Libbyland Dinners

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.

The Automat

The Automat is a fascinating slice of Americana. There is a great book on the subject. Buy it Read it.


An Automat was a fast food restaurant where simple foods and drink were served by coin-operated vending machines.The automat featured what appeared to be completely automated food service, like a giant walk-in vending machine. The reality is there were no space "Robits" making your food. People worked at the automats. People like you and me. A cashier (A woman of course, as this was considered women's work) would sit in a glass-enclosed change booth in the center of the restaurant. Usually the booth was lipped by a wide marble counter with five to eight rounded depressions in it. She would serve many customers at once, taking their money from the depressions and dropping nickels in its place. The diner would insert the required number of coins and then slide open a window to remove the meal. The "machines" were filled via the human staff from the kitchen behind. The machines had a locking device that would ensure the food was in place before the front panel could be opened.
Unlike modern vending machines, food was served on real crockery with metal utensils, and drinks were served in glasses made of real honest to goodness glass.
Inspired by the Quisiana Automat in Berlin, the first automat in the U.S. was opened June 12, 1902 at 818 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia by Horn & Hardart.The automat was brought to New York City in 1912 and gradually became part of popular culture in northern industrial cities. Horn & Hardart was the most prominent automat chain. During 1940s and 1950s, there were over 50 Horn and Hardart’s restaurants in New York City, serving about 350,000 customers a day.

The format was threatened by the growth of suburbs and the rise of fast food restaurants catering to cars (with their drive-thru windows and car hop service) in the 1950s; by the 1970s their remaining appeal was strictly nostalgic. Another contributing factor to their demise was undoubtedly the inflation of the 1960s and 70s, making the food too expensive to be bought conveniently with coins. This was way before the invention debit card swiper or bill acceptors that are commonplace on todays vending equipment.
Another form of the Automat was used on some passenger trains, the last United States example being an Automat car on Amtrak's short-lived service to Janesville, Wisconsin in 2001. These were limited by mechanical problems, since the machines weren't necessarily intended for the bumpy ride on the rails, but mainly because state laws that prohibited alcoholic beverages from being sold by a machine.
They are still very common in The Netherlands, but outside of there, few exist. The last real, non-Mobile Automat closed in the United States in 1991. However...

They Always Come Back:
in 2006, an automat opened in New York City's East Village with a very rocky start. Mired in bad blood, and legal problems stemming from a business partners actions, the American Automat struggled to stay alive. One of the partners, Robert Kwak, alleges in court papers that David Leong and "Nobu" Hai Nguyen blocked his access to the store's cell phone and e-mail accounts, tried to "terminate" him, and banned him from the premises. The other side says Robert tried to steal from him. They worked out their personal issues and the Automat survived.

The difference between automats of the past and this new incarnation is the dining space.

None.

Bamn! serves food to go.
Half a concept is not always better than no concept at all.

Visit Bamn!

If you would like your own automat machine contact these people.

If you have a hankerin' for some post depression era food and would like to make Horn & Hardart's Baked Macaroni and Cheese ... click here and go to "Recipies"

Love's

Love's was family friendly chain of restaurants that featured ribs. It was popular in the early to mid-seventies. There were many locations throughout southern California. Love's was famous for their special BBQ sauce. The Hollywood Blvd. location, just a stones throw from Fredrick's of Hollywood, was popular into the mid-Eighties until it became a hang out for drug dealers.The Woodland Hills location was popular despite the fact it was tucked away in a parking lot behind RB Furniture. Love's big Television debut was in the 1979 T.V. movie "Like Normal People" which starred Shawn Cassidy as a mentally challenged man who worked at Love's Pico Blvd. location. A very convenient location as it was across the street from 20th Century Fox. All Love's restaurants featured the same dark wood interior and "Like Normal People" showcases that interior well. Stand-alone Love's locations all features the same unique architecture similar to Pizza Hut's 1980's design. Around that time the parent company of Love's, Butterfield, decided that the dark interior was a drawback. The trend at the time, was lighter meals in an open well lit atmosphere. Far from the dim dark rooms filled with the smell of Barbecue. The chain was sold to Butterfield in 1983 and they simply screwed with it. Trying to reformulate and reinvent the rib house was a losing proposition. Love's, as a chain, closed in the late 1980's. If anyone has any information about the history of this chain please let me know.

They Always Come Back:
The only listed franchised location left on the planet is, get this, WAY OVER HERE.
Love's BBQ sauce is still available here.

Quisp,

Quisp and Quake were two sugar-sweetened breakfast cereals originally released in 1966 in the U.S. by The Quaker Oats Company and generally advertised together (during the same commercial) as products competing against each other.
The very successful ads were cartoons created by Jay Ward of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame, and used some of the same voices, including Daws Butler as the voice of Quisp (an alien) and William Conrad as the voice of Quake (a miner).

In 1970, a contest was held by Quaker Oats to see whose cereal was the more popular of the two. In 1972, Quisp won, and Quake retreated underground.

Quake, the cartoon character, reappeared in a new cereal called Quangaroos where he obtained an Cary Grant-esque orange kangaroo as well as putting his mining helmet down in favor of an Aussie motif.
In the late-1970s, Quisp was removed from grocery stores due to low sales. It re-emerged in the mid-1980s and was quickly pulled due again to low sales.

They Always Come Back:
Quisp was re-introduced in the 1990s as the "first Internet cereal" and is still in limited distribution. You can buy it direct from their website here.

Pea Soup Andersen's

The area of Buellton California began to change rapidly after the turn of the century. By 1911 Danish settlers were pouring into the area starting farms and businesses. William Budd, brother of Mrs. Emily Buell, opened a post office and it became an official United States Post Office in 1920. When the highway was diverted through Buellton in 1924 and electricity was brought to the valley, Anton and Juliette Andersen purchased a small parcel of land and building from William Budd and opened a restaurant.

Anton, who was trained in exclusive restaurants in Europe and New York, put his tuxedo in mothballs and donned a bib apron, soon to become his personal trademark. He and his charming wife, Juliette, opened a tiny restaurant and named it "Andersen's Electric Cafe," in honor of their prized possession, a new electric stove.

It was a complete about-face for Andersen, who had just come from New York, where he had been associated with world-class establishments such as Marguerey, Voisin, Louis Sherry and other notable establishments and restaurateurs of the day. He helped open the Los Angeles Biltmore until he tired of the rat race (as he put it) associated with city hotels. So, from catering to the gourmet trade, Anton and Juliette began their new venture by serving simple, wholesome everyday foods. hot cakes and coffee, ice cream sodas and such, to highway travelers. Their first customers were the salesmen, tourists and truck drivers who drove the main highway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The cafe was on the road to the fabulous Hearst Castle at San Simeon and as this was the heyday of Hearst's newspaper empire, many of the Hearst writers and reporters, such as Arthur Brisbane and 0.0. McIntyre developed the habit of stopping at Andersen's. Their praise of excellent food and hospitable atmosphere was carried in their newspaper columns throughout the entire country.

In 1928, the Andersen's sank a well and built a hotel and dining room for their now quite popular cafe. They named their new establishment the "Bueltmore," a play on words referring to Anton's days with the Biltmore.

Anton was quite a character, especially famous for his extraordinary capacity to remember faces and names without error. Soon celebrities were stopping for a meal on their way up and down the coast. Apparently the young Victor Borge was among the famous people who visited Andersen's in the early days. When he would enter the cafe the two men, Victor and Anton, would let out a whoop followed by rapid fire Danish at full volume, much to the amazement of the other customers. At the same time, Santa Barbarans and other Southern Californians were discovering Andersen's and learning to plan their outings and trips to enable them to make the stop.

Juliette was devoutly Catholic; she and young Robert attended mass in Solvang at Mission Santa Inez, one of California's original missions. She was a gracious woman, warm and friendly to all those around her. Juliette was from the east of France and an expert cook, so she prepared many of the recipes she had brought with her; the most popular with the customers was her split pea soup. Many special dishes now appear on the large Andersen menu, still the most popular specialty of all and the one which finally changed the name of the restaurant is Juliette's tasty and nourishing split pea soup.

With the demand for their split pea soup increasing steadily, the Andersen's soon had to locate large suppliers of peas far from their area. Just three years after the first bowl was served, they were amazed to realize they needed to order ONE TON of peas! When Anton faced the problem of what to do with one ton of peas, he solved it by putting them in the window, proclaiming the restaurant, "The Home of Split Pea Soup," the slogan it carries to this day.

Though a ton of peas seemed a staggering amount then, Andersen's today "splits" many tons of peas every month, transforming them into the famed soup. ..averaging thousands of bowls a day!

In recognition of the restaurant's pre-eminence as probably the world's foremost pea purchaser, the pea growers of Idaho have named Andersen's the location for the start of the annual "National Split Pea Soup Week" every November, to honor the pea and the delicious soup it makes.

There's no secret about the Andersen's Soup recipe...quite the contrary, for Andersen's even has bags of split peas with the recipe included in their specialty foods department. But, even with the recipe, many find that their soup just doesn't taste quite the same as the restaurant's. Perhaps it's the magical touch that Juliette lent to the cauldrons and ladles so many years ago!


During World War II, the restaurant closed to the public. The hotel rooms were used to house military personnel stationed locally and meals were served to servicemen and their families. Robert Andersen also purchased a small building across the street from the hotel and converted it to a canteen. The canteen was operated by the American Women's Voluntary Services (A.W.V.S.), patterned after a program begun in England. The canteen was called "Co Na Mar Corner," representing all the services: Coast Guard, Navy, Marines and Army. The local Valley members took turns providing meals for the servicemen on weekends.

After the war, Pea Soup Andersen's opened with a flourish. Robert commissioned Disney-trained artist Milt Neil to re-draw the two cartoon chefs to use for promotion and they became Pea Soup Andersen's trademark. The big fellow is shown having all the fun and the easy side of the work, as the little one holds the chisel, looking sad and a bit frightened, always in danger of the big mallet. A contest was held and from thousands of entries the names Hap-pea and Pea-Wee were chosen.

Animator and comic artist MILT NEIL died in October,1997. In the 'thirties and 'forties, Neil worked for Disney on Fantasia, The Reluctant Dragon, Dumbo, Bambi and Saludos Amigos. After World War II he ran his own commercial shop on the East Coast, and he was a long-time instructor at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon Art. Anyone who has ever driven Highway 101 between Oxnard and San Luis Obispo has seen Neil's cartoon logo for the omnipresent Anderson's Pea Soup billboards.


Robert "Pea-Soup"Andersen decided he needed a break from the high paced family business and in April of 1965 sold the Buellton restaurant to Vince Evans. The new owner of Pea Soup Andersen's was a larger than life personality, well known and already an established leader in the Santa Ynez Valley. At the end of World War II, Vince began a career in acting and developed a close friendship with fellow actor Ronald Reagan, who later purchased a ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley. Vince and his wife Margery moved to a 900-acre ranch south of Buellton in 1959. They raised cattle, grew alfalfa and operated a feed store. When he purchased Pea Soup Andersen's, he jumped into his newest adventure with the same high energy and enthusiasm that he displayed for many other ventures.

The business thrived under Evans' hand. By then the restaurant was purchasing 50 tons of peas each year, enough for three-quarters of a million bowls of soup! He built an aviary and filled it with parrots, he installed a train for children to ride that went from the restaurant to the area where the motel now stands, and even had a miniature wild animal park for two years. The park was discontinued in 1970 to make way for the addition of a Danish style motel in 1970. The Evans were very active with the renowned Rancho Vistadores, Santa Barbara Symphony and constantly supported the Valley children's 4-H projects. In 1979, Vince purchased an English Pub that had stood for over 100 years at the Liverpool railway station in London. The Pub was reconstructed in Buellton and opened as a bar and entertainment center. The 1970 also brought more locations as Vince added two more by the same name in Mammoth Mountain and in Santa Nella, south of Stockton.

Vince had expansive dreams and the energy to make the dreams a reality. Unfortunately, neither dreams nor energy could change the cards fate dealt him. On April 23, 1980, Vince, his wife Margery and their 21 year old daughter, Venetia, were tragically killed in a small plane crash just minutes from the Santa Ynez Valley airport.

After Vince died, the company fell into the hands of a bank's estate department. In 1982, a fourth Pea Soup Andersen's restaurant was added, along with a hotel, in Carlsbad just off I-5 at Palomar Airport Road. The following year, Pea Soup Properties and PSA Management were formed by a group of financial planners to acquire the estate's assets.

The ill-conceived Carlsbad property was the catalyst for filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1986.

That was the end of the Travelers Special.

However...

They Always Come Back:
The original Location is still open and serving their famous Travelers Special. (Half of any sandwich and a bottomless bowl of Split Pea Soup)

Visit PEA SOUP ANDERSENS

Stuckey's

If you're of an age to remember tourist camps, Burma Shave signs, and two-lane blacktops — or even gas lines, Pintos, and crackling AM radio — chances are you remember the sprawling Stuckey's empire: A venerable roadside oasis — and a highway heaven of souvenirs, cold drinks, hot snacks, and pecan candy — marked by the pitched roof and teal blue shingles.

Who could forget the pecan divinity, flavored pecans, and most of all the celebrated Stuckey's Pecan Log Roll, a heavenly inspired creation of Mrs. Ethel Stuckey herself? Based on a secret mix of powdered sugar, white molasses, and roasted nuts, that mouth-watering miracle of fluffy white sweetness covered in its own deep coating of crushed select pecans became the soul and spirit of the store and the number one reason for families to stop… well, along with using the restrooms, gassing up the car, and having a snack and a soft drink, of course.

Soon after the founding, however, Stuckey's became more than a pecan log roller. From the late 30's to the early 70's, the teal blue roof was as famous then as the golden arches are today. In 1960, W. S. Stuckey attempted to create a hotel chain called Stuckey's Carriage Inn, but opened only four locations.


Sadly, in the late 70's, the empire began to dwindle when Stuckey's was purchased by the PET Milk corporation and became trapped in a time warp. Of the 350-plus locations operating in its heyday, the number dropped to fewer than 75. But...



They Always Come Back:
It was repurchased by former Congressman W.S. Stuckey, Jr., in 1985. Now, with a Stuckey back at the helm and over 200 franchised locations on the interstate highways spanning 19 states from Pennsylvania to Florida in the east and to Arizona in the west, Stuckey's is hoping to be bigger and better than ever.

Visit a Stuckey's today

Tick Tock Tea Room

Founder of the Tick Tock Tea Room, Arthur was a native of Norway and he first arrived in California in 1930. With a scant initial outlay of $500, he bought an old house and established the restaurant in 1931. An old clock from his residence provided some initial decoration which later became the theme of the restaurant. The restaurant had a tradition of closing for two weeks each year to give not only the owners but the entire staff a vacation. The restaurant was also renown for its service, with each waiter or waitress having only three tables to look after. Famous for their Sticky Orange Rolls. The Hollywood branch at 1716 N. Cahuenga had an early American design.
Other addresses were 301 N. New Hampshire and Wilcox at Yucca (pre-dates the Cahuenga Restaurant) (also apparently called the Town House Tea Room for a while). Also a branch at 10123 Riverside Dr. in the San Fernando Valley.



Arthur Johnson died at age 84 in 1980.
The Tick Tock remained open as a family owned tea room until the late 80's and then quietly closed their doors.

They Always Come back:
No Arthur is not a zombie.

The famed secret recipie to Tick Tock's famous Orange Sticky Buns and other Hollywood staples can be found in handy book form located here.

Freakies Cereal

Freakies was a brand of sweetened breakfast cereal produced by Ralston and sold in the United States. The cereal entered the marketplace in 1973 and was taken off the shelves in 1975. That same year Ralston sold the remaining toys that were to be inserted into the now defunct cereal to a company that supplied Dime and Grocery stores vending machines. For years you were still able to get Freakies figures for .25 and the turn of a knob.
The Freakies were made up of seven creatures named Hamhose, Gargle, Cowmumble, Grumble, Goody-Goody, Snorkeldorf and the leader BossMoss.

In the mythology of the Freakies, the seven went in search of the legendary Freakies Tree which grew the Freakies cereal. They found the Tree, realized the legend was true, and promptly took up residence in the Tree which then became the backdrop for all the TV spots and package back stories.

Ralston tried to reintroduce the cereal in 1987. It failed twice as fast as the original.
In the mid-80s, after launching several unsuccessful cereals with different characters
(including Casper, the Friendly Ghost), someone at Ralston Purina remembered the Freakies. And, since Ralston owned the rights to the characters, they decided to launch a new Freakies cereal. Ralston gave the assignment back to the advertising agency that had handled the creation of the original Freakies.
Unfortunately, the person who had created the Freakies was no longer at the agency and so other people were assigned to the project.

No one knows why these people decided to change the Freakies. Maybe it was because they wanted to put their own mark on the new cereal. Or maybe it was because no one was left who really understood what had made the original Freakies so successful.

In any event, the cereal was re-introduced with characters that only barely resembled the original Freakies. Their names were now more simplistic and expected. They had lost the quirky aspects of their personalities. Even the environment they lived in had been changed.
If they’d been able to consult anyone who had been involved with the original Freakies, they would’ve known that the success of the Freakies was based on very specific things. For instance, each Freakie was a basic personality type anyone could recognize - but with added quirks and flaws. This made the Freakies more real and more appealing. And it was the interaction of these personalities that made the commercials and the package back stories so interesting to kids.

The names of the Freakies were important, too.
They were as quirky and specific as the Freakies. For instance, Hamhose liked ham sandwiches and lived in a garden hose so he could take long walks all by himself. Grumble had bad feet and so he’s always complaining. Snorkeldorf had a long nose, so snorkel is part of his name. Goody-Goody – well, we all know about Goody-Goody.

In contrast, the Freakies of 1986 didn’t have distinct personalities at all. And so the plotlines of the TV commercial and the package backs were pretty thin. And their names were changed to simple words that - if connected to the character at all - only highlighted an obvious physical trait. So Hamhose became Hugger because of all his arms. Snorkeldorf became Tooter because once, in the 70s, he had blown his nose like a trumpet. Cowmumble became Sweetie because she’s nice. But then, Goody-Goody, that apple-polisher without equal, mysteriously became Hot Dog. And Gargle, the Freakie who could bore an insomniac into a prolonged and restful sleep, became Ace! And equally mysterious, BossMoss and Grumble kept their names.

Finally, the environment of space, with the Freakies riding surfboards in said space, was completely arbitrary with no relation to the characters or the cereal at all. But perhaps more important than all these differences was the fact that the original Freakies material was written to amuse adults as well as children. And the new Freakies didn’t have that edge.
Ultimately, the sales of this new Freakie cereal were so disappointing, Ralston discontinued it before the year was even up.

They Always Come Back:
Order your Freakies Shirts and autographed "Wacky Wobblers" Here.

Astro Pops

Astro pops were very simple. Hard pointy candy on a stick. That's it. It had a stick. Then it had the candy in it. It also had this creepy wax base at the bottom of the candy. It was thick at the bottom and tapered to a dull hard candy point. They looked like multi-colored hippie candles sans wick. They have been around since the dawn of time and I assumed would be around forever.
I was wrong.

On November 24th 1997, a Skagit County couple has sued a candy maker and a convenience-store chain, contending their young son was hurt by a pointy sucker that punctured his throat.
Tisha and Edward Newman's Superior Court lawsuit for an unspecified amount of money from the Spangler Candy Co. of Bryan, Ohio, and Southland Corp., the Dallas-based parent company for 7-Eleven stores.
The Newmans contend their son Nicholas ``suffered several personal injuries when the Astro Pop punctured his throat, palate and tonsil.'

Spangler, the candy company that makes Astro pops decided to invert the shape.

In 1998 The following Astro Pop changes were made.
The following description is from the one of the many explanation e-mails that were sent from Spangler in response to the new inverted shape:
"...(1) The new shape is inverted and eats better. In the candy industry, this is known as mouthfeel and is an important attribute to the success of candy. Note that product will no longer slip out of your mouth, the larger end delivers more candy (and more flavor) to your mouth at one time.
(2) The flavor profile was improved. We changed the flavor formula to a better flavor note and more impact at first taste. The formula revision to slightly more sugar/less corn syrup also helps to deliver more flavor.
(3) The stickiness was reduced. The new product has slightly higher sugar to corn syrup ratio, therefore making the product less sticky, and able to withstand higher temperatures before meltdown, thus we are able to sell product in hot regions.
(4) The paraffin wax was removed. This edible wax wax not a problem in the U.S., but some foreign countries do not allow it. This opens the product up for more sales in international countries.
(5) The graphics were improved. New, exciting and consistent graphics were applied to all Astro Pops and boxes.

All were important facts in the re-design of the Astro Pop. The new Astro Pop is selling very well..."


Never did they say it was to avoid potential law suits as the candy was sturdy enough to be used as a weapon.


In 2002 Spangler Candy Company announced their newest addition to the Astro Pop® line, a one-ounce lollipop layered with chocolate, orange and vanilla (brown, orange and white) flavors.
The new Halloween Astro Pops were available in a 36-count display box, packed eight per case.
“This is a perfect flavor and color combination any time, but particularly for the Halloween season,” said Jim Knight, Spangler Candy’s Director of Marketing. “This is also a treat that any child will be delighted to receive in their trick-or-treat bag.”
The Halloween Astro Pop was the seventh color/flavor combination to join the Astro Pop collection. The others included Original, Sour, Rappin’ Raspberry, Banana Split, Caramel Apple, and the red, white and blue Astro Patriot Pop.

Unfortunately, sales volumes did not justify the continuation of Astro Pops, and this product is no longer produced as of September 2004.

More likely is the fact it was a hard candy that was very "stabbie."
Spangler continues to make other fine candies including Circus Peanuts and Dum Dums. They are also the creator of the Saf-T-pop, the stickless lollipop made for people who are prone to stick related injuries. Visit Spangler.


They Always Come Back:

Inverted or "ass-up" Astropops can still be found at Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles. Get them now because they are clearly over 3 years old. The above link is for Olvera street and it does not show AstroPops for sale but trust me... they are there. Check the center isle vendors nearest the fountain. You'll see 'em.

Funny Face Drink Mix

Pillsbury introduced Funny Face Drink Mix in 1964. It was a great kid’s choice and alternative to traditional carbonated soft drinks and fruit juices. It competed directly with Kool Aid which had been around since the 1930’s, and was the clear market leader.
What was unique about Funny Face is that it was originally promoted as a dietary drink, made without sugar, and artificially sweetened. Funny Face, unlike Kool Aid, had a unique character for each flavor making it very appealing for advertising and promotions.


On February 2, 1966, According to the New York times Native Americans lodged an official protest against the Pillsbury company stating the Injun Orange character was an offensive stereo-type.
In 1966 Pillsbury wisely changed the names of two of the drink mixes. Chinese Cherry became Choo-Choo Cherry eliminating the hideous Asian stereotype that had been on the shelves and homes for two years.

At the same time Injun Orange was changed to Jolly Olly Orange.
The packaging also now contained the cryptic message
"Artificially sweetened imitation drink mix." Just what is it then?
The repackaging was not the end to Funny Face's problems. Two years later they would be faced with an entire product redesign.
From 1964 to 1968 Funny Face was sweetened with cyclamates.
In 1968 Funny Face was pulled off of the market as cyclamates were banned by the FDA.
In 1969 Funny Face re-emerged sweetened with saccharine. However, the after-taste of saccharine affected sales, and in 1970 the new Funny Face was introduced in which the consumer had to “just add sugar”. Tastes improved as did sales, and in 1972 vitamin C was added.
Larger packs were later available in which the sugar was included.
It was a good run for Pillsbury as the Kool-aid man was alone in his quest to quench the thirst of American children, Funny Face had a character for each flavor. A virtual army of child friendly flavors. Coupled with extensive mail away merchandise it was an all out war against Kool-aid man. In the end one was left standing. Oh Yeah!
It seemed Kool-Aid Man was no match for the maniacal Funny Face characters nor was the plain orange flavor any competition for Jolly Olly Orange. The line ran out of gas in the last '70s, and was eventually sold to Brady Enterprises in 1980. The Kool-Aid Man had won.

The final flavor was added in 1983 … Chocolate. It bore the repulsive name MOO JUICE. And that was the end of Funny Face.
Brady Enterprises are still in business and are the creators of powdered bar mixes, cranberry stuffing mix and dishwashing powder.

They Always Come Back:
Reborn as Bobbleheads.
You can read all about Funny face and see every pack ever made at this outstanding website.

Space Food Sticks the grandaddy of all energy bars

There are several classification for food that is sent into space:

Beverages (B) - Various rehydratable drinks.

Fresh Foods (FF)- Foods that spoil quickly that needs to be eaten within the first two days of flight to prevent spoilage.

Irradiated (I) Meat - Beef steak that is specially packaged and sterilized with ionizing radiation.

Intermediate Moisture (IM) - Foods that have some moisture but not enough to cause immediate spoilage.

Natural Form (NF) - Mostly unprocessed foods such as nuts, cookies and granola bars that are ready to eat.

Rehydratable (R) Foods - Foods that have been dehydrated and allowed to rehydrate in hot water prior to consumption.

Thermostabilized (T) - Foods that have been processed with heat to destroy microorganisms and enzymes that may cause spoilage.

More common staples and condiments do not have a classification and are known simply by the item name:
Shelf Stable Tortillas - Tortillas that have been heat treated, specially package in an oxygen free nitrogen atmosphere to prevent the growth of mold.

Condiments - Liquid salt solution, oily pepper paste, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.

The Pillsbury Space Food Stick is none of these.




Space Food Sticks came into existence as Pillsbury noticed the popularity of the drink Tang. Tang was the orange flavored powdered drink made by rival food maker General Mills. Pillsbury jumped at the chance to make a food product that would travel into space. NASA has previously approached Pillsbury to aid in the creation of an acceptable food energy bar but they declined only to come begging for the job after the apparent commercial success of Tang.
Pillsbury came up with a remarkable name:
Space Food Stick.
It was a chewy, slightly granular nougat shaped into a cylindrical "stick" about 4 1/2 inches long.
Aficionados will recall that the Space Food Sticks came wrapped in special foil to give them a space age look. The front of each pack featured an illustration of an anonymous astronaut happily chomping on a Space Food Stick. The box clarified the important role the development sticks played "in support of the U.S. Aerospace Program."

Space Food Sticks
Originally uploaded by Kiel Bryant

It turns out Pillsbury's "aggressive marketing" ruffled a few a feathers in the nation's capital. One year after Space Food Sticks were introduced, the Bureau of Deceptive Practices undertook an investigation of Pillsbury's claim they were "ounce for ounce" as nutritious as milk. A document issued by the company in response--available at NASA's archives-asserted the snacks were "suitable as total food replacement" in the unlikely chance that no other foods were available.
So is dog and in extreme cases human so I can see how Pillsbury found this claim acceptable.
What was not acceptable was the fact these Space Food Sticks never actually went into space. The early commercials even showed an astronaut eating a space food stick through a special portal made in his space helmet. Pillsbury had to fess up and finally claim the snacks never left orbit but they were designed with space in mind.

When it was discovered that Pillsbury's consumer version of Space Food Sticks never actually went into space Pillsbury was forced to change the name. This name change occurred at the same time the space race popularity was dwindling and the energy crisis of 1973 took the headlines.


And that was the end of that.

The word energy bar hadn’t been invented yet. Inevitably the fabled Sticks disappeared from supermarket shelves.

It turns out that people really wanted to believe they were eating something that had gone into space or was the thought of eating something called simply FOOD STICK mildly repulsive? Pillsbury took the space out of the stick and ruined childhood dreams of being an astronaut for kids everywhere.




They Always Come Back:
Buy Space Food Sticks Here.