9 Nostalgic Snack Brands Launching New Treats for Summer
If reality's had you longing for the old days, like when the most complicated thing in your life was reaching the next level of Zelda and your biggest problem was when McDonald's forgot to put the toy in your Happy Meal… well, get ready. Your blood sugar might spike a little just reading this (we're totally playing): A handful of the most beloved snack foods of all time have announced big limited-time releases for summer, and we've got the list. (Just munch responsibly… these are 100% sugar bombs!)
If you felt like lockdown put a damper on life last summer, these brands are about to make it up to you. As Maria Hokanson, Executive Vice President of Marketing for American Dairy Queen has put it in recent years: "We aim to serve up happy food, treats and experiences every time fans visit." That's never been more welcome than now.
In case you missed these fun brand announcements, click through. Some of these summer treats are already available, while others will launch in the coming weeks.
And if you love a trip down menu memory lane, don't miss 10 Discontinued Restaurant Dishes You Totally Forgot About.
Lays Doritos Cool Ranch Chips
Both owned by PepsiCo, Lays and Doritos have joined forces in this mashup that might already have your mouth watering. (Are you old enough to remember when Cool Ranch Doritos first came out? It was 1986… what a classic era for the best things in life.) Also check out which potato chip classic brand just reigned supreme in a taste-test!
Dairy Queen Flavors for Summer 2021
Six new summer Dairy Queen flavors: Girl Scout Thin Mints, brownie batter, Drumstick with peanuts, Frosted Animal Cookie (um, yes please?), raspberry fudge bliss, and cotton candy. If you've gotten your workout in, a small one of these guys could be a sweet way to end a warm evening.
Pringles x Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich
If committing to the 21 fat grams in a Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich sound a bit much (that's about half the fat some of us should have in a day, after all), then a handful of these genius Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich Pringles might be a slightly less daunting way to hold you over until your next drive-thru spluge—or, as Wendy's Chief Marketing Officer Carl Loredo has stated, "Wendy's fans can now enjoy our insanely flavorful Spicy Chicken Sandwich in their crisps to satisfy taste-buds until their next restaurant visit." The innovation is cooking at Wendy's: Check out the new kinds of restaurants they're opening.
Lemonade Stand Twinkies from Hostess
Make last year's lemons into Lemonade Stand Twinkies—a limited edition for summer. Also, read What Eating a Twinkie Does To Your Body.
U.S. Olympics Triple-Stuf Oreos with Popping Candy
While we might not recommend this as a training food for any athlete, you probably will want to work out after eating just one of these. However, to some of us, Oreo just can do no wrong. (And the fourth grader in us does wonder if dunking these will turn the milk lavender…) Read up on the fast-food company that recently allowed Oreo to be the first brand ever to touch their precious donut recipe.
Chips Ahoy Red White and Blue
"Togetherness is our sport," Nabisco said when they announced their sponsorship of Team U.S.A. at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. If you're up for playing, these might go together with the triple-stuf Oreo… but you didn't get that idea from us.
Pop Tart's Summer Flavors
Mango's having a moment, and not just in drinks (as the country's top frozen yogurt chain is pouring mango it into their new cold brew fruit tea). Lemon cream pie and peach cobbler Pop Tarts might not be the most nutritious way to start the day… but for the kiddos out of school for summer, these could be an easy-to-grab icing on the cake for a busy day outside.
SunnyD Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade
We know, we know: Parents these days are after those healthy beverages—but strictly for nostalgia's sake, may we present SunnyD Lemonade, and SunnyD Raspberry Lemonade. The lemonade is a third-consecutive summer return, and the raspberry lemonade is new.
Kool-Aid "Ghould-Aid" Popping Candy
If you're like us, you remember when these were called "Pop Rocks." Kool-Aid announced early that they're releasing these this Halloween, which might make the holiday, well, rock just a little more than it did during lockdown. (Hey, we're not just out here promoting the sweet side of candy—we're fans of caramel for its antioxidants, too.)
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