COMEBACK: Popular demand helps bring throwback food and drinks to present time
We grew up with these food and drinks back in the '80s and '90s. Thanks to nostalgic fervor, those products made a comeback.
From cola you can see through, to a favorite cookie made in cereal version, these items returned to shelves and refrigerators in recent years.
Crystal Pepsi
You remember those ads with Van Halen's "Right Now" playing, right? The caffeine-free drink was touted as a revolution in beverages. But, after a year on the shelves, Crystal Pepsi melted to the masses.
Fast-forward to 2015 where a giveaway re-introduced the product, all thanks to the demand for the drink that preceded its return. By the following year, Crystal Pepsi was widely sold in stores.
Surge
Coca-Cola's foray into a citrus drink to combat Pepsi's Mountain Dew, Surge was introduced as an edgy, highly-caffeinated beverage. It was perfect for the late '90s that it grew up in.
The marketplace for soft drinks, however, changed over the years, and Surge was in a metaphorical low tide.
An online "Save Surge" movement called for the soft drink's return, prompting an exclusive sale of the product on Amazon in 2014. The product's availability at store shelves expanded in certain parts of the U.S. as well as its addition as a flavor in slushy drinks.
Jolt Cola
This cola can be seen as a forefather to Surge, thanks to it being marketed having twice as much caffeine as Coca-Cola.
The soft drink rolled out in 1985, containing 52 grams of sugar per 12-ounce can.
Jolt disappeared when its parent company filed for bankruptcy in 2009.
Thanks to popular demand, Jolt found new life on shelves at Dollar General in September 2017.
Oreo O's
Oreos that you can have for breakfast?!
The fantasy cereal became a reality beginning in 1997. It enjoyed a decade run until Post, the cereal maker, and Kraft Nabisco, the owner of Oreo and its recipe, decided not to team up. Thanks to this, Oreo O's disappeared.
It found new life internationally, but it wasn't until 2017 that the cereal came back with both sides coming to an agreement.
Zima
Gen-Xers will know this beverage. The clear malt drink came to the masses in the early '90s as an alternative to beer. It also came out just as the clear cola trend took prominence.
Amazingly, Zima was being produced, albeit quietly, through 2008.
Nearly a decade later, Zima, which can be viewed as a forefather to drinks like Smirnoff Ice, was brought back in July 2017 as a limited product release.
McDonald's Szechuan sauce
The dipping sauce made for the fast-food chain's breaded chicken products was first introduced as a limited edition movie tie-in to "Disney's Mulan" in 1998.
The sauce was back in the spotlight and it gained cult status, thanks to the animated series "Rick & Morty."
Last month, McDonald's released a limited amount of sauce packets for eager fans, who either cashed in on the rare release or were angered by being left out.
McDonald's has since promised to bring back the sauce in wider release to more restaurants.
RELATED: McDonald's bringing back Szechuan sauce after limited batch
The McRib
It's just a slab of boneless pork covered in barbecue sauce on a hoagie-style sesame seed bun.
As simple as the sandwich was made, the McRib gained a huge following after its wide release in 1981. It was pulled in 1985, and later, McDonald's used its appeal to bring back the sandwich on-and-off over recent years.
At this moment, the McRib is back on the menu, and it is not known how long it will stay there.
