’90s Lunchbox Staple: Lunchables

Was there anything more fun than pulling Lunchables out in the cafeteria in elementary school? You got to build up a stack of meats and cheeses on top of a cracker, or maybe you loved the cold pizza, which was really just a different sort of cracker, some sauce, and more cheese and meat. No matter what type of Lunchable you had, you were likely the envy of any kid who had a brown paper bag with another peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Let’s all agree on one thing, though: Lunchables were (and are) not, you know, good. The idea for the Lunchable began in the mid to late ‘80s when Oscar Mayer’s traditional bologna sales were waning. They needed to come up with a solution that was a bit livelier and more exciting than your traditional meat-in-a-plastic-container situation. And thus, they eventually thought up the Lunchable, which included the meat, but also some other accoutrements to make it more of a meal, all packaged in a plastic container that looked similar to a frozen TV dinner. Here’s one of the first commercials:

Originally, Lunchables were conceived as a quick lunch solution for working adults, but when Oscar Mayer discovered how much kids enjoyed them, their marketing efforts took a swift turn and targeted those hard-to-please kiddos. Lunchables debuted in Seattle in 1988, and then hit the nationwide market by storm in 1989 with over $200 million in sales in the first 12 months of release. Soon enough, there were all kinds of different Lunchables varieties available, from the aforementioned pizza, to tacos, burgers, and hot dogs.

Of course, Lunchables has not been without some controversy, particularly with regards to its nutritional value. In 1994, a pediatrician called them a nutritional disaster, and in 1997 they came under fire again when it was revealed their Ham and Swiss meal contained 1,780 mcg of sodium, which is 47% of the recommended daily allowance for an adult. Lunchables has tried to address these concerns over the years by introducing healthier options, but in the end they’ve mostly stuck to their tried and true tactics as those healthy options haven’t performed as well.

Considering Lunchables still make up around 84% of the market share for kids’ “combination lunches” (at least as of 2018), it’s pretty clear that even as more nutritious food is the norm today, parents sometimes need a salty, fatty, easy lunch in a plastic package to appease a tantrum-prone child. Seriously, though, the best thing about Lunchables when you’re a kid is that you get to create a towering masterpiece of cracker/meat/cheese. Was there anything more fun? In the ’90s, Lunchables even featured multiple varieties of meats and cheeses in each pack to mix and stack. These days? You get just one type of meat and cheese per Lunchable, like just Ham and Cheddar, or Turkey and American. Damn. Today’s kids are missing out.

Want to relive the Lunchables fun of yore? Check out the below commercial introducing Pizza Lunchables in the mid-90s featuring Alex D. Linz of Home Alone 3 fame, along with bonus cameos from Brenda Strong and Lindsay Lohan as tiny humans.

Were you a Lunchables fan? Have you tried them again recently? Let us know in the comments!

Some different names considered for Lunchables included: On-Trays, Crackerwiches, Snackables, and Fun Mealz.
In 2017, Kraft Heinz, the parent manufacturer of Lunchables, sold $1.36 billion of the lunchtime meal, which was up over 19% over a 3 year period.
Though Kraft Heinz and Oscar Mayer have stood by Lunchables and its indulgent-ness through the years, they did discontinue a varietal called Maxed Out which had up to 9 grams of saturated fat (almost the entirely daily recommended amount for a child), up to two-thirds of the maximum for sodium, and 65 grams (over ¼ cup!!) of sugar.
Lunchables has branched out with an “Around the World” variant, with options including Mexican Style Chicken Tacos, Asian Style BBQ Chicken, and Italian Style Chicken.
Lunchables have also expanded into the breakfast market, with a sub-brand called Lunchables Brunchables, which include the following options: Bacon and Cheese, Breakfast Ham and Cheese, and Breakfast Sausage and Cheese, which all come with a mini blueberry muffin in addition to the typical cracker, meat, and cheese.

Some different names considered for Lunchables included: On-Trays, Crackerwiches, Snackables, and Fun Mealz.
In 2017, Kraft Heinz, the parent manufacturer of Lunchables, sold $1.36 billion of the lunchtime meal, which was up over 19% over a 3 year period.
Though Kraft Heinz and Oscar Mayer have stood by Lunchables and its indulgent-ness through the years, they did discontinue a varietal called Maxed Out which had up to 9 grams of saturated fat (almost the entirely daily recommended amount for a child), up to two-thirds of the maximum for sodium, and 65 grams (over ¼ cup!!) of sugar.
Lunchables has branched out with an “Around the World” variant, with options including Mexican Style Chicken Tacos, Asian Style BBQ Chicken, and Italian Style Chicken.
Lunchables have also expanded into the breakfast market, with a sub-brand called Lunchables Brunchables, which include the following options: Bacon and Cheese, Breakfast Ham and Cheese, and Breakfast Sausage and Cheese, which all come with a mini blueberry muffin in addition to the typical cracker, meat, and cheese.