A Brief History Of The Discontinued '90s Snack, Fruit String Thing

Ah, the '90s — a golden era of pop culture and iconic snacks. Envision a school cafeteria bustling with kids snapping open their Hot Wheels and Lisa Frank lunch boxes to reveal an array of munchies. Amidst the Capri Sun pouches, Cheez Balls, and Dunkaroos, there lay a gem that captured the hearts of many. Fruit String Thing, a snack-meets-candy brand introduced by Betty Crocker in 1994, consisted of a spaghetti-like strip of fruit-flavored gummy material wound into fun patterns and adhered to a cardboard backing. To boot, in 1997, an extra piece of chewy, fruity candy was added to each serving, giving kids even more flavor to savor.

The invention was rooted in the simple yet ingenious idea of combining the enjoyment of playing with food with the satisfaction of eating it. The concept of Fruit String Thing was straightforward: an edible, flexible strand bent and arranged into shapes such as bikes, stars, footballs, rocket ships, and UFOs. The strand was peeled off the paper base, then stretched, strummed, twisted, and twirled before being slurped up as if it were pasta. The experience of Fruit String Thing was as much about the thrill of creativity as it was about post-sandwich dessert consumption.

As with plenty of late 20th-century treats — some of which you can surprisingly still eat today, like Fruit by the Foot and Go-Gurt — Fruit String Thing was available in various kid-friendly flavors, including Strawberry, Cherry, and Berry 'N Blue, each bursting with a sweet tang. While the packaging claimed the snack was "an excellent source of vitamin C" and "made with real fruit," it's worth noting that Fruit String Thing was also loaded with sugar, fructose syrup, and fruit juice concentrate.

Fruit String Thing's popularity soared throughout the decade, bolstered by clever marketing targeted at adolescents. The high-energy TV spots featured animated characters and catchy jingles. Plus, its convenient pouch made it ideal for on-the-go, a selling point for busy parents.

In the fall of 1998, General Mills, the parent company of Betty Crocker, teamed up with "Goosebumps," the children's horror series written by R.L. Stine. The grand prize of the Brain Juice Terrifying Title Contest, a nationwide competition in which kids submitted their best scary story title ideas, was having the author himself teach a creative writing class in the winner's school just in time for Halloween and the release of his new novel. The 50 finalists also received T-shirts, books, and "Goosebumps"-themed fruit snacks. The promotion was advertised on the boxes of General Mills snacks, including Gushers, Fruit Roll-Ups, and Fruit String Thing. The promotion led to a spark of imagination among young American readers.

Happiness often ensues when people become reacquainted with relics of their past, even in the form of silly little fruit snacks. For instance, a 2022 post on the nostalgia subreddit evoked fond recollections of Fruit String Thing. One Redditor wrote, "Candy stuck to paper just hits better." Another admitted, "Easily one of my favorite '90s fruit snacks. I wish they still sold these." Although Fruit String Thing sadly didn't stick around (pun intended) for long, another Redditor shared, "One of the cornerstones of my childhood lunchbox contents." The human mind apparently works in mysterious ways.

Sometime in the 2000s, Fruit String Thing was discontinued and disappeared from store shelves. The exact reason for its demise remains unclear, and despite its relatively short life, Fruit String Thing left an indelible mark on the grocery landscape. Although the whimsical product is among the '90s fruit snacks you'll sadly never have again, its spirit lives on in the collective memory of a generation.