7 Forgotten Chips And Salty Snacks From The '70s We Miss Dearly

Everyone loves the nostalgia of a trip down memory lane, and when that trip involves food, it becomes even more fun to look back on the past. The 1970s was a decade of food innovation and exploration, with those years bringing the influx of fondue, quiche, and even Sunday brunch. Most universally, though, the '70s — and pretty much every other decade — was a time for snacking.

Kids who grew up in the 1970s argue that the decade was the time that potato chips and salty snacks thrived, at least according to Retro Rules on Facebook. The page posted a 1974 Lay's potato chip commercial, where chips are portrayed as an American staple for anyone from a construction worker to a mom driving her kids to their various activities. The caption read, "1974 was a great year for potato chips." 

Still, even some of the best chips and salty snacks have lost their footing in the market. Since Tasting Table already covered the classic sweet snacks from the '70s that we miss dearly, it's only right to give potato chips and salty snacks some recognition. After reviewing online conversations and forums, we compiled a list of seven nostalgic 1970s salty snacks that'll jog your memories.

Since 1906, Planters has been known for selling peanuts and, later, other nut varieties, including almonds and cashews. Arguably, one of the most well-known aspects of the brand is Mr. Peanut, the monocle-wearing mascot, who can be seen representing the company on anything from packaging to cookie jars, and is considered one of the best food brand mascots to exist. However, for two decades beginning in the 1970s, Planters also made potato chips.

Sold in a tall canister, Planters potato chips were a direct competitor of Pringles in the 1970s — and the brand was open about it. In a Kraft Foods Group commercial on YouTube, Planters potato chips were referred to as just one of the "two stackable potato chips in town." In it, consumers raved about the flavor of Planters' chips in street interviews, praising the folks behind them for creating a potato chip that tasted just like a potato.

Planters potato chips were also especially popular among a group of nuns, according to a TV interview from the '70s. The nun interviewed said that 13 of 14 sisters in her group preferred Planters over Pringles. Still, the brand discontinued its potato chips in the 1980s, likely due to low consumer demand. Perhaps the brand couldn't compete with Pringles, which is still on shelves today and has over 20 flavors.

Chipos potato chips were marketed in the '70s as being less greasy than regular potato chips. They were made from potato granules, dehydrated potatoes made through a thorough process of cooking, mashing, and air-drying. They were also flash fried, rather than fried in oil. This unique production process is likely why the brand called them "new fashioned potato chips."

Chipos had a waffle pattern and came in a box, contrary to the cylindrical packaging of Pringles and Planters potato chips from the same decade. This packaging made sense, as the chips were made by General Mills, the company that now dominates the cereal market and is responsible for some forgotten classic breakfast cereals that deserve a comeback. At the time, General Mills was grouped with the Betty Crocker brand.

Consumers say the chips were "so good" in the '70s. The discontinuation of Chipos was a result of a lawsuit that insisted that Chipos should not have been branded as potato chips if they did not follow the "legal" definition of a potato chip, which, based on the use of dehydrated potatoes, the brand did not meet. Still, consumers were big fans of Chipos and still reminisce about the tastiness of the potato chips.

General Mills seemed to dip its toes into many snack varieties in the 1970s and the 1980s, and Pizza Spins were one of its most popular salty endeavors. Pizza Spins is considered one of the popular snacks that most people forgot about. They debuted in 1968 and were discontinued in 1975, but the General Mills brand was still seeing fans rave about the snacks as recently as 2017. It's not clear why Pizza Spins were discontinued.

Pizza Spins were shaped like pinwheels and used ingredients like parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and pepper — those normally found in pizza. The product won a Putnam Food Award in 1969, just one year after it launched. The popularity of Pizza Spins has endured, with an entire Facebook group dedicated to sharing dupes. The group is affectionately called "We Miss Pizza Spins," and is still actively posting as of the summer of 2026.

Whistles and Daisy*s launched in 1964 alongside General Mills' Bugles, the latter of which is still being sold by the brand. The names were on par with the look of the snacks themselves. Bugles are shaped like horns; Whistles were cylindrically shaped, in the shape of a flute or a whistle; and Daisy*s were shaped like the flowers they were named after. They were crunchy, and Whistles were cheddar-flavored, while Daisy*s were like puffed popovers — similar to popcorn, without all the butter.

The launch of Bugles, Whistles, and Daisy*s marked General Mills' first foray into the snack world, but only one of General Mill's first-ever snacks has survived the test of time, and that's Bugles, which have been around for approximately 60 years. Both Daisy*s and Whistles were discontinued in the early '70s, but people loved both of them — some say Daisy*s were ahead of their time, being shaped similarly to the popular Fritos Scoops. Whistles were perfect for children with whimsy, as many '70s kids would stuff the chips onto their fingers to play with their food.

Mister Salty Pretzels were made by Mondelez International, the same parent company that makes Chips Ahoy, Teddy Grahams, Ritz, and much more. The pretzel twists were sold in boxes rather than bags, and the product was best known for its unforgettable mascot, Mister Salty. He was a man made out of pretzels, wearing a Nabisco-labeled sailor hat.

Mister Salty Pretzels lasted 30 years on the market before being discontinued. Launched in 1963, the snack was popular in the '70s, when there were three varieties: a mini pretzel, a thin pretzel, and a big Dutch pretzel. Some people even considered the snack "the pretzel of [their] childhood." That sort of popularity abounded, and in the '80s, the brand expanded the Mister Salty Pretzels line to include sticks and twists, and later nuggets, rods, and rings.

This product was not Mondelez International's first foray into pretzels — the company previously made Veri-thins under the Nabisco brand. When Mister Salty came into play, consumers claimed the perfect amount of salt was added. The mascot existed at the same time as Mr. Peanut from Planters, with various merchandise sold with the mascot and logo. Mister Salty Pretzels were discontinued in 1993.

Daddy Crisp Potato Chips was a brand that knew how to market its potato chips — and that helped peak its popularity in the 1970s. The brand created a potato chip that people loved to eat, and they created a commercial that was arguably just as entertaining as eating the snack itself.

In one of the most iconic commercials that aired, a wife is being affectionate toward her husband as she comments on the noisiness of the bag of potato chips he is eating — obviously labeled "Daddy Crisp." As she teases him, she tries to sneak her hand into the open potato chip bag, but the man quickly swats her hand away. The slogan that the narrator said at the end of the commercial was, "If you love your daddy, love Daddy Crisp."

Despite the popularity of the playful commercials, Daddy Crisp Potato Chips were discontinued in the '80s, likely because they simply could not compete with bigger potato chip brands like Lay's and Ruffles. Still, the brand's popularity during the '70s and early '80s was due in part to its marketing as a fresh, natural potato chip.

Bacon is a key player in the classic American breakfast, so why wouldn't a brand create a miniature, easy-to-snack-on version to eat while sitting on your couch? Betcha Bacon was exactly that. Launched in 1972, Betcha Bacon was an artificially flavored cracker that looked and tasted like bacon, according to consumers, who also claim the snack had a cheddar flavor to it.

A nostalgic and unforgettable commercial from the '70s featured a young boy successfully saying what initially acts as a tongue twister for the two adults in the commercial, but really turns out to be the brand's slogan: "Blissful bacon flavors baked in every box of Betcha Bacon. Betcha when you buy a box you bet you wish you bought a batch." The slogan was a mouthful, and that was the point — to sell mouthfuls of Betcha Bacon.

Betcha Bacon was discontinued in 1976, and though it was around for only four years, it is one of those old-school snacks everyone ate in the '70s, and consumers still remember it lovingly. A Reddit user said they "still remember the jingle" and noted that the snack was irresistible, making it impossible not to eat the whole box in one sitting.