5 things you didn’t know about fruit snacks

Everyone has a least one fruit snack that they are in love with. Whether it be Gushers, Froot-by-the-Foot, Fruit Roll-Ups, or something else, there are gummy fruit snacks for just about everyone.

But there are some things about fruit snacks that you may not know. Let’s take a look at a few of the unknown facts about our favorite snacks.

Fun facts about our favorite fruit snacks

1. Fruit Roll-Ups started as filling for cakes

In 1975, Fruit Roll-Ups were originally developed as a way to easily put a filling into cakes. You would buy a cake mix and a Fruit Roll-Up and boom! cake.

While that sounds horrifying, it ended up being ingenious as it gave us one of the best fruit snacks on the market. The first Fruit Roll-Ups debuted in 1979.

2. Fruit Roll-Ups had a mascot

In the 1990s, General Mills introduced a Fruit-Roll-Up mascot. His name was the Great Rolupo and he was a wizard who loved to tell kids about all the different fruit flavors in the rainbow. Unfortunately, he was only around until 1991, but he did end up bringing in one of the most iconic fruit snack features: the peel-out shape.

As a 90s kid, this was my favorite part of getting Fruit-Roll-Ups. The shapes included everything from tic-tac-toe to favorite TV and movie characters. The trend then moved to pictures hidden in the snack as well as stretchy faces.

3. Gushers came out in 1992

Gushers may have come out in the early 90s but they are still a fan favorite with their chewy outside and their juicy center. Possibly one of the reasons they stayed so popular is because of their ads including the most iconic one from the 90s where kids’ heads turn into fruits!

If you were around in the 90s, you might remember this image that haunted many of our nightmares (it’s almost worse than the creepy Burger King dude):

4. Gushers recently came out with a metaverse sneaker

Gushers recently collaborated with Italian design studio, RAL7000STUDIO, to create a new sneaker. It’s blue, yellow, and orange and looks like a Gusher exploded all over the front of it. Unfortunately, the offer is no longer available, but it continues a trend where food brands are making more merch than ever and getting more into technology as well.

5. Fruit String Thing was discontinued in the mid-2000s

One fruit snack that didn’t make it to today is the Fruit String Thing. It came out in 1994 and featured a long fruit string that could be made into a bunch of shapes, braided, knotted, or simply eaten. It was similar to licorice but way more fun to play with.

Unfortunately, it was discontinued in the mid-2000s and unlike other snacks, it hasn’t been brought back. At least not yet.

What are your favorite fruit snacks? Let us know in the comments below!