Edible Nostalgia

  Hey everyone! I've decided to part from my typical sixties/seventies-related whatnot today and focus on the late eighties and nineties. Being nearly 16 years of age, I unfortunately wasn't around for most of the nineties. It's something that I take great shame in. Lately I have been fascinated with the idea of products that were once on the market but were taken off, like Ecto Cooler, Crystal Pepsi, and Wonder Ball candy. Some of these things I had the opportunity to try before they were taken off the market, but for most, they remain a thing of the past. So today I decided to post a little about some nostalgic products, and I would really appreciate if some of you would comment on them if you remember them! Woo, you excited? I know I am.

Ecto Cooler from Hi-C, 1987-2001

  Ecto Cooler was a collaboration between the juice (if you even wanna call it that, haha) company Hi-C and the Ghostbusters franchise, who had just created a kid's TV show called The Real Ghostbusters. I was alive in 2001, but I was too young for Hi-C. A bunch of other orangey flavors of Hi-C were created that either supposedly tasted like the original Ecto Cooler flavor, or were the same flavor but with a different name that appealed to younger children as Ghostbusters became outdated. The only flavor of Hi-C that is orange-related whatsoever is called Orange Lavaburst, and many people on the internet have claimed it tastes very similar to Ecto Cooler. Because I've never had the original flavor, I can't compare whether or not it tastes like the original. However, it's delicious, regardless of being Ecto-esque or not. So I really do recommend Orange Lavaburst.

Ecto Cooler Commercial

Crystal Pepsi from Pepsi Co, 1992-1993

  Okay, I am obsessed with Crystal Pepsi. It may be because one of my favorite reviewers is obsessed,

or maybe just the general hype that surrounds it. The story is that the Pepsi company decided to try their hand at a clear soda, which supposedly tasted like the normal Pepsi flavor, but with a slight twist. I've seen many posts online, and every one says that it tastes like Pepsi but with a variation. I've seen citrus, lemon/lime, and even pixie sticks. Of course, I could never tell you, considering I was negative five years old when this product was taken off the market. I've been dying to find some online (they have original unopened bottles on Ebay, but they go for around 100 bucks), but it's hard to find the original. Oh! Back to the story. People generally didn't like the idea of a clear soda that wasn't entirely lemon/lime flavored, and Crystal Pepsi was soon taken off of the market. Initial sales were good ($474 million) but they eventually fell. Coca Cola tried to join in with the clear soda craze with Tab Clear, but that wasn't successful, either. So, Crystal Pepsi was pulled, which is a real shame because it sounds delightful. I've only hear positive reviews of Crystal Pepsi. Maybe someday they'll decide to reprise it.

Crystal Pepsi Commercial

Magic Middles from Keebler, sometime in the 1980s

I can't find the specific dates of when Magic Middles reigned, but they definitely look like kings. Just look at those gooey centers! From Keebler, one of my favorite companies, these shortbread cookies had a variety of yummy centers hidden inside. Chocolate seems the most delicious. And this commercial really sells them too. I was searching the internet for more information on Magic Middles, and look what I saw:

Could it be? Could Magic Middles be back...?! Next time Sam checks her local Walmart, we'll see for sure.

Magic Middles Commercial

Orbitz from Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation, 1997

Orbitz is one of the more obscure products on this list, as its market period lasted from 1997 until... 1997. That's a bit tragic, isn't it? Sometimes joked as edible lava lamps, Orbitz were fruity soda flavors with gelatin blubs floating around in them. Definitely sounds appealing. It's available online in the original bottles if you want to find it, but based on some reviews, it was disgusting in 1997, and it's even more disgusting today.

Orbitz Commercial 

Wonder Ball from Nestlé, discontinued in 1997

Wonder Ball candies where hollow chocolate balls with toys inside. After the toys were found as choking hazards for stupid children who couldn't read that there were freaking toys inside, the candies were discontinued in 1997. However, in 2000, the Wonder Balls came back, with candies inside. These I did have a chance to try, and I remember loving them throughout my childhood. Unfortunately these have been discontinued as well.


Wonder Ball commercial (from the newer ones with candy inside)



What's your favorite nostalgic food or drink? Leave a comment below of your favorites, or if you have any discontinued products you'd like me to check out maybe for a later review. Thank you so much for reading!

With love, Sam xx

A Clockwork Pyscho

  The past few weeks, I've been having trouble keeping in touch with reality. Popping pills, smoking, tripping.. I don't know what is real anymore. I believe I've lost contact with the real world; I'd much prefer daydreaming in my own little world, where everything is happy in my mind. I see things that aren't there, I hear things that didn't sound, I feel false feelings.. I'm a mess, and I love it. I feel like a fluid cloud, bubbling and floating on to distances and realities that aren't there.

  Lately I've been into this early 90's shoegaze band named Slowdive. I'm not typically into them, but their songs "Alison," "Crazy For You," and especially their demo "Summer Daze" fill me with chills of nostalgia for a decade I barely belonged in. Summer Daze is especially haunting, and because I learned it on guitar yesterday, I feel even more freaky. Take a look at some of the songs that've been influencing me in a drug-filled craze this week:

Summer Daze by Slowdive (Demo)
Heroin by the Velvet Underground
Shangri-La by Electric Light Orchestra (The last minute or so of this song is so intense, it gives me chills. It is amazing when you're high!)
Maureen by the Beatles (Demo) (The link is to a video from my Youtube account :)
Vienna by Billy Joel
Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary/Title Music from a Clockwork Orange
In the Room Where You Sleep by Dead Man's Bones (This was in The Conjuring, and I've loved it ever since I saw it. Great movie, I highly recommend it)
Alison by Slowdive
The Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson
Life on Mars? by David Bowie

Lisa Frank: How She Ruined My Life

  Lisa Frank is an American Artist who is well known for those colorful pictures that little girls had in the late 80's and 90's on their lunch-boxes, trapper keepers, notebooks, stickers, and pretty much everything else. They're bright, lively- and super girly. Mila Kunis even used to model for the company! 

   But other than that kind of odd fun fact, Lisa Frank itself is honestly the coolest company ever. Everything is sooo pretty and colorful and happy and fun. Some of the artwork is honestly of the most random things, but the bright colors and elaborate drawings make it a thousand times better. I remember being a wee little third grader and lugging my Lisa Frank puppies and kitties notebook to class, thinking I was the coolest thing ever. And it was! Just take a look at these pictures and tell me they're not amazing. 

This one is from yesterday's post, but it's sooo good-looking, and now I'm craving French Fries. Thanks Lisa Frank!

Lisa Frank is so amazing that even Jesus thinks the stickers are worthy of being near him. 

I don't even understand this but I love it. 

So here's a few songs that remind me of Lisa Frank, enjoy xoxo

1. "We Got the Beat" by the Go-Gos
2. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper
3. "Run the World (Girls)" - Beyoncé
4. "She's a Rainbow" by the Rolling Stones
5. "Wings" by Little Mix

Have a Nostalgic Thanksgiving, Everyone.

  If you're American, Thanksgiving is tomorrow. What I don't get about this ridiculous holiday is that us Americans as explorers and pilgrims stormed into the Native American's land and claimed it as our own without even giving consideration to their beliefs, feelings, or the life they'd already started here. We then took everything over and ordered this feast with the Natives, and now every year we hold our own feasts. It's just another excuse for us fat, lazy Americans to eat even more.
  The problems of obesity in America are extreme, although if no one had brought up this issue to us, we wouldn't have even noticed. People on average are much thicker than in other countries, but us Americans don't notice it. Since everyone is a little chunky, we only see what some may consider "large" as "obese." Yet no one tries anything to stop it.
  The government and other people who claim to be active in the world see no problem in the rapidly increasing amount of fast food businesses around the country. They're fine with the people who consider dinner a package of six Burger King whoppers or eight McDonald's Big Macs. They just want kids to go outside and "be active," something which can't be achieved if they're spending all day waiting in line at Wendy's. They also don't have a problem with Thanksgiving, another stupid American holiday used simply so we can pig out even more.

The stereotypical gender role of a woman being forced to prepare the turkey for dinner still exists today. Wowza!

  I know my previous post was about candy and may seem a little hypocritical, but I simply don't understand why we eat on Thanksgiving. Because our forefathers did it? No, that's just stupid. Every year on Thanksgiving my family piles over to my uncle's house and they all feast on turkey and artificial cranberry sauce. Since I'm the only vegetarian in the family, I mostly sulk in the corner shoving breaded rolls down my throat. It is literally the only healthy vegetarian option they offer, and it isn't even all that healthy. They all make fun of me for it, which I don't understand. I'm making a choice I agree with, so why should they all judge? Yet another one of the pleasures of Thanksgiving with the family.

Thanksgiving c. 1960. Today, the awkward family being forced together for one feast a year tradition still exists. I love how we choose to continue one of the many American traditions of eating.

The face of a happy teen while she thinks of Thanksgiving with the family.

Teens c. 1970 in their fall apparel. It's a shame that nowadays if I wore any of these outfits, I'd get stoned. And not the good kind.

Why can't Thanksgiving be like this? I want ice cream instead of turkey. Bleh.

The Thanksgiving of my dreams: Toast and butter.

Have a Nostalgic Thanksgiving, Everyone. from itsamodmodworld on 8tracks Radio.

Songs about Thanksgiving, thanking, and giving, as well as how us Americans are just plain stupid and hypocritical. All of these songs remind me of Thanksgiving in one way or another, even though they may make no sense to you whatsoever. Enjoy, I guess.

1. Smile Away - Paul McCartney

2. Mother's Little Helper - The Rolling Stones

3. Stay With Me - The Faces

4. Miss O'Dell - George Harrison

5. Autumn Almanac - The Kinks

6. Thank You - Led Zeppelin

7. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - The Beatles

8. Soul Kitchen - The Doors

9. Mr. Tambourine Man - Bob Dylan

10. Let's Live For Today - The Grass Roots