie, you've never heard of these crackers either.