I may sound like I’m getting old, but everything these days is bad and there used to be better stuff. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. Or, to be more precise, maybe that’s completely false. But there were some tasty snacks that just aren’t around anymore. Sometimes we get lucky and the internet campaigns and petitions pay off with a dead snack being reintroduced. But more often than not, they stay dead. Let’s hope we can munch on some PB Crisps again one day. That’s right, Planters PB Crisps. What happened to PB Crisps? Why were PB Crisps discontinued? Can you still buy PB Crisps? Let’s get into it.
What happened to PB Crisps?
Way back in the snack-happy 1990s, Planters released PB Crisps. This was kind of a big deal for them since they’d been strictly a peanut company for so long. Planters started selling peanuts in 1906 and didn’t even introduce any other nuts until they started selling cashews in 1985. So, it was with much fanfare that Planters introduced PB Crisps in 1992.
Planters PB Crisps came onto the scene complete with their own animated commercial and a catchy jingle. So, what were PB Crisps? PB Crisps were a graham cracker cookie, shaped like a peanut shell, and filled with a peanut butter creme. They also had a chocolate version and strawberry jelly variety. Then, not that long after their debut, Planters began to phase out PB Crisps in 1995. After a few years, you couldn’t find them anymore. PB Crisp fans united to form social media groups, websites, and petitions. But PB Crisps never reappeared.
Why were PB Crisps discontinued?
When you search for PB Crisps online these days, you can find all sorts of fond recollections by people who seem to desperately want the return of their favorite snack. Why would Planters discontinue them? It turns out that all the people talking about how much they miss PB Crisps probably were not actually buying very many PB Crisps. Planters shared their version of the story in a 2017 Twitter post, back when X was Twitter, explaining that PB Crisps were discontinued because they weren’t very popular and did not sell well.
The brand tweeted or X’ed or whatever: “We appreciate the love for PB Crisps, unfortunately, there was not enough consumer demand for us to continue producing it.”
There you have it, PB Crisp fans. PB Crisps were discontinued because of you. You failed them. It’s just like the band Cinderella used to sing on those greatest power ballads of the ‘90s infomercials: Don’t Know What You Got (Til It’s Gone).
Can you still buy PB Crisps?
This is a bit of a tricky question. Well, I guess it’s not actually that tricky. Can you buy newly made, fresh PB Crisps? No. Can you buy some ultra-stale, old PB Crisps from an online auction site for a lot of money because you’re some kind of vintage snack collecting weirdo? Yes.
PB Crisps are no longer made and sold by Planters, but there are some old unopened packs still floating around out there. I probably wouldn’t recommend eating one if you get one. If you just have to try one, Skippy has their own, somewhat similar PB Bites. They even have a graham cracker version that gets pretty close to tasting like a PB Crisp. I personally just eat graham crackers and peanut butter together and call it a day.
