Foods From The 2000s That Are Weirdly Making A Comeback

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Several foods from the 2000s are weirdly making a comeback. But it's not so weird when you think about it. Marketers know that they can tap into our sense of longing to get us to buy foods we once enjoyed. According to HowStuffWorks, nostalgic experiences like eating and smelling certain foods from our past cause our brain to release chemicals such as dopamine that make us feel good.

Something interesting that we noticed about many of the foods that are making a comeback is that companies are releasing them for only a limited time or in a very limited supply. Some are available from only one store, to a select few contest winners, or only to fan club members. According to the scarcity principle of marketing, we consider a product to be more valuable if it's in short supply, which makes us go out and buy it before it's gone (via Feed Dough). If we know that we can get Pepsi Blue or Neapolitan Oreos any time, we're less likely to make a mad dash to go buy them.

Some foods from the 2000s that have made a comeback may be here to stay. Others, however, seem to have been big teases since they had a limited release. Let's explore some of the popular comebacks from the 2000s to see what may be waiting on the shelf of a store near you.

Doritos have come a long way since they debuted their first flavored tortilla chips in 1967. The first flavor was Taco. Then, along came the classic Nacho Cheese flavor in 1972 (via Maxim). These were the only two flavors available during Doritos' early years, but after they introduced Cool Ranch in 1986, they realized they were onto something and started producing new flavors. Since then, they've released over 170 types and flavors (via Taquitos).

Blazin' Buffalo & Ranch Doritos were first released in 2006 and briefly returned in 2011. Then, they were spotted on the shelves again in 2017 (via Impulsive Buy). Their most recent reappearance in 2022 is a part of Doritos' Solid Black Initiative. Two thousand limited-edition bags featured original artwork by Mz. Icar, an art collective whose members are mostly Black women. Blazin' Buffalo & Ranch chips in these special bags were available only briefly online (via Yahoo!).

If you weren't lucky enough to grab one, you may still be able to find this flavor at Sam's Club. Blazin' Buffalo & Ranch is a Sam's Club Exclusive Doritos flavor for a limited time. Of course, there's a chance they're already gone since we couldn't find them on Sam's website in September 2022. Doritos brings this flavor back every five to six years, so you may have to wait until 2027 or 2028 to find them again if they're completely out of stock.

Pepsi Blue also made a comeback from the 2000s. We first saw the electric blue soda on shelves from 2002 to 2004. It returned in 2021 for a limited time (via Tasting Table). Interestingly, there have been rumors of it returning again in 2022. So, its first comeback likely was successful.

Pepsi hinted at Pepsi Blue's return in June 2022 with a tweet saying, "Fashion trends come and go, but Pepsi blue will ALWAYS be in style." On the same day, Pepsi replied to a customer on Twitter to say it was selling Pepsi Blue only as a limited-time offer. What a tease! Or perhaps it was a marketing ploy to determine how many people would be interested in a reboot.

Pepsi targeted its early version of Pepsi Blue at pre-teens and young teens. One said at the time, "It tastes like a Crayola but not as good," which isn't the most glowing review the drink could have received. Another called it "disgusting" and said that it tasted "profoundly artificial" with a "weird tingle to it" (via Mental Floss). Still, there were plenty of people who found the 2021 version delicious (via Reddit).

Pepsi Blue disappeared from shelves in 2004, possibly because it contained questionable Blue No. 1 dye. Healthline cites various studies that did not find any evidence that Blue No. 1 caused cancer. So, maybe we can relax our concerns for the next Pepsi Blue comeback.

A fun food from Y2K that is making a comeback is Frosted Grape Pop-Tarts. Back in 2020, Mashed listed Frosted Grape as a Pop-Tart flavor "you'll sadly never get to try again." But we were wrong. They're back! Grape Pop-Tarts first appeared back on shelves in April 2022. Hopefully, they're here to stay.

To herald their return, Pop-Tarts gave a grape-tastic prize to the first 50 fans who tagged and shared a "Frosted Grape look" on Instagram. Fans posted pictures of themselves with purple hair or wearing purple in an attempt to win a prize packet. The winners received a year's supply of Frosted Grape Pop-Tarts and a "Y2Grape Time Capsule" filled with purple Y2K memorabilia like a purple hat, grape lip gloss, butterfly hair clips, and more (via PR News Wire).

When Pop-Tarts first discontinued Frosted Grape, they said they did so because there weren't enough fans. But their scarcity before their demise may have been why they didn't sell as many, as one customer noted (via Twitter). However, plenty of people consider Frosted Grape Pop-Tarts their favorite, so it seems that the fans won on this one (via Influenster).

Kellogg's Eggo Cereal made cereal lovers happy with two flavors when it was introduced in 2006: Cinnamon Toast and Maple Syrup. Fans were saddened when these cereals disappeared in 2012. Interestingly, a tweet in 2019 led the way for the return of this breakfast great. The tweet pleaded with Eggo to start making its cereal again. Eggo responded on National Waffle Day, saying that it would bring the cereal back if the post could get 10,000 retweets. Amazingly, it did. National Waffle Day was on August 24, and by November, the Twitter user became a hero of Eggo-cereal lovers everywhere when the cereal returned to store shelves.

Not only did Eggo start producing the newly named Maple Flavored Homestyle cereal, but it added Blueberry Waffle and Chocolate Waffle to its cereal repertoire as well (via Mashed). That's quite a task in such a short time. Some fans from the 2000s were amazed by how close to the original the comeback cereal was, while others weren't nearly impressed with the flavor, saying that the milk washed it away too quickly (via Reddit).

In 2021, some people were worried that Eggo Cereal had gone away again, but it only seemed to be a temporary shortage (via Reddit). As far as we know, Kellogg's has no intention of taking it off the shelves again so soon.

Pizza Hut's P'Zone is an example of a relaunch gone wrong. Pizza Hut first put P'Zones on its menu in 2002 and launched them with a Super Bowl ad. They briefly resurfaced in 2007 and again in 2011 (via Mashed). However, when Pizza Hut tried to bring P'Zones back in 2018, fans said that the new version was "almost nothing like the original" and that "Pizza Hut should be embarrassed by this P'Zone" (via Reddit). Pizza Hut launched them once more in 2019 with a NCAA partnership and a social media campaign proclaiming that "A Legend Returns."

Pizza Hut tried to bring P'Zones back again in 2021, but they didn't sell well. One employee said they only sold 10-15 per week, and several customers noted that Pizza Hut should have advertised their P'Zones better (via Reddit). After all, people tend to buy their old standbys when they order pizza and may not look at the extended menu.

Once again, some said the latest P'Zones were nothing like the originals. A customer on Reddit said that the previous version seemed fresh with parmesan and oregano sprinkled on top, while the new ones are flavorless with parmesan baked into the dough.

P'Zones were nowhere to be found on the menu in the fall of 2022. Hopefully, when Pizza Hut tries to resurrect them again (as they seem fond of doing), they'll use the old recipe and get it right.

Another food from the 2000s that returned in 2022 was Neapolitan Oreos. They were last seen on shelves in 2011 (via Elite Daily). Fans were happy when Twitter predicted their reappearance in June 2022. They were on the shelves as a limited-edition item by July 2022 (via Instagram).

Neapolitan Oreos are waffle-cone-flavored cookies triple-stuffed with vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate creme fillings, making them a much-sought-after treat. Chew Boom said that they would be around only while supplies last, which means you may not be able to find them anymore if they're already sold out in your area.

Some people thought they tasted exactly like "ice cream in a cookie" (via Influenster). However, not everyone likes them, which may be why they were limited edition. One person on Reddit said, "The waffle cookies are really bad and do not taste like an Oreo cookie. It almost had a cinnamon taste to it, which combines with the strawberry flavor into a weird mix that almost tastes more like cinnamon apple. Would have been much better on normal golden Oreos."

If you didn't catch these when they were available in a store near you, keep looking. They're bound to pop up again eventually.