The Discontinued Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pies '90s Kids Miss
Back in the 1980s, Hostess sold a line of pudding pies. Though the brand's fruit pies — with flavors including apple and cherry — live on and are sold in grocery stores today, the pudding varieties sadly left shelves in 1987. A few years later, the vanilla variety returned, but with a pop culture rebranding.
In 1991, the vanilla pies were called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pies, and they featured a vibrant green-colored deep-fried crust on the exterior coated with icing. The inside was filled with vanilla pudding. The outer packaging featured four different designs, featuring one for each of the fictional crime-fighting turtles.
Unfortunately for fans of the treats, the pies were discontinued the same year that they were released since they were only ever meant to be a limited release. Though the existence of the treats may have been brief, that hasn't stopped fans of the pies from talking about them, hoping for a comeback someday. Those who grew up and enjoyed the pies while they were available still reminisce about the flavor of the sweets, as evidenced by various online discussions about the pies.
Some are still hoping for a return of the pies
One devoted fan even created an Instagram account dedicated to the pies back in 2017, campaigning for the return of the sweet treats. The social media page shares the history of the pies, and shows off plenty of merchandise and promotional materials that were used in stores. An active Change.org petition currently has over 2,000 signatures from fans of the pies requesting their return.
Some artists have even paid homage to the pies through artwork, stickers, and pins to commemorate the early '90s treats. The pies even made an appearance in a 2023 episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
But the treat itself wasn't the only draw for fans. Some packages of the pies came with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-themed sticker inside the wrapper, while others included trading cards as a promotion for the release of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II" in 1991. Customers could also send in "pudding points" from the wrappers in exchange for various themed pieces of merchandise: t-shirts, decoder cards featuring Morse code messages, battle signal clickers, and a turtle shell-shaped belt buckle.
There were several different snack options
The pudding pies weren't the only turtle-themed treats available when they were released, however. With the popularity of the 1990 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie release and the franchise in general, there was no shortage of green and turtle-themed snacks available at retailers at the time.
Customers could also indulge in goodies from other brands, including pizza-flavored "Crunchabungas": a nod to the fictional turtles' favorite food and catchphrase. Fruit-flavored gelatin desserts, cereal, and turtle-shaped canned pasta with miniature meatballs were also sold, all featuring the cartoon turtle branding.
While these pies aren't available to purchase anymore, and it doesn't seem that Hostess has any plans to revive the bright green treats, copycat recipes do exist on the internet, so you may be able to bake up a batch of nostalgia in your own kitchen. Check out this recipe for fried apple hand pies — you could try to swap in some pudding in place of the apple filling. And who knows — maybe the pies will hit shelves again someday, so long as new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies keep releasing.