It’s summer. It’s hot. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was hardly anything better than Jell-O pudding pops in the summer. The first time I had one was at a vendor cart at Adventureland Park. They only sold banana flavor and they were awesome and, because it was at an amusement park, fairly pricey. I remember going back each year looking for these. They sold them there for only a few years near the bumper car rides then they went away. After their release as a specialty product you could buy them in grocery stores for years.
Then, like lots of awesome things from our youth, like Wacky Wafers, like Seven-Up bars, like the original chocolate and peanut butter Oompas, and like the original Marathon bars, they went away. You’d think there would be a market for these treats of frozen goodness–their flavor was unique as frozen pops go.
You remember the Bill Cosby ads, right? Like this one:
Then last week in grocery stores Jell-O released the next best thing–a pudding pop mold that includes boxes of their pudding. You wouldn’t think all the pudding pops were was Jell-O pudding, frozen. But turns out the only difference is the preservatives that keep the bar from getting drippy too fast. Otherwise they taste the same.
The box includes a mold for six pops, and includes two boxes each of chocolate and vanilla pudding. My local store had these for less than $5. If you can’t find them locally, get them here
You should also check out these two products from Hostess Brands: your own Twinkie or Hostess Cupcake maker. If you’re on a diet then get one for your favorite kids so they can relive your Easy Bake oven days.
Don’t expect the recipes to taste just like the originals, but with your own experimentation you’ll likely be able to get close. Again, it’s strange how much of the packaged cake’s unique flavor comes from the preservatives required to preserve longevity of the product for packaging.
You can get the Twinkie maker at Amazon here
C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com
