What Was The Junk Food Of Choice For Kids Every Decade Of The 20th Century? (2024)

The early 20th century marked the beginning of “junk food” as we know it. Heartier sweets and desserts had existed for millenia, but mass-produced sugary confections were a unique novelty.According to Andrew F. Smith, author of the Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food, Cracker Jack was the first junk food in America. The original recipe is very similar to what it is today, a combination ofpopcorn, molasses, and peanuts. It was sold at the Chicago World's Fair in the late 19th century, and became a smash hit when it was repackaged for mass distribution across the nation.

In 1900, OratorFrancis Woodward procured a formula for flavored gelatin, marketed under the name Jell-O. It rocketed in popularity after an advertisem*nt in a 1902 edition of Ladies’ Home Journal, where it was called “America’s Most Famous Dessert.”

The humble and enduring Tootsie Roll’s invention in 1905 was especially notable for its logistical value. Offered at one cent a pop, it was the first candy to be sold individually wrapped.

Long before it spawned a candy empire with a matching theme park, Hershey chocolate was a harebrained enterprise by popular caramel retailer Milton S. Hershey. After inventing his own proprietary milk process to develop his chocolate, Hershey began a chocolate plant in Pennsylvania that, in 1905, spawned his first of many creations:the Hershey's chocolate bar.

The Oreo, one of the most popular cookies in America, is a direct copy of a similar pre-existing cookie, the Hydrox. The primary difference between the Oreo and the now-defunct Hydrox was one key ingredient in the original Oreo formula: lard.

Depending on the region of the United States you claim, you may have allegiance to Hostess or Tastykakes. Both started similar enterprises- individually wrapped snack cakes - around the same time. Tastykakes, invented in 1914, were initially known for their chocolate cupcakes, while Hostess rose to fame with the 1919 invention of the Hostess vanilla cupcake (sans vanilla icing and squiggly line, which came along 40 years later).

While "marshmallow paste" existed in local cookbooks throughout the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, the revolutionary Marshmallow Fluffbrand spread was invented by Massachusetts native Archibald Query in 1917. Just one year later, its most popular application, the "Fluffernutter,"was conceived.

Following in the footsteps of the individually wrapped penny candies from the previous decade, Life Savers "Pep-O-Mint" candies hit shelves in 1912, sealed in shiny foil wrappers. They were originally in the shape of a disc; the hole design did not come along until 1925.

The "Indescribably Delicious" Mounds bar was one of the first hits of the new decade. Comprised ofdark chocolate and coconut filling, Mounds was created by the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company in 1920.

Eleven-year-old Frank W. Epperson made a common mistake that usually results in nothing more than a burst can or cracked glass: leaving soda in the freezer too long when you just wantto cool it down. When he left his powdered soda on the freezing porch overnight with the mixing stick still in the cup, he found the proto-popsicle in the morning and knew he had done something special. Eight years later, in 1923, Epperson patented his creation, which soon became the "Epsicle," mercifully redubbed the Popsicleby his children.

The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup was invented in 1928 by a Hershey employee, Harry Burnett Reese. They were originally just called "peanut butter cups,"and they were popular immediately upon release.

While this candy bar made of peanuts, caramel, and nougat covered in chocolate is practically timeless, the Baby Ruth stoodout withits bizarro advertising campaign. In 1920, Otto Y. Schnering dropped his creations from a chartered airplane onto the ground in 40 different states.

The underuse of shortcake pans outside of strawberry season is reportedy responsible for the invention of the Twinkie. James A. Dewar of Chicago baked snack cakes with banana filling using the neglected pans, resulting in the Hostess Twinkie. During WWII, the banana cream filling was replaced with vanilla as a result of the rations.

Herman J. Lay began his snack company in 1932. He made it big with the 1938 invention of the Lay’s potato chip, which became thebest selling potato chip in America soon after. Twentyyears later, Lay would team up with Charles Elmer Doolin of the Frito company to form the modern day conglomerate, Frito-Lay.

The 1930s were a special time for Frank Mars, founder of Mars, Inc. The 1923 invention of the Milky Way opened the industry up to the possibility of candy bars with a filling inside, and this practice was perfected with the invention of theSnickers and 3Musketeers bars, in 1930 and 1932, respectively. They both featured a nougat filling, with Snickers providing an additional caramel and peanut center.

“Melts in your mouth, not in your hand” sounds practical, but its origins were tactical. The 1941 invention of the M&M was a result of wartime necessity. Mars began producing the hard-coated candies that could withstand overseas travel and storing for troops fighting in WWII.

The Mike and Ike family of candies was first introduced in 1940. Russian immigrant Samuel Born had become popular in the candy industry for his "Born Sucker Machine" that inserted sticks into lollipops, but he truly struck it big with theelongated jelly beans that came in fruit and spicy cinnamon flavors.

The invention of the Multimixer milkshake machine in the late 1930s gave rise to the trend of soft-serve restaurants. Near the end of WWII, Dairy Queen opened for business to serve both savory and sweet delights.

The Frito was a huge success, so the Frito Companydelved into new types of corn snacks throughout the 1940s, most notablyCheetos. Developed in 1948, Cheetos were made using extruded corn blasted with cheese powder. Many "cheese puff" copycats followed soon after.

The end of WWII was a major boon to the United States economy, which meant a massive uptick in inventions and people with money to blow on delicious trash. One major advent of this era was the volume of fast food restaurants, namely McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. This was also a testament to the expanding palate of the average American, eager to feast after theconstrictions of WWIIrationing.

While doughnuts had been sold locally across the nation since the 1930s, the fried, glazed treats went mainstream following the1950 launch of Dunkin' Donuts. WilliamRosenberg of Quincy, MA, franchised his popular doughnut store in 1955.

While pizza had been around for decades before, it was considered an "exotic" food until the 1950s. The first genuine fast food pizza chain was Pizza Hut, founded by Frank Carneyin 1958. The pizzas came in two sizes: small for 95 cents, and large for $1.50. The restaurant franchised in 1959.

Kraft food scientist Edwin Traisman had his hands in many historic fast-food pots. He opened some of the first McDonald's restaurants in the nation, where he found solutions to keep sliced potatoes crisp and fresh using freeze-and-dry methods. However, his greatest personal invention took place in 1953, when he created Cheez Whiz out of cheese and emulsifiers loaded into an aerosol can. Chili hot dogswere never the same.