7/28/05 | Jello Pudding Pops
[ Currently Eating: Grilled Generic Cheese Toast ]
I don’t usually review snacks and ice cream but seeing how its summer and my brain is about to melt, the other day we picked up some Jello Pudding Pops. Yes, they make them again… though I didn’t even know they went away actually. But apparently there was even online campaigns to bring them back.
I have some good memories of eating Jello Pudding Pops and its also a bit hard to disassociate them with Bill Cosby slurring face. I would try and imitate him here, but… well, let’s not!
So I had actually forgotten that Pudding Pops actually come in 3 “flavors” in the same box and that you don’t get a choice whether or not to have those three flavors. The flavors are Chocolate, Vanilla, and Chocolate Vanilla Swirl. It’s a bit interesting that they don’t make it so you can buy them separately… I’m not sure what the idea is there. Because I certainly dig the Chocolate kind much more than the Vanilla. The “Swirl” flavor is just OK, I suspect because there’s some chocolatey goodness there which is counterbalanced by the vanilla which I don’t like as much. I dunno the vanilla just seems to have too much artificial vanilla taste to it.
So, we all know that Ice Cream ain’t cheap any more. Those days of getting Drumsticks for a quarter from the ice cream man and a Thrifty’s 15 cent ice cream scoop (a triple scoop for 45 cents!) are over. So I wasn’t too surprised that a box of 12 cost over $4.00. Definitely not your Cheapest Eats, but in the realm of ice cream it’s OK. About 35 cents a pop.
No, what shocked me was how much they’ve shrunken in size. The size of a Jello Pudding Pop has gone through an Incredible Shrinking Woman ray or something. They are just slightly larger around than my middle finger and only a little longer than that. You can inhale these things (all BJ jokes aside). At least they do taste the same: frozen pudding on a stick was always one of my favorite things. Some people don’t like the fact that these popsicles are slightly chewy but I dig it.
I notice this shrinkage more and more nowadays, especially with fast food and candy. As prices have gone up, so have the sizes and quantity of product gone down. It’s like getting hit with a double whammy. I have a theory… there is no upper limit on price but there is a bottom limit on size. Somehow, I don’t think they can make hamburgers any smaller (or can they). I think we’ve reached a limit in size shrinkage.
So the only way left to go is increased prices or reduced quality of ingredients. I think there has been an accelerated ramp up in prices for food and it will continue unabated. I am not looking forward to that at all. Until then, enjoy your shrunken but delicious pudding pops. They will soon be made of mud byproducts.
Cheap Eats Score: 5/10
July 28th, 2005 at 1:09 pm
My ice cream maker came with a recipe for chocolate fudgesicle ice cream that tastes exactly like this.
2 packages of instant chocolate pudding (3.4-3.9 oz)
3 cups of lowfat milk
Mix it up, put it in your ice cream maker, following manufacturer’s instructions.
Now, all ice cream makers finish a little soft, and you are supposed to let it ripen (freeze completely) in the freezer. If you want pudding pops, just put these into popsicle molds (or improvise if you don’t have these) for a couple of hours in the freezer, and there you have it. You could probably make 25 of these for $4 this way, if you already have the hardware.
July 28th, 2005 at 2:40 pm
thanks steve, I’ve been meaning to try make my own and I figured it would be cheaper. The one hitch is I don’t own an ice cream maker! Perhaps that’s for the best otherwise our freezer would be filled to the brim with homemade ice cream…
I wonder, if I can just make some pudding and freeze it. Because I have one of those popsicle molds (from the 70s) so I could pour it in…
July 28th, 2005 at 2:54 pm
Man, they’ve totally shrunken. I remember when they were almost twice that size. Burgers get bigger, yet pudding pops get smaller. Bummer.
July 28th, 2005 at 3:11 pm
marvo - yeah I put the ruler there for emphasis. I was going to make a joke about penis vs. popsicle size but I was too depressed that the pudding pops had shrunken so I didn’t… so very, very sad! =(
Burgers have gotten bigger!? I guess you mean the more high end ones… I’ve noticed the “standards” like Filet o Fish and Whoppers shrinking in order to keep the same price of 99 cents. I guess they cannot shrink the 1/4 pounder which worries me even more because that means that what they put in it should get more questionable.
July 28th, 2005 at 4:35 pm
I LOVE PUDDING POPS!
I didn’t know they’d been discontinued and was stupidly going to every grocery store to find them until the internets told me otherwise.
Still, I haven’t been able to find them in the store unless I order online from Von’s. They’re much better than fudgesicles and of course not nearly as bad for you as regular ice cream.
Too bad they won’t just sell you the chocolate ones. Sounds like I’d end up with a full two thirds of the package with flavors I didn’t even want.
July 28th, 2005 at 5:51 pm
cybele - I actually went to Albertson’s the other day specificially to get them and they didn’t have any! I was pissed. They did happen to have it at Ralph’s though. I will eat Fudgesicles over other kind of pops, but the pudding pops are still my favorite.
July 29th, 2005 at 8:36 am
I didn’t think an ice cream could ever convey emotion, but that pudding pop is definitely a sad one.
July 29th, 2005 at 8:47 am
I don’t think you could just freeze pudding and have it be right. You see, the ice cream process is all about making the ice crystals as small as possible - that’s what makes ice cream smooth. So, you either have to flash freeze it using liquid nitrogen (which is probably what the jello folks do), or freeze it while constantly mixing, which is what an ice cream maker does. For regular popsicles, this isn’t an issue - they want those to freeze in one big ice crystal, because they’re a water-based pop. The creamy pops, though (like these, fudgesicles, orange dream bars, you get the idea), have to be frozen carefully and quickly to keep them smooth and creamy.
July 29th, 2005 at 9:25 am
bingsy - oh yes, very very sad.
bottom feeder - I was having this discussion with my wife about trying to make homemade pudding pops. She was thinking just throw it in the freezer, but I was wondering about the ice crystal structure that you were talking about. I have made homemade orange bars before and they are just as you say; one big icicle. So, I guess there is no shortcut here except an ice cream machine!
July 29th, 2005 at 2:42 pm
i guess i’ll have to put Ice Cream Maker on my wishlist for x’mas!
August 31st, 2005 at 6:32 pm
Woe is me. I was a long time regular indulger in pudding pops, one of my all time favorite eats and cried when they stopped selling them. To my amazement I saw a box in the store today and was overcome with joy!!!!!! I am glad I only bought one. These things are NOTHING like the original. They taste nothing, and I mean nothing like them and do not deserve the name of Jello Pudding Pop
I am now overcome with sadness 
August 31st, 2005 at 6:33 pm
PS - the originals did come in chocolate, vanilla OR variety pack which included the swirly ones.
August 31st, 2005 at 8:14 pm
puddingpopper - Hm… I actually thought they tasted OK and certainly better than Fudgsicles nowadays. The thing that bothered me most was the “shrinkage”!
September 2nd, 2005 at 12:33 pm
Skizzom flozzom wooble Zhhello Puddin Pops! Fozzm libble zoink.
September 4th, 2005 at 4:53 pm
I had also wondered what ever happened to the Pudding Pops as I had them all the time. I’m reluctant to track down these new ones after reading they don’t taste the same, however.
Regarding the shrinkage, could it possibly be due to everyone dieting these days? If the original bars were, say, 200+ calories each, perhaps they made them smaller so they could be a 100 calorie snack that is all the rage right now from the Nabisco treats to the pudding cups that Jello sells in the refrigerated section.
September 4th, 2005 at 5:09 pm
nicole - that is interesting about what you said about the calorie count reduction… i still think it is driven some by the equalization of prices due to inflation. Like for hambugers, they are still 99 cents so SOMETHING has to go. So they have to shrink ‘em.
I guess it works out well as far as them pleasing the dieters too because like you said they can say that one bar has less calories now. Not because they made it better, but they made it smaller!
March 12th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
i loved them. cant believe i found comment on them online. its not fair. i want them back.
April 17th, 2006 at 7:03 am
Ever since they closed my local Save Rite Grocery Store (owned by Winn-Dixie), I can’t find them ANYWHERE.
(
June 22nd, 2006 at 11:27 am
A Recipe:
PUDDING POPS
1 (4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup canned evaporated milk
Combine pudding and milk in a large mixer bowl. Beat for two minutes. Stir in sugar and canned milk. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.
July 6th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
i love pudding pops!!! i am so psyched that i found a recipe for them!!!!! THANK YOOOOOOOOU!!!!!!!!
July 6th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
ashlee - i just saw them the other day, maybe try another market?
lil’ mamma, kori - I didn’t know they had a recipe… have you tried it and does it really taste like the actual pudding pop?
July 10th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
Remember Jell-0 gelatin pops?
July 13th, 2006 at 10:44 pm
Maybe I’m crazy but I thought that Jell-O Pudding Pops also came in banana flavor back in the day. Anyone else remember?
October 26th, 2006 at 7:18 am
I can’t find these in any stores where I live in Michigan. I miss them so much. What stores do they sell them in???
December 27th, 2006 at 11:28 am
Buy the already-made Swiss Miss chocolate pudding sevings and freeze them! They’re the best!
December 27th, 2006 at 11:31 am
Jello pudding pops did come in banana! I remember! I loved them! The chocolate were the best but not very good now that they came out again. I like the Swiss Miss pudding the best so if you can find those in banana, freeze those!
December 31st, 2006 at 7:30 pm
If you go to http://www.popsicle.com/products/store_locator.cfm you can type in your zip code along with the item you are looking for (in this case pudding pops) and they will list stores in which they are available in your area. I know I recently moved to TN and they are offered at Food Lions. I am from IN and they aren’t available anywhere there. Oh and BTW they did offer banana… I didn’t like them.
~
December 31st, 2006 at 7:48 pm
Also, they are made by a different company now than they were back in the day. This MAY be why the size is different. … food for thought!
March 12th, 2007 at 12:52 am
Bring back the REAL Pudding Pops!!!! : madashell: Maybe if people complain enough, they’ll listen. Sadly, the new crowd who don’t remember the Pudding Pops that a lot of us remember will probably rave about them thinking they are the best thing since sliced bread. They’re not. Hopefully they’ll realize that they are nothing more than Fudgsicles. Well Popsicles didn’t pull the wool over my eyes. Why IS Popsicle selling it as “Jell-O” if they taste nothing like Jello-O pudding? Like many long time fans of Pudding Pops, I too was jumping for joy when I saw first saw them, and highly pissed after I discovered that they weren’t the same.
March 12th, 2007 at 12:54 am
I’ll try that recipe for homemade pops. I’m SURE they’ll be better than this shit Popsicle is trying to pass off as the original Pudding Pop.
June 18th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Are they still selling Pudding pops or did they stop again? If so, where can I buy them! I used to love those things! MM it would be amazing to try one!
July 26th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
They are still selling them (got mine at Winn-Dixie, $2.99 for 12 IIRC). The big difference is that (besides the smaller size), they no longer seem to form that coat of ice you had to work through to get to the puddin’-ey goodness. Still tasty, but not quite the same.
August 10th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
I love the original pudding pops!!! I have been telling my daughter about them for years. Then, one day in the store I saw the package jello pudding pops! Oh my… i was soooo happy. i bought them and took them home. I had to have one in the car… oh was I ever so disappointed… i got home and my daughter thought they were pretty good. I just said you should have tasted the original ones. Jello pudding pops and gelatin pops were the absolute best treat ever made. i hope they bring the original ones back!
October 6th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
I haven’t thought about Jello pudding pops in what, maybe 10 years? So imagine my surprise (and delight) at Walmart the other night when I was strolling along the freezer aisle, tempting my sweet tooth — and heading for my usual staple of Ben n Jerry’s. Because we’re on a (rather low) budget at this point in our lives, I found $4.50 for a box of 12 “popsicles” a little pricey (especially since my husband will kill the whole box within a day or two) - but some things in life, ya just gotta splurge for! I like that they come in a variety pack … and I don’t think the taste is THAT far off from the way they used to be, at least not according to my memory (I DO remember the icy coating that you had crunch through though and that is not quite the same as the original at ALL.) Taste wasn’t bad though.
And I will also agree that (here I go on my price rampage again) they were TOO SMALL — perfect for my little 2 year old though, who loves pudding, loves popsicles, and found the best of both worlds just like I did when I was a little girl. I couldn’t stop smiling as I watched her little chocolate-covered face frantically trying to keep up with it, melting all over her hands (I was more than happy to “help her out,” though, heh heh).
So I just bid on some popsicle molds from eBay… I am anxious to give some of the above-mentioned recipes a shot, even though other readers have pointed out that the chemistry dynamic may not make the kind of pudding pop that I desire. At least I’ll get more bang for my buck this time around!
Can anyone provide maybe a recipe or 2 for Jello gelatin pops?? I LOVED those too, wish I could find them again!! Can’t remember the flavors in the box (orange and cherry maybe?) - and as with the pudding pops, not sure if it’ll work quite the same … but I would love to give that a try, too, what with my new popsicle molds and all! 
January 19th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
the ones by good humor are NOT the same recipe, they just licensed out the name. i did a quick look at the kraft website and didn’t see the recipe i used, it came from kraft after they quit making the pudding pops. i think it is more like the original than the other recipe listed…
Ingredients: 2 cups cold milk 1 pkg. (4-serving size)
JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
Preparation: POUR cold milk into medium bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 1 minute. Gently stir in whipped topping. SPOON into 5-oz. paper cups. Insert pop stick into each cup for handle. FREEZE 4 hours or overnight until firm. To remove pops from cups, place bottoms of cups under warm running water for 15 seconds. Press firmly on bottoms of cups to release pops. (Do not twist or pull pop sticks.) Store leftover pops in freezer.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:35 am
Didn’t they also have a peanut butter variety pack which included regular chocolate and a chocolate peanut butter swirl? Maybe I’m mistaken and thinking of another product, but I remember my sister and I always fighting over who would get the chocolate peanut butter swirl!
June 6th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Marcy -> You regularly buy Ben & Jerry’s but a $4 box of pudding pops was too much??? I can’t even fathom that.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
My boyfriend and I were looking for these last night at our 2nd grocery store, and we assumed they were discontinued. However, they ARE NOT. I found this site, and found a grocery store that carries them near my house. I ran over there at lunch because I was sooo excited and picked up TWO boxes. They are as delicious as I remember!!!!!
October 11th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I worked at General Foods in Lafayette, Indiana and we put in 4 pudding pop lines many years ago. I was a senior designer so I intimately familiar with them and how they are made. We got the equipment from FMC in, I believe, Lakeland, Florida. They were based on 1950’s technology so we decided to speed them up a bit. Actually allot more than a bit. We got them going so fast (phase 1: Blizten; phase 2, super Blitzen; phase 3, mega Blitzen.) that we had to use liquid nitrogen to freeze the “top” of the pop, where the stick goes, because the pop wasn’t in the calcium chloride brine (-40 deg F) long enough to freeze them all the way thru. Back then they were a true pop, not the miniscule ones that are out now. It’s a shame. They also started injecting super high pressure nitrogen (or air???) into the liquid to keep the size the same but less liquid. Air is free.
Darn. They WERE good but now…
October 11th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
BTW, after reading some more of the posts, when the pops came out of the brine they would spray warm water on the bottom of the molds (to release them) ; then a bar would come down, grab the sticks and then dip the pops in cold water to give them a glaze (so they wouldn’t evaporate so quickly in the grocers’ freezer) and then right into the paper wrapper and then into the box thingy. Where I was all they made were chocolate, vanilla and the combo swirl. We did not make the gelatin pops.