Boy the 70's sure were great. Kids got to eat what they wanted. Too bad what they wanted actually tasted worse than school food and left you feeling dirty and ashamed.
Libbyland Dinners were one of the worst meals made for kids. But... as a kid, ya gotta try it. After all, it offers up pirate fun and who eats better than pirates? Oh yea... everyone.
Libbyland Dinners, manufactured by Libby of course, were made in the early 1970's around the time McDonalds had their McDonaldLand campagin. In a time where the HungryMan dinner reigned supreme it was a breath of fresh frozen air to see a meal designed especially for kids. Too bad it offered up some creepy food. Artificial grape flavored scalding applesauce was my favorite! Each meal came with a package of powdered Pink Strawberry Quick-esque mix. Not a meal for the Sabbath but eh... its a meal.
These frozen meals featured fantastic pop-up packaging that would provide minutes of fun while you choked down the partialy edible meal. The front pop-up panel featured hidden pictures ala HIGHLIGHTS for Children.
This meal distraction was perfect for kids trying to hold back tear of disgust as they chowed down the vulcanized burger or "Fried Parrot" (It was really fried chicken but damn, it was a tough ol' bird.)
Not only did these dinners entertain you while eating they provided motivation to finish the prison-type food by embossing pictures into the bottom of the TINfoil tray. "Eat it all and you'll see the monkey!" If I heard that now I'd call the police and asked to be put in a foster home. It's amazing to think that a simple drawing of an animal actually motivated children to eat. Here, now, in this future we live in, the only way a kid would eat slop is if there was a free download code at the bottom of the tray or perhaps a picture of Pete Wentz's's's wiener.
They Always Come Back:
They are gone forever but crappy food marketed to kids is big.
Libbyland Meals were the granddaddy of Kraft Lunchables. If you want to know just how bad Libbyland meals were just pick up one of these kids meals and enjoy the moment that occurs 10 minutes after you eat it, when your mouth starts stinging and you taste benzine.
31 comments:
If you want to simulate the scalding grape applesauce, you could always microwave a Grāpple.
...and yes, lunchables are creepy.
Having been on safaris in Kenya and to Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi, I can tell you that a true Safari Supper would include something like zebra brains and lion tongue. Enough to make grape Jell-O look yummy.
LOL, it's no wonder alot of kids are fat. I think were starting to realise that though, arent we?
I hadn't thought of these for nearly 30 years... until I saw this post. Egads! I remember them now!
I have spent 30 years trying to describe these to people, they all look at me like I am insane. I did love these when I was 7 though so maybe I am...
Thanks for that. I've been trying to remember the name of those meals for years. I can still remember the taste though! Strange and artificial.
I was thinking of these just the other day and how much I missed them!!!!
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/286028
Check out the comment from the guy who helped QA/QC the dinners for Libby
Those things came out when I was seven. Even though I knew they were a bit..off...I thought they were da bomb.
I loved these, they tasted better than my mom's cooking!
I would have to agree with most of the posters: the Libbyland dinners WERE terrible! I enjoyed the commercial and sang the song--but when I tasted one of the dinners: ewwwww! I probably had two dinners total.
I was about 12, and it was around 1973. I don't think Libbyland lasted beyond 1974.
For some reason I thought of these this morning so I had to look them up. I remember these meals being real bad. I see other saw them as the same way
We had these growing up in Texas too but they weren't called Libbyland Dinners. The name had something to do with the Pirates.... I liked them though... they were better than the crap kids eat today!
Wow, this brings back memories! i know I ate a ton of these because I remember having two shoe-boxes full of the grape milk mix which was horrible! Ah, the joys of childhood. I wonder what permanent damage these meals did to me, but at the time I thought they were delicious!
One of those dinners had magic Mielke that was flavored root beer. I remember laughing at the TV show with my brother and the root beer milk snorted out through my nose
One of those dinners had magic Mielke that was flavored root beer. I remember laughing at the TV show with my brother and the root beer milk snorted out through my nose
I ate these when I was a kid and I loved them. They were fun and had proportionate foods. I wish they still made them,
I would buy them today.
I agree. They were a treat for us, because we only got them when our parents went out for the night, and we had a sitter.
Thanks for this great post. This is really helpful for me. Also, see
I remember these TV dinners from Libbys...the food was horrible but i did like the strawberry milk mix! I remember they had one dinner that had a little hot dog that was barely edibe, i think that was the one with the Pirate on the box. Probably ate the chocolate pudding just for the fact that it was chocolate but if I remember it wasnt that great either, but man i loved that strawberry milk! Think I had one or two of these dinners (i think the other was terrible spaghetti)and told my Mom please dont buy these things again! But find that strawberry milk mix!!
Yes the purple milk. I thought I drempt that. No. It's true! Ahhhh!
Yes. This is exactly the use in our house. I loved these!
One of them came with grape milk. It wasn't a good combination!
I remember getting these when our parents were going out to eat without us.
We thought they were cool.
I think you are a little negative. I enjoyed them. Who cares what you think asshole.
I liked them too, but especially the grape milk!
We had Libbyland dinners in my Texas town. Not at HEB though. We had to get them at a speciality market. I loved them!
Mine too!
Yes!!!! I remember
And Libby the Kid which was Billy the Kid spelled Sideways(Sort of)and the Trays were collectible
I liked these meals. My favorite milk mix in was rootbeer. The author of this is terrible. Most kids have fond memories of these meals.
Post a Comment