Pizza Hut Is Going Back To The '90s With The Return Of Mini Basketballs

It's hard to believe that kids born in the 1990s are smashing their way into their late and early 30s (especially for those of us who fit in that group). Many are looking for some resemblance of the "simpler times" they presumably had, which is why nostalgia marketing works so well. If only for a moment, reintroduced products offer a window into one's past. "People become especially nostalgic when they are anxious about the present and, especially, the future. The past is safe because it is completely predictable," Hamilton Professor of Marketing Strategy at the Kellogg School of Management Gregory Carpenter explained (via Forbes).

When it comes to Pizza Hut, you probably think of traditional red roofs and uniquely styled lamps. You likely also remember the famed red cups, which the brand sold on its website in 2021 as a four-pack for $10 — they instantly sold out. It doesn't seem like the cups are making a return as of now, but there is another piece of Pizza Hut nostalgia you won't want to miss out on.

In celebration of NCAA March Madness, mini basketballs are returning to Pizza Hut. The basketballs, which read "No One Out Pizzas the Hut," will be sold for $7 and will go on sale starting March 14 at participating locations via the chain's website and mobile app. The return comes just months after the chain brought back its Big New Yorker pizza, a New York-style 16-inch pizza, which will come equipped with foldable basketball hoop packaging while supplies last. Lindsay Morgan, chief marketing officer at Pizza Hut, said in a press release that the chain decided to bring back the basketballs as a special gift for fans.

During last year's tournament, many Twitter users expressed their desire for the return of the famed basketballs. "Pizza Hut needs to bring back the March Madness mini basketballs from the 90's," one person wrote. Another person who will seemingly benefit from the return of mini basketballs asked the chain to, "bring back the #Marchmadness mini basketballs sincerely every 40 year old male with sore knees." It's likely those who hoped for the legendary return will be ready to hoop it up all March long.