Pudding is, to put it simply, awesome.
Not the British breaded kind. I mean the good ol’ American creamy version. Especially banana pudding (for the record, I would like to be buried in it).
And whoever invented the idea to freeze some on the end of a stick was a genius.
I’m talking, of course, about Jell-O Pudding Pops—one of the greatest contributions ever made to mankind. I’ve tried describing this treasured childhood memory to my own kids, and the best I could come up with was "heaven-on-a-stick" and "frozen-delightful-ecstasy." But that seemed to sell it a little short. Aside from providing an enchanting cold snack, there was variety… Chocolate, vanilla, chocolate-vanilla swirl, and if you were lucky enough to find it, banana. Because banana pudding is the best.
This was back in the days when Bill Cosby ruled TV with his sitcom, Fat Albert cartoon, and Picture Pages along with his Pudding Pop commercials, before things turned south with Ghost Dad. And then really, horribly, terribly south. That time has melted away like a Pudding Pop in the Florida summer (or fall and spring) sunshine, all distant memories. It’s simply not around anymore. Just like Pudding Pops themselves.
I’m not sure when they disappeared from the marketplace, but it seems like it was around the time I started buying groceries for myself. I couldn’t find them anywhere. Adulting is hard. Several years later, you used to be able to find something called Pudding Pops up until recently, but it wasn’t the same. They weren’t paddle-shaped, the texture was different, the taste slightly off, and the quantity smaller. Plus, no banana flavor—which was the best.
Much like the recent Magnum P.I. and Ghostbusters reboots—and really, much of what’s resurrected from the 80s—they were fine, enjoyable enough, just nowhere near as good as the original. It rarely ever is, with few exceptions.
As we circle the sun more and more, we all long for some kind of Rosebud, things which we can never experience again. Sometimes, a trip down memory lane is a joy ride. But nostalgia can also have a bitter taste, making us feel old by echoing the sentiments of grandparents who used to say, “They don’t make 'em like they used to.”
Especially when they don’t make ‘em at all any more.
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