In the spirit of middle school, we decided to create a list of snacks that we either ate or weren’t allowed to eat by our parents as a child. After taking a trip to the grocery store, we were able to obtain seventeen of them, all of which we tasted to see if they still had the same appeal as they did years ago. The following are our ratings for each, along with descriptions of our experiences.

Beverages:

• Danimals~ 5/10
  • We were reluctant to try this infamous yogurt smoothie concoction. We don’t trust Bella Thorne or Cole Sprouse. Dylan is fine. However, we were pleasantly surprised at the agreeable texture and unique packaging. The Danimals tasted like organic Horizon yogurt smoothies but with a subtle hint of chemical.

• Kool Aid Bursts~ 4/10
  • We decided to try the berry blue flavor, but we only tasted the blue. It was reminiscent of cough syrup overall–a pleasing taste in small quantities. However, these drinks get points for packaging. The seals were easy to twist open, and the bottles themselves were sleekly-shaped. This made for a fun experience that was, sadly, tainted by the watered-down, syrupy taste.

• Lil’ Hugs~ 2.5/10
  • Lil’ Hugs were visually appealing in their “barrel-like” containers. We did, however, have a complaint with everything else. The opening mechanism was simply a piece of tinfoil, which would be very difficult for our acrylic nail loving friends to open. The vibrancy of the juices’ colors misled us into thinking that the flavor would also be exceptional. Much to our surprise and disappointment, the Lil’ Hugs tasted like tap water, and not the good kind. 

Meals:

• Lunchables pizza~ 6.5/10
  • The crust was reminiscent of cardboard, but we could manage to overlook this. The marinara sauce also smelled somewhat questionable but was, nonetheless, moderately pleasing to the taste buds. The final product with the cheese, sauce, crust, and pepperoni was decent raw, but we predict that it would be killer after popping it in the microwave.

• Lunchables turkey and cheese crackers~ 2/10
  • We were unable to enjoy any aspect of this experience. The turkey disks weren’t just moist, they were wet. We feel that if they were swallowed whole they could easily slip down the esophagus, which may make them more tolerable. The cheese was rubber-like in texture and flavorless. To top it off, the crackers deceived us; they gave the appearance of Ritz but, in reality, tasted like bad saltines.
• Kid Cuisine chicken nuggets~ NA/10
  • We neglected to put the Kid Cuisine in the freezer, so the chocolate pudding got in the corn. Because of this, we decided not to eat it. Awful. 
• Lucky Charms cereal bars~ 8.5/10
  • The packaging of the Lucky Charms cereal bar was impeccable, from the bright colors to the leprechaun. The actual presentation, however, was rather underwhelming. The product bore very little resemblance to what was advertised on the box. We were able to forgive this flaw because of how incredible the actual taste was. The texture was perfect, and it tasted exactly like the iconic cereal. The vanilla/white chocolate icing complemented the bar perfectly and tied in the traditional milk element. 

Candy and Desserts:

• Sour Straws~ 8/10
  • Fantastic. The Sour Straws delivered in all areas. The taste was a perfect mix of a little bit of sweet and a whole lot of sour. Visually, we were pleased. Their vibrant colors drew our attention to them immediately, and the shape was perfect for slurping up like spaghetti. After trying them, we were immediately taken back to our days of summer swim team and the rewarding treat we bought after an exhausting meet.
• Scooby Doo gummies~ 7/10
  • The gummies were very good, but not as good as we remembered. The formula was definitely changed. They probably do not add as much sugar anymore to make kids healthier or whatever. We get that childhood obesity is a problem, but we just want our sugary gummies back. We did give some points back because these gummies are Scooby Doo themed. You slap that dog on anything and we will buy it.
• Gushers~ 6/10
  • The gushers barely lived up to our expectations–they certainly did not exceed them. Their flavor was spot-on, but they did not seem to gush as well as the name promised. We really had to focus on chewing them because they had the texture of gummies unintentionally left in the sun to melt for several hours. However, the inside was noticeably cooler, giving them a refreshing summer feel.
• Twinkies~ 5/10
  • Twinkies are perfectly middle-of-the-road in terms of everything. The texture was not quite as spongy as we had hoped, and there was not nearly enough cream in the center. They were fine, but we wouldn’t go out of our way to get them. They didn’t have a distinct flavor, and, overall, we were just generally disappointed with the product. 

Snacks:

• Sour cream and onion Pringles~ 10/10
  • These have a great, solid flavor. It is hard not to love this classic snack. The packaging is also very fun and unique, as Pringles are the only chip you can purchase in a can (we think). It is hard to get the chips at the bottom of the can, but we can definitely overlook that because these chips are so delectable. You can never go wrong with sour cream and onion Pringles.
• Scooby Snacks~ 8.5/10
  • After we all took our first bites, we agreed that Scooby Snacks were definitely just as good as we remembered. The flavor was very tasty. It was not too sweet, but not too bland. The best part of these is their fun shape. We found that the bone shape really got us in the mood to be a dog, so if you’re ever in that mood, this is the snack for you.

• Bugles~ 6/10
  • To be completely honest, the Bugles were a little underwhelming. The sodium content was much lower than expected, and we were incredibly disappointed with the fact that the holes were too small/flat to fit on our fingertips, especially when considering that this feature is now advertised on the packaging. The taste was decent and so was the crunch, but the texture did, in fact, leave something to be desired. 
• Cheese balls~ 9/10
  • Cheese balls are a classic. The fact that they come in a gigantic tub makes them even better. They are so addictive that it is nearly impossible to only eat one. We also found that cheese balls are very fun to throw in the air and try to catch in your mouth. A game and a snack rolled into one! We discovered that this is a better snack for those with a more refined palate, for they taste similar to well-aged cheese. 
• Handi Snacks~ 7.5/10
  • We were quite fond of the Handi Snacks. The packaging is very convenient; however, we were upset that there was no stick included to spread the cheese on the crackers. Thus, we were forced to manually dip our crackers into the cheese dip. We were pleasantly surprised by the taste of the cheese, but it was a tad watery on the top when we first opened it. The crackers had a taste comparable to Ritz crackers, but they were a little too hard for our liking.
• Dole mixed fruit cups~ 1.5/10
  • The texture was a big no for us. The various fruits all shared the common theme of being completely waterlogged, and their colors were all so similar that you can’t even tell what you’re eating.

Hopefully this will inspire you to give some of these snacks another try. (We would advise against buying the fruit cups though.)