Bill Cosby's JELL-O Pudding Pops

General Foods Kraft JELL-O Pudding Pops vs. Popsicle Kraft JELL-O Pudding Pops

Back in the early 1980s, JELL-O Pudding Pops were the perfect treat. For whatever reason, these "frozen pudding on a stick" treats somehow fooled Mom into thinking they were healthier than ice pops.

Kraft / General Foods JELL-O Pudding Pops came in a variety of flavors including chocolate, vanilla and fruity gelatin flavors. Every time I reached for one, I could hear Bill Cosby's voice in my head reaffirming their goodness. Did you know he was a JELL-O spokesperson for 30 years?

You may recall a mysterious fifteen or twenty year absence of JELL-O Pudding Pops. Here one day. Gone the next. Around 2004, Popsicle brand began marketing and selling JELL-O Pudding Pops--if you ask me, they're nothing like the original. Why?

1. Original JELL-O Pudding Pops were larger in size.
2. The flavor was more pudding than the trademark Popsicle brand Fudgsicle-like taste.
3. Sounds crazy, but I recall the original wooden sticks to have a sandpaper-like substance (super healthy, I'm sure) which kept the Pudding Pop from easily slipping off the stick. I sorta liked the way that sandpaper additive felt on my tongue - I was a sick kid, I know.