From the beloved Milky Way Crispy Rolls chocolate to the retro Tunis cake, 2025 has seen discontinued sweet treats make long-sought-after comebacks left, right and centre.
Now, axed almost 30 years ago in 1998, one discontinued snack has returned to shelves – and shoppers are being hit with a wave of nostalgia.
Remember Opal Fruits? Today, they’re better known as Starburst, as, after they were pulled in 1998, they were rebranded.
There were a few crucial flavour changes, though, as the lemon and lime flavours were combined into one, and an extra blackcurrant was added.
If you’re missing the original version, Mars Wrigley’s treats have been spotted on shelves in Tesco and B&M. You’ll need to be quick, though, as they’ve only been revived for a limited period.
A Tesco spokesperson confirmed to Metro that the Opal Fruits Original Flavours Limited Edition 138g bag is now available for just 31p. They’re reduced to clear, and available while stocks last.
Over on TikTok, @stoobmaster69 posted their haul from B&M, sharing a snap of a packet priced at £1. They added that they couldn’t ‘believe’ they were back.
@wren43 added that they saw them in the shops last week but were ‘confused’ at their return that they ‘left them.’
In April, Opal Fruits returned for a limited period, giving fans the chance to sample the original strawberry, lemon, orange and lime flavours, which debuted in 1960.
‘The nostalgia trend continues to resonate strongly with consumers, and we are giving them the chance to reconnect with memories from that time,’ Florence McGivern, Skittles’ senior brand manager, said following the launch.
This isn’t the only opportunity Opal Fruits fans have had to reconnect with their lost favourites since their removal in 1998, as they also made a brief, limited comeback in 2021 and 2024.
Sweet aficionados have long been reminiscing on the good old days when Opal Fruits were available on shelves 24/7, with @Defiant-Yellow-2375 penning over on Reddit that it was a ‘genuinely poetic name for a sweet,’ while @Glittery_Sky4612 ‘loved them.’
Others reminisced on the classic slogan that they were ‘made to make your mouth water,’ with @BECKYISHERE reckoning they’re ‘much better than Starburst,’ a sentiment echoed by @Mockingjay1013, who believes that ‘Starburst just aren’t the same.’
There’s been a similar amount of love for the Opal Fruit ice lollies, hailed by @cmwagstaf1 as ‘absolutely elite,’ with a ‘lovely sorbet coating with the flavour of Starbursts.’
This isn’t the only treat to return to shelves of late. First launched in 2003, White Chocolate Maltesers were a fan-favourite before being discontinued in 2014.
Distraught fans spent more than a decade begging for them to return, and in June, Mars Wrigley gave the people what they wanted and resurrected them, answering the prayers of the nation in the process.
And, after Mars admitted that it ‘made a mistake’ and an online petition totalling more than 8,600 signatures, the Milky Way Crispy Rolls made a comeback earlier this year.
A milk chocolate-covered wafer biscuit finger, inside, it’s filled with light whip and has been dubbed ‘god’s gift’ and the ‘best chocolate bar ever’ by doting fans.
The brand also added two new Crispy Roll flavours to the line-up, including Twix Crispy Rolls and Bounty Crispy Rolls.
Which other sweet treats have changed their names?
The good old Opal Fruits aren’t the only piece of confectionery to have undergone a name change. In the 1990s, the Marathon bar was renamed and became the Snickers bar that we all know and love today.
Snickers first launched in the US in 1930, with the sweet treat being named after a horse owned by the Mars family. The bar, which consists of nougat, caramel, and peanuts wrapped in milk chocolate, made its way over to the UK in 1968.
For 22 years, the chocolate treat was known here as the Marathon bar, but in 1990, Mars decided it was time to bring the UK in line with the rest of the global brand.
Last year, Brits were able to get their hands on old-school Marathon bars, with the original name having made a comeback on a limited basis.
Over on Reddit, @Dansredditname reckoned that it tasted better when it was called the Marathon bar, while @-ricci- claimed that it ‘used to have a chewy caramel layer which has been replaced by a vaguely gooey mush.’
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