Kellogg's thought they were revolutionizing the grab-and-go breakfast market when they unveiled their Breakfast Mates in 1998, but not so surprisingly, the general public was less than thrilled with the idea of pouring pre-packaged, shelf-stable, room-temperature milk into their breakfast cereal. Flops happen, even to time-tested brand-name food corporations.
In the mid-2000s, Doritos took a break from manufacturing new flavors of their classic chips and instead introduced a product that took the chips themselves in a new direction - 3D Doritos. The air-filled Doritos came in several flavors and was marketed using a sexy advertising campaign, but ultimately, the brand pulled the chips off the shelves just a few years after their launch.
When Hershey's began marketing Swoops in 2003 the product seemed like a sure hit - the slices of milk chocolate were shaped like Pringles and melted in your mouth, and they even came in a variety of flavors from Almond Joy to Peppermint Pattie - but for whatever reason the product never caught on. Some have suggested that consumers thought they were chocolate-dipped chips and were turned off by that. Swoops became history in 2006.
The story goes that in the early '90s, when Ivory rebranded their classic white bar soap and introduced the clear bottled version, PepsiCo was so inspired that they decided to manufacture a clear, caffeine-free version of their iconic soft-drink. The company released the product in select test markets in 1992 and received an overwhelmingly positive response. However, when they released Crystal Pepsi nationwide, the response was surprisingly dismal. They discontinued the product one year later.
Colgate - Colgate Kitchen Entrees For reasons that have never been fully explained, Colgate, the brand most famously known for its toothpaste, briefly launched a line of frozen dinners called Colgate Kitchen Entrees. However, the general public could not get past the association of the brand with Colgate toothpaste and the products were quickly pulled from production.
Taco Bell - Frito Burrito This product seems like a good one in theory - a chili and cheese burrito stuffed with Frito chips for an added crunch. Perhaps Taco Bell was ahead of its time during the era of the Frito Burrito, considering the success of their recently launched Doritos Locos Tacos. Maybe they'll consider reintroducing the product, though, now that the general public is more open to experiencing chips in their Taco Bell dishes.
McDonald's - The Hula Burger In 1962, McDonald's founder Ray Kroc debuted a new meatless sandwich that he hoped would appeal to the chain's Lent-observing patrons. The resulting Hula Burger replaced the classic McDonald's patty with a slice of grilled pineapple topped with melted cheese - not surprisingly, the general public did not approve of the fruity, cheesy combination and McDonald's quickly discontinued the product.
Life Saver's - Life Saver's Soda The popular hard candy company decided to create sodas based on the five flavors of the candy. The response from the public was that the carbonated beverage tasted like liquid candy, which was less than pleasant for most people.
In the 1960s, Jell-O was not only popular as a sweet dessert, but many home cooks were using it in savory salads and molds as well. In response to the growing trend, Jell-O introduced a savory line of gelatin - available in celery, Italian seasoning, tomato, and mixed vegetable flavors. Unfortunately, the novel product line was just a bit too out-there for the general public's palate and Jell-O quickly discontinued it.
