7 Discontinued Halloween Candies That Will Take You Back to Your Childhood

Halloween candy has changed a lot over the years, and not every childhood favorite has survived. Some treats disappeared quietly, while others left fans disappointed, still remembering their unusual flavors, colorful packaging, and unforgettable commercials. If you grew up during the 1980s, 1990s, or early 2000s, chances are at least one of these candies brings back memories.

Today’s candy aisles are filled with familiar chocolate bars, gummies, and seasonal treats, but a few old favorites are noticeably absent. Some were discontinued after only a handful of years, while others remained popular for decades before manufacturers stopped making them. Here are seven discontinued sweets that deserve another moment in the Halloween spotlight.

Soda-Licious Gummies

Remember when candy could taste like your favorite soda without actually being a drink? Betty Crocker introduced Soda-Licious in 1991, offering chewy fruit snacks shaped like miniature soda bottles and drinking mugs. The unusual concept set them apart from the ordinary gummy bears and fruit snacks filling store shelves.

Flavors included cherry cola, root beer, and other fruity varieties, but the real surprise was their distinctive coating. It created a tingling sensation that mimicked drinking carbonated soda, making every handful feel different from regular gummies. General Mills ended the fruit-flavored varieties in 1995, while the soda flavors disappeared in 1998.

Hershey’s Kissables

Hershey’s Kisses have been around for generations, but the company once introduced a colorful alternative that required no unwrapping. Kissables arrived in 2005 as miniature Kiss-shaped chocolates covered in crunchy candy shells. Their bright colors and convenient size made them an interesting alternative to traditional individually wrapped chocolates.

The candies came in several colors, including red, yellow, green, blue, and orange. Unfortunately, they spent relatively little time on store shelves, and Hershey’s discontinued Kissables in 2009. A reformulation during the product’s lifespan also drew criticism, and Fast Company later examined how changes to the chocolate contributed to the product’s troubled history.

Butterfinger BB’s

Anyone who loved Butterfinger bars probably remembers their smaller, round relatives. Butterfinger BB’s delivered the familiar crispy peanut butter-flavored center inside little chocolate-covered balls, making them easy to eat one after another. Introduced in 1992, they became recognizable through advertisements featuring characters from The Simpsons.

Unlike a traditional Butterfinger bar, BB’s didn’t require breaking off pieces or dealing with a larger candy bar. Their bite-sized shape made them particularly convenient for sharing, snacking, or enjoying during a movie. Unfortunately, the original BB’s were discontinued by 2006, leaving fans with memories of a candy that offered a different way to enjoy the classic Butterfinger flavor.

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Fruit String Thing

Some childhood snacks were just as entertaining to play with as they were to eat. Introduced in 1994, Fruit String Thing transformed ordinary fruit-flavored candy into long, flexible strings arranged in creative designs. Instead of simply opening a wrapper and eating, children could peel the candy away from its backing and experiment with different shapes.

The designs included sunglasses, racetracks, and other playful arrangements that made each package feel like a tiny activity. Kids could twist the strings, tie knots, or braid them before finally eating their creations. General Mills has featured Fruit String Thing in its history of 1990s fruit snacks, remembering the product as one of the decade’s more imaginative offerings.

PB Max

Peanut butter and chocolate have long been a familiar combination, but PB Max took things a step further. Mars introduced the candy in 1989, combining a thick peanut butter layer with a whole-grain cookie base and a milk chocolate coating. The result was a substantial treat that offered both creamy and crunchy textures.

PB Max stood apart from ordinary peanut butter cups because of its cookie foundation and layered construction. Despite its distinctive ingredient combination, the candy disappeared from the market in 1994. Its short lifespan has made it a memorable example of a discontinued chocolate bar from the early 1990s.

Hershey’s Swoops

Imagine opening a container of potato chips, only to discover every curved piece is made entirely of chocolate. That was essentially the idea behind Hershey’s Swoops, which debuted in November 2003. The thin, curved chocolates resembled snack chips but delivered familiar Hershey’s candy flavors instead.

The product line included varieties inspired by Reese’s Peanut Butter, Almond Joy, York Peppermint Pattie, and other Hershey’s favorites. Unlike conventional chocolate bars, Swoops came in individually shaped pieces, offering a different presentation and snacking experience. According to the Hershey Community Archives, the company discontinued the entire Swoops line in August 2006, less than three years after its introduction.

Fruit Stripe Gum

Few chewing gums were as instantly recognizable as Fruit Stripe, with its colorful stripes and cheerful zebra mascot. Introduced in 1969, the gum became a familiar sight in American stores for more than five decades. Its fruity flavors and temporary tattoos featuring Yipes the Zebra made opening a package part of the fun.

The flavors included cherry, lemon, orange, melon, and peach, although the gum also developed a reputation for losing its flavor quickly. Ferrara confirmed the product’s discontinuation in January 2024, saying consumer preferences, purchasing patterns, and broader brand trends influenced the decision. For people who remember the rainbow-striped sticks and zebra tattoos, its disappearance marked the end of a particularly colorful piece of candy history.

A Sweet Piece of Halloween History

Not every discontinued candy was a commercial disaster, and not every beloved product remained successful enough to justify continued production. Changing tastes, product decisions, and evolving consumer preferences have gradually reshaped the candy aisle, leaving many once-familiar treats behind. What remains is the nostalgia attached to their flavors, packaging, and the childhood experiences they evoke.

Whether you miss the fizzy sensation of Soda-Licious, the crunchy chocolate of Butterfinger BB’s, or the playful designs of Fruit String Thing, these forgotten sweets remind us how creative candy makers once were. Halloween might still bring plenty of delicious surprises, but some childhood favorites cannot be replaced. Which of these seven discontinued candies would you bring back for one more Halloween?

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