For children of the 90s, lunchtime wasn't just a place where a kid got to take a break from the classroom and meet up with their friends. Rather, it was a place of great debate, of surprises, and, sometimes, of equally-great disappointments. What, exactly, do we mean by this? The snacks, of course!
School lunches in the 90s might have differed slightly across the US but one thing is for sure: There was not a single lunchroom that didn't have at least one child pulling one of these out of their lunchboxes. Snacks were a quintessential part of cafeteria time and if a person didn't have at least one of these, lunch suddenly turned into a very long - and very boring - hour. These weren't the healthiest snacks (okay, they weren't healthy at all) but then again, with so much running to do on the field, who had time for anything healthy? If the cafeteria could serve pizza and tacos, then there was no reason as to why Dunkaroos couldn't count as lunch, with a side of Go-Gurt... that was healthy, right?
Dunkaroos
One of the holy grails of lunchtime eating, Dunkaroos were basically a staple at the lunch table. They were the snack that no kid would share, ever, and they were the one thing that everyone wanted. There was no greater way to get sugar into one's system than by sucking down these mini cookies and the accompanying frosting, and an entire generation of 90s kids was incredibly happy when it was announced that Costco was bringing these bad boys back in some form or another.
Fruit Roll-Ups
Another sickeningly sweet snack, Fruit Roll-Ups could actually be shared with another friend... but at a cost. These were great for bartering because they could be ripped into equal pieces. Or, they could be unraveled like a roll of loose toilet paper and eaten in a matter of 30 seconds, because some kids couldn't help but act like monsters at the lunch table. In short, they seemed healthy, because fruit, but they were just an excuse for a kid to get a crazy sugar rush before class let out.
Gushers
There was something so satisfying about one of these popping mid-chew. However, there was also something messy about them, especially if a kid happened to laugh or attempt speaking while said Gusher was still in their mouth. The problem was that even for kids, the packages were always too small and the Gushers, never enough to be satisfying.
Go-Gurt
A bit of a healthier twist on lunch, Go-Gurt was created as a way to make sure that kids actually ate their yogurt, but it could quickly go wrong as some of us discovered that squeezing too hard could result in some messy business... And smelling like yogurt for the rest of the day. The real MVPs were the parents who froze their kid's Go-Gurts before putting them in the lunchboxes because by the time lunch rolled around, they were still mostly frozen and hella cold.
Lunchables
The reigning king of the lunch table were Lunchables and the best ones were undoubtedly the pizza kits. Although these resembled nothing of an actual pizza, they were still delicious in an elementary-school type of way. They also sometimes came with a miniature dessert which, of course, was eaten before anything else was. For lesser Lunchables such as the ham and cheese, it was likely not much of it was eaten... but it was traded and divided among the tables.
Kool-Aid Bursts
Talk about a rush of sugar. Kool-Aid Bursts were straight from the devil's hands as far as teachers were concerned. These drinks were straight liquid sugar and did nothing nutrition-wise, but definitely gave kids a major boost in hyperactivity. Don't get us wrong, they were delicious... But they were definitely dangerous in the hands of a child who didn't need any more energy for the day.
Shark Bites
The little chewy gems were something that was highly touted at the lunch table. Shark Bites were shaped like actual sharks except for some reason, these gummy candies were far more delicious than any others. They were flavored like fruits and tasted far superior to other 90s gummy candies, although we'll never fully admit it.
Cosmic Brownies
The true dessert of all lunchtime desserts were the Cosmic Brownies. These squares of heaven were basically like pieces of soft fudge that were never fully cooked, and they were loved. with the perfect ratio of candy ball sprinkles to chocolate frosting, there was nothing like finding one of these delights in a person's lunchbox.