Help me identify what fruit snack I was addicted to as a child.

September 27, 2007 7:31 AM

What is the name of this fruit snack?

When I was younger, roughly around the ages of 7 to 12 years old (I am 24 now), I used to love these fruit snacks sold at the Von's grocery store in Southern California. I completely forgot about these great little snacks until I was recently reminded about them when a woman I know brought up how much she loved them as well. The problem I am having is with trying to identify exactly what fruit snack we are talking about here.

This is what I remember about them:

- The snacks themselves were shaped like small beans
- They came in at least grape and strawberry flavors (or is it cherry? they were red - I know that much)
- They wouldn't really be considered 'gummy' like most of today's fruit snacks
- The snacks came in a rectangular shaped (maybe 2 inches x 4.5 inches?), thick paper wrapping inside the box
- The outside of the wrapping was white with writing printed diagonally across the paper in the color of the snack you chose (for example, I believe that grape had the writing in purple)
- The inside of the wrapping was silver like tin foil

I am sorry that I am unable to give any more information as to what snacks these are. I was super little and I remember having to beg for them in the grocery store. I remember that they were located in the produce section of the Von's grocery store in Southern California - although they were obviously sold elsewhere since the woman I was speaking to grew up in Reno, NV where there are no Von's grocery stores.

Hopefully this small tidbit of information is enough for one of you metafilterer's out there to give me a name for this product. It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

posted by misled to Food & Drink (25 answers total)

Ok, the first thing that came to MY mind was that they were actually cough drops - the soft "gummy" kinds and I used to love these too! They box description fits with perhaps a Luden's cough drop box with the thick paper wrapping inside. I've looked everywhere for these - the soft kind and haven't come across them in years!
posted by Sassyfras at 7:40 AM on September 27, 2007

Here's a link to a picture of the box.
posted by Sassyfras at 7:45 AM on September 27, 2007

I think I remember those! But this is all I come up with--this probably isn't it, but your posting caused me to remember these anyway...
posted by laconic titan at 7:47 AM on September 27, 2007

were they sort of hard on the outside, and chewy inside? almost jelly bean style?
posted by laconic titan at 7:48 AM on September 27, 2007

Fruit wrinkles?
posted by bonheur at 7:51 AM on September 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: laconic titan: From what I remember, I think they were hard on the outside and chewy on the inside - just like a jelly bean.

They came in a box and had a package of six or so from what I remember (I could be wrong about the number). The writing on each individually wrapped package within the box had the writing somewhat tiled if that makes any sense. This is what I remember, anyways. I could be wrong about that, though. Also - I think the writing was in a smaller font.

Sassyfras: I am pretty sure they weren't cough drops because I HATED cough drops as a kid and would have refused to eat them haha.
posted by misled at 8:06 AM on September 27, 2007

It was either fruit wrinkles or fun fruits. My mom was also a Vons shopper and I remember them well. They were both pretty similar except Fruit Wrinkles often came in shapes like Dinosaurs or whatever.
posted by danb1 at 8:12 AM on September 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

But these cough drops were like candy . . . seriously. They were soft and a little chewy and oh so good. No menthol flavor or whatnot, just pure goodness.
posted by Sassyfras at 8:12 AM on September 27, 2007

Totally Fun Fruits. Grew up in SoCal, as well, and I remember loving the.
posted by dame at 8:42 AM on September 27, 2007

Fruit Wrinkles! That's what I was addicted to personally.
posted by zackola at 9:04 AM on September 27, 2007

my kid brother abscessed his teeth eating fun fruits. I preferred fruit roll - ups myself...
posted by chickaboo at 9:19 AM on September 27, 2007

Has to be Fun Fruits. The box was kind of light beige with a big green "Sunkist" diagonally across the front. (Not very fun!)
posted by Reggie Digest at 9:44 AM on September 27, 2007

Sassyfras: Luden's cough drops are neither soft nor chewy - they're more like hard candy. Perhaps you're thinking of Smith Brothers.
posted by Caviar at 9:44 AM on September 27, 2007

grape, cherry and ORANGE (the best kind)

It's fun fruits. I was always a little shamefaced when mom bought these little turd shapes as opposed to their dinosaur or G.I. Joe or whatever shaped counterparts.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:46 AM on September 27, 2007

I nth fun fruits.

Mmmmm
posted by chillmost at 9:52 AM on September 27, 2007

Fun Fruits! Wow, this takes me back. I can almost taste them now after reading the opening post here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpdft7fDuo8

I just found that.
posted by cmgonzalez at 9:53 AM on September 27, 2007

Oops.

Commercial
posted by cmgonzalez at 9:54 AM on September 27, 2007

Sassyfras: Luden's cough drops are neither soft nor chewy - they're more like hard candy. Perhaps you're thinking of Smith Brothers.

No, there used to be some soft "cough drops." Maybe I have the brand incorrect (and it's not Smith Brothers) or perhaps they have stopped making them. Loved those things.
posted by Sassyfras at 10:20 AM on September 27, 2007

And I think they used to have a honey flavored one as well.
posted by Sassyfras at 10:22 AM on September 27, 2007

Large Fun Fruit print ad from X-Entertainment.
posted by ALongDecember at 10:24 AM on September 27, 2007

Looks like it might be Pine Bros. (not Smith Brothers) throat lozenges which seem to be MIA.

sorry for the derail.
posted by Sassyfras at 10:31 AM on September 27, 2007

before i even read the more inside i could picture the candy and the wrappers. i wouldn't have remembered what they were called either. it seems like fun fruits is the consensus though!
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:46 AM on September 27, 2007

I'm not crazy. They did exist!!
posted by Sassyfras at 11:30 AM on September 27, 2007

Oh yeah, Fun Fruits! :D

Know what else I miss? Jello 1-2-3.
posted by miss lynnster at 1:58 PM on September 27, 2007

Damn, you old-timers had some good candy. All I got were gushers and those vick's lemon things.
posted by tehloki at 6:45 AM on September 28, 2007