Food
Well, never say never...
Gen Z, look away now. Who remembers when Freddos were only 10p? Or, better yet, when they were 5p (yes, I’m old enough to remember that)? What about when you'd make a trip to the corner shop with just £1 in your back pocket and come out with bags of goodies? When trendy sweets came and went as fast as you could say “Toxic Waste”? Honestly, when you start to think about it, there are a whole host of snacks and sweets you won’t believe you used to eat in the '90s.
With a punishing news cycle and lockdown 3.0 keeping us all locked indoors once again, it's nice to head down memory lane for a little light relief. From the unusual trends British kids will remember from the '90s to the throw-back shows taking over streaming sites, we can’t get enough of nostalgia right now – and I'm here for it. Experts have even found that nostalgia can even be good for you, with psychologist Dr. Sanam Hafeez telling Bustle that "the rewards released by nostalgia in the brain can calm a person down, reduce anxiety, and affect your outlook." So let's journey back to a time before Jamie Oliver got his hands on school dinners and Woolworth's pick'n'mix aisle was still a thing and reminisce about all the weird and wonderful sweets and snacks that kept us fed throughout our childhood.
1
Dip Dabs
The ultimate "cool kid" sweet. (No? Just me?) I can still remember the kids dipping the flat lolly into the sherbert packets at the back of science class.
2
Panda Pops
This vibrant sugar-filled drink was a corner shop staple. Packed full of E-numbers and available in some utterly bizarre flavours (strawberry jelly and ice cream, anyone?), Panda pops were as sweet as they were sticky, but we loved them all the same.
3
Hubba Bubba Bubble Tape
Who didn't want an endless supply of bubblegum to annoy teachers with?
4
Toxic Waste
Even the thought of these sour tubs makes my face contort, tbh. One of the biggest “trend” sweets (at my school, anyway), Toxic Waste was the ultimate test on your tastebuds and was probably just as bad for us as the name suggests.
5
Pez
Now these plastic sweet dispensers admittedly go back further than the 90s, but they were a staple during our heyday nonetheless. I’m not even sure that the Pez sweets were that nice tbh, but being able to slip one out at a moment's notice was worth it. Cartoons, movies, TV shows, you name it; there was a head for everyone.
6
Melody Pops
No one:
Absolutely no one:
Chuppa Chups: Let's make a lollipop that's also a whistle!
7
Rainbow Drops
Essentially tasting like the back of a cupboard, I never understood why these were so popular tbh, but they were a party bag staple nonetheless.
8
Push Pop
Another novelty candy that was essentially a thick lollipop that retracted into a capped plastic tube. It could be pushed out to eat, and pushed back and saved for later. *cringes internally*
9
Millions
One '00s sweet that has stood the test of time. You'll be pleased/horrified (delete as appropriate) to know that Millions are very much still around and, as well as the original flavours, new banana and Cola options have recently been added...
10
Cadbury's Miniature Dairy Milk Dispenser
I feel like there was one Christmas when everyone got one of these?
11
Campino
Maybe not one you'd purchase yourself in the corner shop but a staple for car journeys and visits to grandparents nonetheless.
12
Candy Sticks
Remember when pretending to smoke with a stick of white candy was "cool"? Yep. Let's file this one under "things we'll never speak of again."
13
Kwenchy Cup
A staple of any summer camp lunch. Stick in a straw in the top of one of these and you were good to go.
14
Bubbaloo
Bubblegum with a super soft centre, you could get handfulls of these for pennies back in the day.
15
Space Raiders
When having bad breath from the super strong pickled onion flavour was worth it for the 30p price tag.
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