From the Snack Aisle: Krazy Glazy

Product: Krazy Glazy
Company: Nabisco
Years: Early 70's

Once upon a time, Pop Tarts weren't the only breakfast toaster pastry on the market. You had a choice to make while strolling the cereal aisle. One such item that I'd like to highlight today was a little remembered pastry called Krazy Glazy (with a K, because it's gangsta.)

Total disclosure: I hadn't heard of these before either until about a week ago when I stumbled upon this ad in the Spokane Daily Chronicle from November 28, 1973.

Krazy Glazy came in 4 flavors, Apple, Cherry, Strawberry, and Blueberry. The rest, as it turns out, is a mystery. I contact Nabisco/Mondelez and got nowhere. Nobody had any information or even remembered these (as it usually goes with large companies that have a vast history of products and have changed ownership at some point). How can these companies have no library of products? Or do they, and they just don't like to share that information. If they don't, it's kind of sad, actually.

The thing that struck me most about this product is the box. As a collector of vintage packages, I tend to gravitate towards silly characters and colorful boxes that have a distinct feel of the era they were created. And this box certainly hits all those marks. I've never seen an actual box, but if anyone out there has one to share, let me know. I'd love to see it! It has a Crazy (sorry, Krazy) looking Pastry dude on the front...with a massive head wound! I mean, why is he smiling?! He's seconds from death!

Other then the above, I couldn't find any information about this product, so I'm guessing it must have been a flop that wasn't around very long. The only information I could find was a few stills from a Krazy Glazy commercial that was never aired. You can read that interesting little story about that experience here.

http://www.getthefive.com/articles/the-marketeer/adventures-in-adland-3-peter-the-copywriter/

And that's it. I would love to get more info on this product. I would REALLY love to get one of these boxes for my collection, or a scan of a box even so I can reproduce it. Surely someone out there must have one. Or has this product already been forgotten? I hope not. So I'm going to do my part to stop that from happening by adding it to the shelves here at Gone But Not Forgotten Groceries.

From the Miscellaneous Products Aisle: Richard Simmons Salad Spray

Product: Richard Simmons Salad Spray
Company: Chelton House Products
Year: 1989-1990

Say what you will about Richard Simmons.

No seriously, go ahead, I'll wait.

Exercise Guru and punchline Richard Simmons was WAY ahead of his time when he created a line of salad dressings in 1989 called Salad Spray. The idea was that you don't need to drown your lettuce in salad dressing. Instead, this bottle would spray your salad, sort of like Windex..... each squirt would release one calories worth of dressing, so you know how many calories you're getting. Interesting concept. Only problem is, it was way before it's time (you can find these products on shelves these days by other large name companies....it just took people 15+ years to catch on and accept them.)
It was the late 80's, and people loved their salad dressings. Or people just were a bit weirded out by Richard Simmons and didn't want to be made fun of by strangers/friends/family/strange friends and family.

It came in several different flavors: French, Italian, Roma Cheese, Dijon Vinagrette, and Oriental (whatever that flavor is).

I couldn't find a whole lot about this product, and actually I had forgotten about it until I was reminded by reader Darryl Heine. So I dug into the internet a bit and still couldn't find much.
So I'd be surprised if anyone really remembers using this stuff at all....spraying your salads....or your annoying sister.

So go ahead.......laugh at Richard Simmons all you want.

Sure, I can wait again.

Who wants a salad??!??!???

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 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.