Whatever Happened To Jell-O Pudding Pops?
Jell-O pudding is a nostalgic snack that always seems to transport us back to the days of yore when cups of custard were a lunchbox staple. Even better than a spoonful of pudding was the frozen version: Pudding Pops. But if you're scratching your head and wondering whatever happened to the late, great Jell-O Pudding Pops, you're not alone.
According to Delish, in 2018 an astounding average of 3,600 people searched for the frozen treats every month on Google. Available in a variety of flavors, the simple snack provided a twist on a classic. Today explains that Jell-O Pudding Pops found their way into the homes of many thanks to celebrity endorser Bill Cosby.
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, co-author of the book, "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes & Trends of the '70s and '80s," shared with Today that while Jell-O Pudding Pops may no longer be available at retailers, some companies have attempted their own variations of the popular treat. Yet for some, nothing is quite like that original Jell-O Pudding Pop. So why aren't the beloved Jell-O frozen treats available anymore?
Pudding Pop production wasn't profitable
The first time that Jell-O decided to venture into frozen treats was in the 1960s when it developed recipes for chilled pudding in the "Jell-O Pudding Ideabook" (via Taste of Home). But it wasn't until the late '70s that General Foods actually began market-testing a ready-made frozen pudding snack to the general public, reports The New York Times.
In the book, "What Were They Thinking? Marketing Lessons You Can Learn from Products That Flopped," Robert McMath outlines that Jell-O Pudding Pops generated over $100 million during its first year in national distribution, growing to $300 million just five years later. Despite the fact that consumers devoured the icy treats at an alarming rate, McMath reveals that because Jell-O wasn't in the business of frozen foods, Pudding Pops were actually too expensive to make.
Today states that in 2004, the Jell-O Pudding Pops name was licensed to Popsicle. While Popsicle-brand pudding pops stayed on the market for several years, they seemed to vanish entirely off of supermarket shelves sometime in the 2010s. In 2018, the official Twitter account for Jell-O shared that the product stopped being sold because not enough people were purchasing the frozen treat.
While the original Jell-O pudding pops may no longer be available for purchase, you can still create a version at home with milk and a package of pudding as outlined by Kraft.