’90s Nostalgia Fans, A Favorite Snack Is Back
For a limited time only, Planters has chosen to bring back two ’90s treats that were loved by many. Cheez Balls, the cheese flavored puff balls of past times, are coming to shelves again after many impassioned messages were sent to the manufacturer, demanding the return of these florescent orange snacks. Cheez Curls will be joining them. Food Dive reports that voices have been heard; Planters is even going back to the original packaging to pull in die-hard nostalgia customers.
Wacky Wafers tried to make a recent comeback, and so did AB InBev’s Lime-A-Rita. Those products were launched as a new generation, packaged differently than their past selves. Planters, an American snack food company, which is a division of Kraft Foods, seems to believe a packaging makeover would only hurt sales numbers. Customers will instantly be reminded of the snacks they once loved as children upon seeing Cheez Balls and Cheez Curls on the chip and snack isles, looking just like a blast from the past. It is likely that Kraft Foods is hoping parents will reconnect with the cheese flavored treats and pass the love onto their children.
These products were removed from shelves 12 years ago, but as of July, 2018, we will see them again. Planters has not released an end date, only noting that the snacks are limited and are priced at a $1.99 retail cost. Planters’ head of brand building Melanie Huet has remarked on the decision.
“We heard many impassioned pleas for us to bring Cheez Balls and Cheez Curls back over the years and we wanted to give our fans a chance to reunite with their most-missed cheesy snack.”
Food Dive also cited the snacking category at a whopping $89 million, while growing at a 3 percent clip. Food manufactures are paying attention to the trends, it seems. While new products are still heading to stores, the appearance of retro snacks from the ’80s and ’90s may be helping companies nab a bigger share of the snacking market in recent years.
Mr. Peanut tweeted late last month, announcing the comeback of Cheez Balls and Cheez Curls, subtly alluding to customers that they should get them while they can.
You craved, I listened. #CheezBalls are back July 1 at select stores and online! Get ‘em while they’re… cheezy. https://t.co/mk5iY4lr03 – Mr. ?? #SayCheezBalls pic.twitter.com/7nw7qhCFdh
— Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) June 26, 2018
To aid the relaunch, Planters is throwing their weight into social media. The company hyped the re-release via a scavenger hunt. This easter egg hunt of sorts encourages people to interact with the brand by finding snacks in a digital world, which fits well with the millennial demographic. According to Planters, they have shipped the first wave of snacks to fans who went “above and beyond” in helping out with the comeback.
