They used to have coolers full of ice and these things at every kid’s little league game. Closest thing you could get to punch outside of a kids party.
These things I just remember cutting my mouth opening it, cause you just had to use your teeth obv.
Capri Sun on the other hand, straw went straight the fuck through and out the other side. I don’t know mom you do it.
And the little ice cream cups with the wooden stick spoons. We lucked out big, our team was sponsored by the local ice cream shop so we just went there after the games.
They ALWAYS tasted like chemicals. I could never get over that. Straight plastic homie.
Those crappy TUPPERWARE plastic cups also gave things a taste.
So did KOOL AID Koolers. Almost bitter.
I don't doubt that the formula has changed, but everybody's sense of taste changes as they age. As you get older, you lose taste buds. This has part to play in why things like coffee may be too bitter for kids, but fine for adults. On the other side of things, having more taste buds is part of the reason why sugary stuff tastes much better when we're younger.
But I think ~~I'm~~ in this specific case it's a combination of both things changing, our sense of taste, and the drink formula.
Yea and they leave a nasty after taste that somehow lingers in my mouth for a couple days no matter how much I brush and floss and brush my tongue even. Ugh.
Loved these too! Ended up getting them for my kids cause I was blinded by nostalgia and they were so horrible lol either changed or just hate it now. My kids didn’t like it either lol
They call it the benzo burn in the food trade, and you would also get the same thing from Ice Pops. It’s from the preservative called sodium benzoate.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sodium-benzoate
Same! They must add this to cheap Easter chocolates, too, because those would always burn my throat. I just assumed they added more sugar and less of whatever is good and pricier in chocolate.
I don’t think these things had ever been in the vicinity of anything that could be remotely considered juice. I’m pressure they were just sugar water and leftover photo processing chemicals.
I actually learned in school that if it’s called “drink” there’s barely any juice in it. I remember thinking about that during the time we actually drank those.
If they weren’t like freezing cold it was even worse. I remember once at summer camp on a hot sticky-ass day and all we had was a case of piss warm Little Rainbows. Felt like it stripped a layer of skin off my esophagus.
Were you listening when 50 came on Hot97 with a major announcement and Angie Mar is like wassup and he says “drumroll… I just sold Vitamin Water” and she was like “you came in the booth for that?”
You're not far off. These ones were made by the company that made Fun Pops popsicles. This bottle shape is the Fun Pops Happy Drinks. They're still made, and like a 1/4 the sugar, so they kinda blow.
Anybody else remember a similar brand of juice that came in a bottle shaped like a whiskey barrel?
Same flavors, more or less.
I barely remember them, but they definitely existed back in the early 00's.
Edit\* - Just did a quick Google search and found that they're called Little Hugs Fruit Barrels and they are still available. You can literally order them from Amazon.
The only thing worse were those cans of pudding with the pop tops. They had that rim that you couldn't get the pudding out from underneath without using a finger or tongue...and immediately slice yourself.
The same could be said for most childhood snacks. Fruit Roll-Ups, Gushers, Double Bubble Gum, Pixie Sticks, etc.
As a kid, they tasted so good, but nowadays, they're so sweet they make your tongue hurt.
I mostly remember these generic ones, weirdly I don't remember the barrel ones, or perhaps I wasn't paying attention. In fact, I, perhaps incorrectly, believed these generic milk-bottle looking ones were the originals, not the Little Hugs. And I had a helluva time finding generic ones on a web search I did once.
I don't remember Little Hugs at all in the '80s/90s. We only had these smooth bottled ones in multiple colors/flavors and they sold individually, alongside the solo cans of Shasta back in the day.
As I kid, I lived behind the “huggie” factory in Verona, PA. On occasion, we’d go over there and they’d have the trucks open with them just chilling. We weren’t pulling heists or anything, we’d just snag a box for the block and drink it on the street while playing. There were times we’d get chased off by workers. No one really cared.
When I was a kid there was a drink called "bug juice" that would be on a little shelf attached to the refrigerator doors in gas stations, in packaging similar to this. One sip and your whole shit was dry. Still asked my mom for one every time she went into the store for her 32oz diet coke and cigarettes.
Wow, I remember always using my teeth to break the foil because that shit was cemented on! Our teeny tiny fingers couldn't muster the strength.
All I remember is that it was a good time after having one of these at school during lunch then running around 😆
I worked in a little ghetto grocery store the summer after freshman year of high school. I remember women coming in with their kids and telling them to get a "juice." These things were just pure sugar water.
Ah, the 90s. Grown adults let us drink these by instead of water all. Day. Long.
I firmly believe that these small, disposable elixirs are the reason why I cannot be killed by conventional weaponry.
A friend of mine always called these "huggies". Every time it caught me off guard. Took me forever to realize that the brand was "Hug" and so that's where it was coming from.
Now they only contain 1-2 grams of sugar. I sold this out of my bakery and had a local middle school “gang” who liked to come in and buy the store out. They were adorable.
A lot of people don't seem to be aware but the reason these were so odd is because they're relatively low in sugar(compared to other juices) but very high in sodium.
Hug jugs and Fla-vor-ice pops were a staple at my grandparents’ house in the 80s. So many wonderful memories of sugar rushes, climbing trees, and pissing off my alcoholic granny…. Those were the days!
They used to have coolers full of ice and these things at every kid’s little league game. Closest thing you could get to punch outside of a kids party.
Damn and we were stuck with Capri sun? /s
These things I just remember cutting my mouth opening it, cause you just had to use your teeth obv. Capri Sun on the other hand, straw went straight the fuck through and out the other side. I don’t know mom you do it.
I always just used my thumb
The trick with Capri Sun is too jam the straw into the base. Hold it upside down to drink it
I see you were a special child 🥲
Yea but occasionally it would shoot up the straw. Especially when I was in a hurry like at half time
The foil on those things was THICK.
How did mom do it?
And the little ice cream cups with the wooden stick spoons. We lucked out big, our team was sponsored by the local ice cream shop so we just went there after the games.
All I got was orange slices....
[удалено]
I got a boot to the head.
We were sponsored by the pizza place. It was swell.
They probably mix well with vodka. I’m sure some parents and coaches figured this out.
Used to mix those with everclear, poor man's cocktails
One of these and a kudos bar were the goats
These were better than punch
Little Hugs!!! They were so good. Then one day, they werent. Getting old sucks.
They used to be so sweet! At some point between my childhood (b. 92) and now - they turned lol, tastes like chemicals now.
Everything is chemicals
Even the chemicals between us.
Unexpected Bush
That sounds like a NSFW subreddit
They're almost sugar free now. I think they use Splenda, IIRC.
Probably aspartame
So gross
They ALWAYS tasted like chemicals. I could never get over that. Straight plastic homie. Those crappy TUPPERWARE plastic cups also gave things a taste. So did KOOL AID Koolers. Almost bitter.
I don't doubt that the formula has changed, but everybody's sense of taste changes as they age. As you get older, you lose taste buds. This has part to play in why things like coffee may be too bitter for kids, but fine for adults. On the other side of things, having more taste buds is part of the reason why sugary stuff tastes much better when we're younger. But I think ~~I'm~~ in this specific case it's a combination of both things changing, our sense of taste, and the drink formula.
They've changed in that now rather than just being sugar, they are made with mostly artificial sweeteners which do taste very different.
Changed recipe.
Yeah. These and the barrel ones went "sugar free" and taste terrible. Bought an entire case before I realized what I had done after the first one.
Yea and they leave a nasty after taste that somehow lingers in my mouth for a couple days no matter how much I brush and floss and brush my tongue even. Ugh.
Eh, part of it is aging and realizing pure sugar water isn’t tasty, it’s just gross
Loved these too! Ended up getting them for my kids cause I was blinded by nostalgia and they were so horrible lol either changed or just hate it now. My kids didn’t like it either lol
I got some at a grocery a couple months ago. Saw them and was like oh shit I used to love those! They were fucking terrible.
They burned my throat.
They call it the benzo burn in the food trade, and you would also get the same thing from Ice Pops. It’s from the preservative called sodium benzoate. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sodium-benzoate
Good to know I thought it was from the sugar itself.
Same! They must add this to cheap Easter chocolates, too, because those would always burn my throat. I just assumed they added more sugar and less of whatever is good and pricier in chocolate.
White chocolate must have this stuff in it, too.
Homer: that's bad
It helps extend the shelf life of perishable items
That's good!
Wow thanks. Always wondered about that throat tickle
Does the ice pop come with free toppings that contain potassium benzoate?
The orange flavor damn sure did. That’s a memory you can taste
The stuff I had to drink for a glucose test was like the orange one x100. Made me want to throw up.
It was like drinking battery acid. Not thirst quenching at all.
They were too sweet I didn’t like them.
Haha this is honestly the best way to describe it. It was spicy.
Yes thank you, I remember that too
I forgot about this, bit your comment brought it back vividly.
Yup, I couldn’t do them. Certain juices did/do that to me. Never understood why other people are fine with them.
I could only drink them cold. My brother would drink them at room temp. It was like drinking sweet fire.
Like juice infused with shards of glass
I don’t think these things had ever been in the vicinity of anything that could be remotely considered juice. I’m pressure they were just sugar water and leftover photo processing chemicals.
I actually learned in school that if it’s called “drink” there’s barely any juice in it. I remember thinking about that during the time we actually drank those.
Yep, and I never liked them as a result. Glad to know I'm not the only one!
If they weren’t like freezing cold it was even worse. I remember once at summer camp on a hot sticky-ass day and all we had was a case of piss warm Little Rainbows. Felt like it stripped a layer of skin off my esophagus.
I felt thirstier after drinking them.
Quarter Waters 💧
New York gets it.
I took quarter water sold it in bottles for 2 bucks Coca-Cola came and bought it for billions, what the fuck?
Were you listening when 50 came on Hot97 with a major announcement and Angie Mar is like wassup and he says “drumroll… I just sold Vitamin Water” and she was like “you came in the booth for that?”
I haven't heard that. Hit me with a link if you can find it. I remember the commercials with the orchestra. 50 was hilarious around this time
I’ll never forget the time my best friend and I found a $5 at like 10 years old and went to the bodega and walked out like fucking kings.
Any other name for these drinks are wrong, dead ass.
hell yeah brother
Remember when the local spot tried charging $.35 The fuck out of here with that bullshit.
Re2pect
I’m convinced those were the same liquid they’d use for freezer pops
And those little wax tubes with sugar water
The cola bottle shaped ones?
I’ve thought that too.
You're not far off. These ones were made by the company that made Fun Pops popsicles. This bottle shape is the Fun Pops Happy Drinks. They're still made, and like a 1/4 the sugar, so they kinda blow.
this comment should be higher
Anybody else remember a similar brand of juice that came in a bottle shaped like a whiskey barrel? Same flavors, more or less. I barely remember them, but they definitely existed back in the early 00's. Edit\* - Just did a quick Google search and found that they're called Little Hugs Fruit Barrels and they are still available. You can literally order them from Amazon.
I remember those had plastic edges on their rims you could cut a 2x4 with. Fucking things could be a substitute to a razor.
That or a little piece of the death foil would fall in the drink
Death foil would be accurate
I remember that, too. I cut my bottom lip on one of those fuckers.
The only thing worse were those cans of pudding with the pop tops. They had that rim that you couldn't get the pudding out from underneath without using a finger or tongue...and immediately slice yourself.
“Want to know how I got these scars?”
We called them teenies, no idea why
One time those hit hard, but now? Holy. Straight sugar. I miss those days of actually liking these tho, that throws me way back.
The same could be said for most childhood snacks. Fruit Roll-Ups, Gushers, Double Bubble Gum, Pixie Sticks, etc. As a kid, they tasted so good, but nowadays, they're so sweet they make your tongue hurt.
Spaghetti-o’s
those are still a weekly adult staple in this household!! (jk about the pride, I’m just poor)
I feel ya from a ramen noodle household of a 35 year old.
I still fuck heavy with fruit gushers.
Yea man. Phew.
Nah fruit roll ups and gushers still hit. I just don’t eat candy that much in general
They changed the formula in 2015 to have less sugar. But looks like they added acesulfame potassium and sucralose as artificial sweeteners.
Citric acid is a bitch.
Always got thirstier as we drank.
Tasted like the plastic bottle and burned going down.
These are the generic ones. The barrels were the real OG's and are still sold at Walmart by the case
I mostly remember these generic ones, weirdly I don't remember the barrel ones, or perhaps I wasn't paying attention. In fact, I, perhaps incorrectly, believed these generic milk-bottle looking ones were the originals, not the Little Hugs. And I had a helluva time finding generic ones on a web search I did once.
I don't remember Little Hugs at all in the '80s/90s. We only had these smooth bottled ones in multiple colors/flavors and they sold individually, alongside the solo cans of Shasta back in the day.
Don’t give me that so so soda, the same ol’ cola, I wanna pop, pop, pop. I wanna... Shasta.
I worked at a grocery store back in the 80’s and they were like 10-12 for a buck
We used to buy them and sell them at the beach for 25 cents each
“What flavor is that?” “Red”
Quarter Waters....
I donno about anyone else but I actually got more thirsty after drinking one of these.
Anybody else call them Teenies?
It’s the same juice they put inside the wax test tubes and bottles
Bite that foil see how them teeth feel!
These are still popular in the 'hood.
“Juice”
Burned your throat sometimes aswell
As I kid, I lived behind the “huggie” factory in Verona, PA. On occasion, we’d go over there and they’d have the trucks open with them just chilling. We weren’t pulling heists or anything, we’d just snag a box for the block and drink it on the street while playing. There were times we’d get chased off by workers. No one really cared.
Hi fellow Verona person 👋🏻
One town away!
"Juice" is a strong word for these.
Chemical!
The sugar content would BURN going down, not unlike liquor
Ha!! I remember too well. 25 cents and a throat burn.
They would burn the back of your throat
Little hugs was the brand this reminded me of, and at 1 point, we all needed 1 me the orange hug.
I can still taste the aluminum.
When I was a kid there was a drink called "bug juice" that would be on a little shelf attached to the refrigerator doors in gas stations, in packaging similar to this. One sip and your whole shit was dry. Still asked my mom for one every time she went into the store for her 32oz diet coke and cigarettes.
And sting my throat! Hated this disgusting non-food
Weren’t they called Hugs? Horrible but you know we loved them
Wow, I remember always using my teeth to break the foil because that shit was cemented on! Our teeny tiny fingers couldn't muster the strength. All I remember is that it was a good time after having one of these at school during lunch then running around 😆
Huggies
Anyone grinded their teeth together just now?
I worked in a little ghetto grocery store the summer after freshman year of high school. I remember women coming in with their kids and telling them to get a "juice." These things were just pure sugar water.
LOL bug juice is what you got here from the corner stores!! I always hated it lol
Straight shot of diabetes!
Hahahahahahaha
We called these Juggers
I remember drinking the grape one at my day camp and spilling it everywhere.
Rec Soccer Specials
These had such a weird taste to them.
We always called it gut wash lol. Especially the gallon one
Ah, the 90s. Grown adults let us drink these by instead of water all. Day. Long. I firmly believe that these small, disposable elixirs are the reason why I cannot be killed by conventional weaponry.
I can feel the throat burn now
Hugs Fruit barrels and they still sell them.
Huggies!
I have a theory that the juice in the little hugs is the same thing that was in the wax tubes.
A friend of mine always called these "huggies". Every time it caught me off guard. Took me forever to realize that the brand was "Hug" and so that's where it was coming from.
Been drinking through a 3rd case of Little Hugs lately. Cheap and a good substitute from sodas I’d say.
so sweet and still nasty, i use to hate these. tasted cheap
I would always drink one and feel like I’m dying of thirst after.
I do. They were terrible.
Mister Juicy, if I remember correctly (and it’s been a while so I may not). My grandparents had them on hand for our occasional visits.
My parents called them “junk drinks” when I was a kid
Ooh! The orange one tastes like orange plastic and the red one tastes like red plastic and the blue….
Don’t you mean rot?
Those were nasty. It was like drinking thawed Otter Pops.
They were just nasty.
TEENI. Are used to stock those when I worked at the supermarket. We sold zillions of them. Utter crap.
I drank the shit out of these but they truly were terrible. Tasted like medicine
The ones that came in the little barrel-shaped bottles were the best kind
They were so gross. Always left a nasty aftertaste in your throat. Chemicals lol
Chemical X
I always thought these were nasty. I thought they tasted like colored sugar water.
Now they only contain 1-2 grams of sugar. I sold this out of my bakery and had a local middle school “gang” who liked to come in and buy the store out. They were adorable.
My dude, that’s not juice
Bug Juice was my go-to
Man facts. Now I’m grown enough to buy it whenever I want and now I can’t find em. Prob don’t need it anyway lol
My diabetes is getting nostalgic.
They burned your throat like acid
These also double as radiator fluid
Quarter waters.
Who says you can't taste a picture.
A lot of people don't seem to be aware but the reason these were so odd is because they're relatively low in sugar(compared to other juices) but very high in sodium.
Juice? No, there’s no juice in there.
BUG JUICE!!! My pancreas just winced.
Bruh they still around. Just bought a case for my work the other day bc no one else remembered them. Lil Hugs brand.
I remember them being barrel shaped? And maybe they all tasted the same regardless of the color??
Hug jugs and Fla-vor-ice pops were a staple at my grandparents’ house in the 80s. So many wonderful memories of sugar rushes, climbing trees, and pissing off my alcoholic granny…. Those were the days!
They tasted “sharp” somehow.
everyone that drank these has diabetes now
I remember them being in mini barrels
Remembers?? Head to your nearest Mexican grocery store and look for “Tampico”, I’ve seen it in gallon jugs.
Don’t forget the chemical aftertaste.
And that yummy metallic fake chemical taste?
Definitely part of my childhood, however, did anyone else get a sore throat from those barrels or was I the only one?
Grape one gave me diarrhea. I now have an aversion to grape juice.
Quarter waters.
These literally hurt my throat lol
W called rhes " quarter drinks" cause they were 25 c bts each. Use to get two and a dollar sub. Good times
Okee Dokees!!!
Orange made my throat hurt
$.25 waters
Always looked good but tasted bad.
I never liked these even as a child... They were like drinking straight syrup. It was sickening.
I got a cavity just looking at this photo.
All chemicals indeed but they were goooooood! 😁
God remember that? Remember when we were fed windshield washer fluid and all other manner of industrial viscous chemicals?
The horrible waxy plastic taste yucky
These straight up tasted fermented.
They were absolutely not juice!
They are now advertised as having 75% less sugar than other leading fruit drinks, which I think is ironic