37 Years Ago, Kids' Lunches Received A Serious And Convenient Glow-Up

Anyone who was there can agree that the '80s were a wild time. The hair was big, the tunes were rockin', and McDonald's was still serving the iconic McDLT (which will likely never return). In 1989, America's children got in on one of the decade's history-making cultural milestones when Lunchables hit the market. The convenient, fun-to-construct cracker snacks actually debuted in the Seattle metro area the year before, but that was only a test run. Lunchables scooted into public awareness right under the wire of the Me Decade, and kids' lunches have never been the same.

Sure, Lunchables have taken no small amount of heat for their dubious nutritional status — something they have in common with the unhealthiest breakfast cereals at the grocery store — but you can't deny their impact. In 2017, Kraft sold $1.36 billion in Lunchables, though that number has dropped from about 84 to 60% of the pre-packaged lunch market as of 2024, with competitors like Lunchly and parents' concerns about nutrition coming into play. (There was also the time that Consumer Reports found high levels of lead in Lunchables.)

Still, quite a few grown-ups love Lunchables because the product makes packing school lunches effortless, while kids love putting together cracker sandwiches and tiny pizzas. Back in the '80s, Kraft marketing execs loved Lunchables because bologna sales were declining and the company needed a new way to market deli meats.

Many of the same '80s and '90s kids who grew up with Lunchables unsurprisingly turned to the bougie version — a charcuterie board — as adults. But don't think that, just because Gen Y has more money and influence nowadays, they've turned their backs on Lunchables. "[I'm] a 30 year old Marine Corps vet and nuclear engineer and I love having a lunchable for a lunch snack," one Redditor confessed. "Thats all I just want to put it out there and see if I'm not the only one who is still a child at heart." Almost 1,000 nostalgic replies confirmed that they were, in fact, not the only one. On another Reddit forum, a poster broke things down succinctly: "I'm 34 and I still eat Lunchables sometimes. This seems to intrigue and often gross out other adults [...] they're nice if you're a light eater or watching portion control, and they're kinda fun to put together, too."

Early in the 21st century, first lady Michelle Obama spearheaded a campaign to get kids eating healthier food at home and at school. Obama probably approves of the growing cultural movement towards more mindful eating, with younger generations being more cognizant than ever of nutrition and what they feed their children. The fact that Lunchables remain popular, even in the face of shakier sales and growing awareness about their shortcomings, hints that the product is legendary indeed. Will our grandkids be eating Lunchables? Perhaps, though