We wanted everything we saw in food commercials in the 1980s. In this episode of Chat and Bother, we’re talking about the foods we begged for, tolerated, or absolutely hated—and the aggressive marketing that convinced us we needed them.
From fake butter spreads to questionable “health foods,” we break down which products actually lived up to the hype and which ones were straight-up lies sold to our parents during Saturday morning cartoons.
In this episode, we talk:
- Carob, the so-called “healthy chocolate” that tasted like brown candle wax
- Black licorice, a candy nobody asked for that somehow still exists
- Whoppers, which may or may not have been chocolate-covered packing foam
- Steak-umms, the after-school DIY cheesesteak staple (ketchup-only households, stand up)
- Sizzlean, the “lean bacon” that disappeared amid claims it was anything but lean
- Pepperidge Farm broccoli & cheese pastries, the breakfast reward worth waking up early for
- Slim Fast, the mysterious shake marketed harder than it ever delivered
- Jell-O Pudding Pops, the frozen treat siblings fought over in the freezer
If you grew up in the 80s, this episode will unlock memories you forgot you had—along with a few foods you’re glad no longer exist.
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