Whatever Happened To Keebler Magic Middles?

Unfortunately, a lot of our favorite snacks have long since left grocery store shelves. Yogos. 3D Doritos. Oreo Cakesters. And countless others (via Buzzfeed). With many of these seeming to disappear overnight despite widespread popularity, it begs the question, "What happened?"

In the very specific case of the mysterious disappearance of 3D Doritos, they were supposedly discontinued in order to make room on grocery store shelves for new Doritos products. As it turns out, 3D Doritos are still in production — but are only sold in Mexico (A new, 3D "crunch" version of Doritos appears to be sold more widely, as of this writing, but only in Chili Cheese Nacho and Spicy Ranch flavors). 

What is this madness? Why take away a snack loved by so many? What happened to the exciting Eggo WAF-FULLS? What happened to Lion King-inspired Bug Pops? For that matter, what happened to our beloved Keebler Magic Middles, the staple cookie for every kid's lunch box? 

For fans of Keebler Magic Middles cookies, it really felt like you blinked, and they had vanished. Except this disappearing act was final (and didn't include a dramatic puff of smoke). But why did they vanish from store shelves? Shortbread cookies with fudge or peanut butter filling — what's not to love?

The short answer is we just don't know. The Foods We Loved claims that Magic Middles were discontinued so Keebler "could use the equipment that manufactured them for another line," but the brand itself doesn't seem to have given a specific explanation. Social media users have tried to get to the bottom of this, including the diehard Facebook group called BRING BACK Keebler MAGIC MIDDLE COOKIES!!! That page, created in July 2010, claimed that Keebler told them it considered a 2012 revival for Walmart, but it failed to launch for unspecified reasons. 

Twitter, however, is another story. According to Keebler's replies to the many, many desperate requests from fans who want them to bring the cookies back, there were no plans to do so as of April 2019. However, the famed baker's official account offered a glimmer of hope in July 2021, promising, "We will pass your comments along," to another cookie stan hoping for a Magic Middles return.