5 Frozen Desserts Everyone Ate In The '80s That Deserve A Second Chance In Our Freezer

If you grew up in the '80s, you might have fond memories of enjoying pure freedom during summer vacations: running through sprinklers, spending hours reading, and racing to the ice cream truck or garage freezer for a frosty treat after a day in the sun. The 1980s were truly a golden era for frozen desserts that ranged from colorful novelties like the Good Humor Fat Frog Bar to classic ice cream bars like the Creamsicle. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and many of the nostalgic favorites remembered by Gen X and Millennials are now lost to time.

Some of these nostalgic desserts that '80s kids loved were discontinued due to lagging sales, a rise in diet culture fads and reduced-fat food trends, and a greater demand for different types of frozen novelties. Of the many that were lost, some have enjoyed a brief resurgence as brands tried to recapture their nostalgic appeal and attract a new, younger fanbase. However, these attempts were typically short-lived, leaving us still pining for the sweet taste of the good old days. If you wish you could have just one more bite of the cold, creamy treats you enjoyed as a child, jump in our time machine and take a look at these five discontinued frozen desserts you may have forgotten about that deserve a comeback.

This classic ice cream truck treat combined two amazing products into one. It featured a vanilla ice cream bar dipped in chocolate that contained crispy, crunchy rice bits. At its center was a delightful surprise: a stick of chocolate candy. Biting into it offered an exciting burst of different flavors and textures, and it quickly became the go-to order for a lot of '80s kids. Though many of us rarely visit ice cream trucks as adults, this stunning innovation is sorely missing from modern ice cream brand lineups. If it were available in the freezer aisle now, it might become a staple in homes, finding a new group of fans among today's youth.

Good Humor's website invites nostalgic fans to request that the Candy Center Crunch return, and the brand has brought back previous ice cream flavors from its archives. In fact, in 2024, it announced the return of the classic Candy Center Bar. This product is still available at select stores, which gives hope that the Crunch version could also return, especially as many think that this treat was one of the best Good Humor products of all time. One Redditor declared it "a crime" that the treats could no longer be found. In another Reddit post, a fan lamented the loss of the ice cream bar, saying, "growing up, these were the absolute only ice cream bars I'd purchase from the ice cream truck ... The center was a delightfully crunchy candy bar. The perfect chocolate flavor."

Jell-O Pudding Pops were released in 1981 after years of test marketing. Described as a frozen pudding snack on a stick, they were available in Chocolate, Vanilla, Chocolate-Vanilla Swirl, and Peanut Butter Chocolate. The product reached the height of its popularity in the late '80s, when Bill Cosby joined as its spokesman in a memorable series of television commercials. Pudding Pops remained popular throughout the '90s, until they were somewhat unceremoniously pulled from shelves. Jell-O briefly partnered with Popsicle to bring Jell-O Pops back in 2004, but that experiment was apparently unsuccessful. In 2018, the official Jell-O account shared via X that the "product has been discontinued due to not enough consumers purchasing it."

Although it's very easy to make your own Jell-O Pudding Pops at home, it's safe to say there are many '80s and '90s kids who would love to see this product return to stores. In a Reddit post asking commenters which discontinued product that they would most like to see resurrected, hundreds of people responded that they want Jell-O Pudding Pops to return. In a different post, a Redditor describes the joy of biting into a Pudding Pop, saying, "there was some kind of texture thing where there would be a very thin layer of ice you could bite through and then you hit the pudding. So good." Another person agreed, adding, "These were one-of-a-kind." On Facebook, a fan appealed to Jell-O, saying, "Please do what's right and bring this happiness back into our lives. They will sell out ... everywhere."

Not to be confused with The Original Bomb Pop, Blue Bell Bullets were a smaller popsicle, albeit with a similar shape. Available in Grape, Orange, Lime, and Cherry flavors, they were ubiquitous at summer sleepovers, pool parties, and backyard barbecues in the '80s. There were also plenty of regional imitations, including the Shamrock Farms Bullet Bars that were sold throughout Arizona. However, at some point, Blue Bell discontinued the OG bullet-shaped popsicle; while it still appears among the brand's products on its website, it is with a disclaimer that it is no longer available.

People would love to get another bite of these fruity treats should Blue Bell bring them back. In a post to Reddit asking "where on god's green earth are the Bullets?" a fan says, "these are my favorite popsicles and I can't find them anywhere." The poster went on to lament, "if they are discontinued I may cry because these are a huge part of my childhood. Both my grandparents had these stocked every summer." On Facebook, a customer asked if there was any truth to the rumor that the brand planned to discontinue its popsicles, saying, "what do you expect us to eat when we are ill, have our tonsils out, or [it's] summertime at the lake?" Unfortunately, Bullets might just remain a discontinued Blue Bell product sure to spark nostalgia as it will never be seen again.

Choco Tacos were one of the most remarkable frozen novelties in the world of culinary creations. Made from a flat, thin waffle cone folded to resemble a taco, these ice cream treats were filled with alternating layers of vanilla soft serve and fudgy chocolate topped with chocolate and peanuts. The iconic treat was first introduced in the 1980s by Jack & Jill, a family-owned company based in Philadelphia, and was originally only available from ice cream trucks. In 1989, the brand was acquired by Unilever and distributed by Good Humor. Yet after around 40 years, the product was discontinued in 2022. According to Unilever, it was done to make way for more popular products.

The news hit fans hard, and a Reddit post announcing the discontinuation of the Choco Taco garnered close to 200 comments mourning the loss. One person commented, "I mean they just couldn't wait until after summer season to discontinue a famous ice cream treat? What's next — cancelling fruit juice?" Fans regularly call for its return on social media, including in a Reddit post that saw hundreds clamoring for it to be resurrected. While a version of it was briefly brought back to Taco Bell in 2025 and again in 2026 for a limited time, and a dupe was introduced as a partnership between Cold Stone and Oreo, you may need to resort to spending hundreds to buy an original on eBay or making your own Choco Tacos at home.

Described by one Redditor as "the kind of dessert I felt like I had to wear pantyhose to eat," no other ice cream dessert compares to Viennetta. It originated in the U.K. in 1982 under the brand Wall's, and was released in the U.S. in the late '80s as a Good Humor dessert. Featuring layers of frozen vanilla soft serve and thin, crunchy chocolate sheets, it was a fancy frozen treat that ruled the '80s and '90s. It became a regular fixture at family dinners, birthdays, and other celebrations until it was pulled from American grocery store shelves at some point in the late 1990s. In 2021, Good Humor announced it was bringing Viennetta back after years-long campaigning from fans who missed it. 

Unfortunately, the joy at hearing this news was short-lived for most, as it was gone again within a few years — though never to be forgotten. In a Reddit post asking if anyone remembered the treat, a person responded that it was the "fancy dessert of my childhood. [I] wish I could taste this again." In another post, a Redditor extolled the virtues of this nostalgic dessert, saying, "Our first experience in sophistication and refinement, ice cream cake unrivaled by any since. Long ago in the skate board wars we bought one from the grocery and ate it in the parking lot like rats. Good times." Since its loss, its magic has never truly been replicated by any other brand, although some fans have made it their mission to recreate it themselves at home, and you can find many recipes for it online.