From the Misc. Foods Aisle: Generic Brands

Products: Just about Everything
Company: Just about all of them
Years: 1970s-90's

Growing up in the early 80's, our family didn't have a ton of money. We got by and made ends meet where we could by finding ways to maximize every cent we had. This meant several things: We would rent VHS tapes of older movies instead of going to the theatre to see new ones; We would shop for school clothes at Kmart and other "not as cool" clothing stores, and we would often take a stroll down the Generic Foods aisle on every trip to the grocery store to see where we could save a few bucks. Looking back, I remember being embarrassed at those times. While my best friend's parents had their cupboards stocked with Oreos and Ruffles Potato chips, my parents had ours stuffed with "Chocolate Sandwich Cookies" and "Potato Chips" in a package that suggested "Guess what? You're poor!"

Generic Brands are not really gone (technically). We see them all the time on store shelves. You know, those knock off boxes of Mac and Cheese that aren't made by Kraft, and those boxes of Fruity Ring's Cereal that aren't made by General Mills. Generic brands are everywhere still, but not the Generic Brands I remember as a kid. Now you find them on every shelf...colorful packages with cartoons on them and bright graphics, the only really difference is that instead of a major brand name they are made by a smaller, unknown company, often depending on the retailer.  They sit on the shelves right next to their Major Brand competitor, giving you side by side comparison on cost and appearance of the products.
But back in the late 70's and early 80s, the Generic Brands were condemned to their very own aisle, sort of the "Aisle of Misfit Foods", if you will.  In one aisle, you could get your generic cereals, chips, canned goods, snacks, paper products....you name it. There were even generic cigarettes and alcohol (my dad was a big fan of the "Beer").

The typical package design that I remember was black and white, simple (plain) box or can, with the product name used as the descriptor. "Ice Cream", or "Cola", or "Potato Chips". That's what made them so cheap....you aren't paying for the fancy package, just the product inside. And like many of todays "Store Brand" products, the items inside often (but not always) were pretty close in taste to the Major Brand items they are mimicking.

Every once in a while you still stumble upon true black and white "Generic" items in stores, but not very often anymore. So these items aren't completely gone from the stores. But the days of that leper colony of an aisle known as the Generic Aisle are long gone. The other day I saw boxes of true "Generic" potato chips at Piggly Wiggly near my house, and I teared up a little bit remembering grade school picnics, where you were always certain to see someone taking the chips from the iconic generic boxes and pouring them into a bowl.

I'm an adult now (for the most part), and like lots of other things from my childhood, I can look back now and appreciate it all. I miss those trips to the store with mom, even the dreaded Generic Aisle.
It's funny how little things like a black and white box can make you both long for the days of your childhood and still appreciate what you have today.

Generic items are not gone, but as the once dominant "Generic Brand" they were, I think it's safe to say that they are extinct. Sometimes they sneak in with the more popular "Store Brands"....should  you can be so lucky to see them in the wild. If you see any, snap a picture and send them my way! I'd love to see them! I'm curious what's still out there.

Announcing a New section for 2014: The Endangered Grocery List!

When I'm out grocery shopping, I have gotten into the habit of snapping pictures of products that are weird, interesting, and probably doomed to be pulled from the shelves. Snack foods, cereals, sodas and chips are some areas I can usually find these strange creatures. I snap a picture of the items on the shelves, in their natural habitat, if you will. It's kind of fun to look back and see how many of the items I shot didn't make it in the wild for long.

So that's why I'm going to start a fun new interactive part to this blog, and I'm hoping all of you faithful readers out there (all 6 of you) will help me out. The new section is what I am going to call "The Endangered Groceries List", and it goes like this:

When you are out shopping at your local Piggly Wiggly, Meyers, Cub Foods, or whatever grocery chain you have in your neck of the woods, be on the lookout for "endangered groceries".

What are "Endangered Groceries" you might ask? Well, it's those items you see on the shelves that catch your eye and you think to yourself "Wow, these are never gonna last". Maybe they are limited edition items that were never intended to stick around. Maybe they are items tied to some celebrity who is having their 5 minutes of fame. Or maybe it's an item that is just plain a bad idea that nobody is going to buy into.

Here are some examples that I have shot in the wild:

Limited edition cereal, will surely be gone in 6 months

And this:

Weird snack/cereal from a small company that I can't find anymore

Oh yeah, and these......weird......

Git R' Done! I give them a few months. Aren't people sick of this guy yet?

So, if you are out and about and come across any of these doomed to fail, endangered groceries, snap a pic! And send it to me at gbnfgroceries@gmail.com. Maybe I'll use it in the Endangered Groceries section, and you'll be an instant hero to people everywhere! (well, to the other 5 people who read this blog, anyway.....)

Thanks, and happy hunting!

From the Cereal Aisle: Carnation Breakfast Bars

Product: Carnation Breakfast Bar
Company: Carnation/Nestle
Years: 1975-1993 (?)

I had no idea people were so gaga over the Carnation Breakfast bar.
And not just regular old gaga, but like, "lets start multiple online petitions to bring them back" gaga.
People are trying to recreate the recipe and make their own.....
This discontinued product even has it's own Facebook page!  Settle down, people!

Image by Grickly

 Yes, people have been pining for these delicious treats since Nestle decided to pull them from the shelves. I'm not sure exactly when they were discontinued, or WHY they were discontinued, but some of the last Newspaper advertisements I could find for them were right around 1992/93, so I'm marking that as the extinction date.

I actually do remember eating these when I was little, especially on camping trips or car rides to the cottage......or as an after school snack. It was a semi-nutritious meal replacement. Sort of the grandfather to the thousands of "Energy/Meal" bars on the market today. But the genius thing about the Carnation bars is that they covered the things in chocolate. Fact and point, kids will eat anything covered in chocolate. It sort of blurs the lines between adult food and kids food. It's covered in chocolate? Sure, I'll try it.

They came in various flavors over the years - The original flavors were Chocolate Crumb, Chocolate Chip, Granola with Peanut butter, Granola with Raisins, and Granola with Cinnamon. Over teh years, other flavors were added, such as Chocolate Coconut Crunch, Caramel Nut Crunch, and Chocolate Malted Milk Crunch (this is the one I remember most, as I wasn't really a fan of Malted milk, but for some reason my mom always bought it).

And more important then feeding the masses of hungry 70's/80's kids, it was the official snack on the Space Shuttle Columbia. That's right.....MF'n astronauts ate them in space. Amazing.

Unfortunately, like the US space program, it's been discontinued. Hopefully, if there is any intelligent life out there, we will one day see these return to store shelves everywhere. Now if I can just find a petition to sign........

like here, or here, or here.........

From the Candy Aisle: Wacky Wafers

Product: Wacky Wafers
Company: Willy Wonka
Years: 80s - 90's

Image by Dan Goodsell

Sometimes candy goes away and you never even know it. Case in point, Wacky Wafers. I'm guessing most people don't even realize they haven't been made in quite some time.

Wacky Wafers were made by the Willy Wonka Candy Company until Nestle took it over back in 1988, then they eventually pulled the plug sometime in the late 90's. The ones I remember the most are the larger ones (the Originals and best, as far as I'm concerned), about the side of a half dollar, that came in a row. They also came in various other sizes over the years, including smaller disks about the side of Bottle Caps or Sweet Tarts that came in single packs and on a roll, similar to today's Sweet Tarts.

Image by CollectingCandy.com

Flavors included Banana, Green Apple, Strawberry, Watermelon, and Orange, with a few variations over the years including Blue Raspberry, Cherry, and Grape.

I don't have a lot of info in this candy, as it simply one day disappeared, quietly in the dark of the night. Like a jilted lover, or a Possum.

But there is still hope that we may one day get to taste these sweet treats again. In early 2012, Leaf Brands LLC acquired the trademark for Wacky Wafers, and rumors have been floating around that they will be reviving this long lost candy very soon.

 To which I can only say "Man, that would be awesome."  So I will.

Man, that WOULD be awesome......

Back from the Dead for Halloween!!! Monsters!!!! (Well, Monster Cereals, anyway...)

 Sometimes they come back.......the Return of Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy!

A little different post today to make everyone aware (thought it seems like everyone has known about and been extremely excited for these for a while now) that General Mills has brought back two of it's Gone but not Forgotten Cereals for Halloween, Yummy Mummy and the legendary Frute Brute! I've talked about them before, but a few months ago when I heard they were coming back from the dead, I was genuinely excited, as I'm sure most of you were. Both these cereals have been gone for 20+ years, so it's quite exciting (and an A+++++ for General Mills) to see a company listening to the cries of us thirtysomethingers (that's a word, right?) to bring back the cereals that we miss from our childhood. Simply bringing them back would have been enough for most people, but like me, I remember a lot of people saying "Wouldn't it be cool if they not only brought them back, but brought back the original packaging that we all loved so much?" As it turned out, General Mills was doing their homework, because the next day it was announced that they would be available for a limited time,  IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING, from Target! Simply amazing. The nerd in me made plans to check Target each and every day until I found these (which sadly I still haven't spotted them in my area), but I did get a surprise prize package in the mail from General Mills (provided through MyBlogSpark) containg 3 of the 5 boxes, Boo Berry, Frute Brute, and Yummy Mummy.

So I did what any 30+ year old would do who is longing for the simpler times that were his youth would do: I woke up with my kids early one Saturday Morning, popped in a DVD which contained a 3 hour block of cartoons with Original Commercials from my youth (1984 to be exact), and cracked open all 3 boxes of cereal, which my kids and I quickly devoured.

Boo Berry and Frute Brute were the first to go, followed up by Yummy Mummy. It was a glorious morning, and my kids and I loved them all. I have to thank General Mills for doing this. I can't help but think that they will have a spike in sales simply from people like myself, as I know some of my internet buddies are buying 2...3....even 4 boxes at a time. Stock up, and display the boxes proudly! (We all know how much the original Fruit Brute boxes go for, so the Retro box will have to do for now!)
I still need to hunt down the Count Chocula and Frankenberry retro boxes to finish my collection, and I will continue to check Target until I find them.

And if having the retro boxes of love wasn't enough, if you purchase 3 retro boxes at Target between now and October 31st you will get a Monster Bash magazine, which contains tips and tricks for making your Halloween the spookiest and creepiest Halloween ever, and its FREE when you purchase 3 boxes in a single shopping trip. So what are you waiting for! Stock up while you can!!! The clock is ticking, and Halloween is almost here!!!

Once again, I want to thank General Mills for making this retro nerd happy this Halloween season (It's a Halloween miracle!) I'd also like to thank MyBlogSpark for sending me the boxes of love!

Get more information from General Mills here! www.grocerysavvy.com

(Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.)