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Classic snacks make a comeback after decades off the shelves

Published: 04 Aug. 2025, 16:07 Updated: 04 Aug. 2025, 17:55

Lotte Wellfood's Daerong Daerong ice cream, relaunched in June after 15 years. [LOTTE WELLFOOD]

Korean food companies are digging into the past — and it’s paying off.

Driven by nostalgia and rising cost pressures, brands are reviving discontinued snacks and drinks, some after decades off the shelves. Industry experts say it’s part retro craze, part survival strategy in an uncertain economy.

“This year has seen an unusually large wave of nostalgic food products,” a food industry source said Monday.

Lotte Wellfood recently brought back "Daerong Daerong," a sherbet treat from the 1980s and '90s that came in a fruit-shaped plastic container. The product, launched in 1987 by Lotte Samkang and discontinued in 2010, returned with the same flavor and packaging.

The company also reintroduced “Cheetos Chester Kung,” a snack shaped like the paw of its cheetah mascot, which had been off the shelves for 30 years. Since its relaunch in May, around 800,000 units of the 55-gram product have been sold.

Nongshim brought back “Nongshim Ramyeon,” first released in 1975 but discontinued in 1990, marking a return after 35 years.

Lotte Wellfood's Cheetos Chester Kung relaunched after 30 years. [LOTTE WELLFOOD]

Nongshim Ramen returns after 35 years. [NONGSHIM]

Nongshim's B29 snack returns after 13 years. [NONGSHIM]

Cleopatra potato chips relaunched after more than 20 years [NONGSHIM]

“The recipe was not preserved, so we had to recreate the taste from memory and replicate the original packaging,” a Nongshim spokesperson said. The brand is also using a black-and-white commercial from 50 years ago, known for the slogan “Older brother first, younger brother second.” Since its relaunch in January, about 14 million units have been sold.

To mark its 60th anniversary, Nongshim also revived the curry-flavored snack “B29,” launched in 1981, after 13 years of absence, and “Cleopatra,” a potato chip first released in 1980, after more than 20 years. Orion brought back the strawberry flavor of the snack “Choco Boy” and the chewy candy “Beatles” after three years and one year, respectively.

Other relaunches include Seoul Milk’s “Minos Banana Milk,” returning after 13 years, and Maeil Dairy’s nectarine drink, “Picnic Peach,” back after a nine-year hiatus.

Orion’s Strawberry Choco Boy returns to the market. [ORION]

Orion’s Beatles chewy candy returns to store shelves. [ORION]

The industry believes these nostalgic products appeal to older consumers' memories while sparking curiosity among younger buyers. According to an August 2024 survey by Embrain Trend Monitor of 1,000 men and women aged 13 to 59 years nationwide, 68.3 percent of respondents said that they wanted to try products with vintage packaging.

The trend is also being driven by direct consumer demand. Lotte Wellfood received over 200 requests in the past two years to bring back Cheetos Chester Kung. Meanwhile, Daerong Daerong saw a spike in requests on social media whenever it appeared in period dramas set in the 1980s or '90s.

An online community was even formed to demand the return of Nongshim’s “B29.” Baskin-Robbins’ “Love Struck Strawberry” was reintroduced just months after it was discontinued due to overwhelming consumer requests. Orion said it moved up the relaunch of “Beatles” from the second half of the year to February in response to customer demand.

SPC's Love Struck Strawberry, bottom right, recently relaunched by Baskin-Robbins [SPC]

Relaunching products is an effective way for food companies to build customer loyalty. When relaunches are based on consumer requests, demand is more predictable, lowering the risk of market failure. Companies can also reduce costs across product development, manufacturing and marketing.

“A product that customers are actively asking for is practically a guaranteed hit,” one industry insider said. “Nostalgia-driven launches have become a key marketing strategy.”

However, Cho Chun-han, a professor at Gyeonggi University of Science and Technology and head of its distribution research institute, cautioned that the strategy may have its limits.

“While nostalgia marketing can drive short-term success, changing consumer tastes mean it may not lead to long-term popularity,” he said. “The food industry must continue investing in new product development.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LIM SUN-YOUNG [[email protected]]