This Is Why Squeezits Were Discontinued

Back in the '90s, it was critical that food had its own persona. Snacks weren't just snacks. They were interactive with lively branding, and they kept things fun. There were chocolate bars that turned your mouth vibrantly green, fruit leathers that gave you tongue tats, and last but not least, sugary drinks that were technicolor hues for, well, no reason whatsoever. If the slogan "Squeeze the fun out of it!" rings a bell, you were one of the lucky ones that got to experience the sweet and amusing cooler before it was discontinued in 2001, says General Mills, the company behind the fun and fruity beverage Squeezit.

In 1985, Squeezits crowded the shelves of markets everywhere and had kids tugging on their parents' arms, begging them to toss the tasty drink in the shopping cart. When they were first released, they just had four classic flavors, but in 1992, Squeezits gained a whole lot of character. The plastic squeezable bottles took on seven new flavors along with seven new eccentric caricatures. A new Squeezit gang was formed, each with its own distinctive face and personality, but even this squad couldn't keep the sales up long enough to still be around today. The same year the characters were introduced, sales dropped almost 16%, Adweek announced in 1993.

The seven dwarfs of the Squeezit family were named Mean Green Puncher, Chucklin' Cherry, Smarty Arty Orange, Berry B. Wild, Silly Billy Strawberry, Grumpy Grape, and Rockin' Red Puncher, the video series "Inside the General Mills Archives" shared on YouTube. With flavors like these, it's surprising that the juice company called it quits so early in the new millennium. The downfall of Squeezits may have something to do with the charismatic bunch that represented them, believes Ranker. While some parents may have cringed at the over enthusiastic personalities on the bottles, the real issue was squeezing them into lunch boxes.

Squeezit kept marketing fresh and new throughout the 1990s, with special released flavors such as a mystery flavor that included a decoder and clues, which was every '90s kid's dream ever since "Harriet the Spy" and "Ghostwriter" became popular on screen. As if it wasn't hard enough to say goodbye to Squeezit the first time, the fruity drink teased consumers by coming back in 2006, only to be discontinued yet again in 2007, according to The Foods We Loved. Many Squeezit fans are desperate to get their hands on the nostalgic beverage again, as an online petition to bring the drink back has more than 6,000 signatures, so fingers crossed the drink will fill shelves again one day.