Why Were The Beloved PB Crisps Discontinued?

While it didn't make our list of foods from the '90s we need to bring back (such as viscous Orbitz drinks and mouth-obliterating Sprinkle Spangles cereal), PB Crisps still get a lot of love online. Created by Planters (a brand best known for its many nutty products), they featured a peanut-shaped graham cracker cookie exterior and an interior oozing with peanut butter cream. Like many snacks of yore, questions remain regarding why Planters chose to discontinue a product that seemed to resonate with people, at least as far as online remembrance is concerned.

Fans of the long-gone cookie may have an answer. According to a 2017 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by a user named Jim at Planters, "We appreciate the love for PB Crisps, unfortunately, there was not enough consumer demand for us to continue producing it. TY!" 

While the seemingly authoritative message was posted in response to a fan's request for PB Crisps to return, it's worth mentioning that the validity of the Jim at Planters account can't be verified. The last post from the account was made the same year, meaning it hasn't been active since 2017.

Certain discontinued foods have caused outrage in adoring fans, from Choco Tacos to McDonald's Szechuan Sauce. While the outcry for discontinued PB Crisps can hardly qualify as outrage, fans of the cookie have launched a pretty passionate campaign online. For instance, there's a Bring Back Planters PB Crisps website, an X fan account, and a Change.org petition (which also included another unfortunately discontinued Planters product, Cheez Balls). On Reddit, a thread titled "PB crisps..I miss you so much...." received over 1,000 likes and featured comments like, "I was a very sad middle schooler when these disappeared from stores," and "I think about these waaay more than is healthy."

So, the burning question remains: Will PB Crisps ever come back? Unfortunately, it doesn't look good. Planters has failed to provide any recent updates to fervent snackers, and if the Jim at Planters account is correct in its assertion that the discontinuation resulted from poor sales, the company has little motivation to reintroduce the product. Like Butterfinger BB's and Squeezits, it looks like PB Crisps should be included in the lunchbox foods we'll sadly never get to eat again.