The Sugar-Filled Peanut Butter Spread From The '70s Everyone Forgot About

Back in 1974, Kraft introduced a peanut butter product, Koogle, that sent the kids of America into a sugar-induced frenzy. Now, if you have never heard of it, don't worry, you are not alone! This peanut butter "spread" was loved for a hot minute, especially by those seeking a sweeter, wackier alternative to the traditional peanut butter jars that lined the shelves. But somewhere between the gluttonous '70s and today's health-conscious world, Koogle faded into food history. 

Koogle wasn't quite peanut butter in the strictest sense. It was a flavored spread masquerading as peanut butter. You can think of it as the love child of Nutella and peanut butter. Sure, it had peanuts, but it also came loaded with artificial flavors like chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and banana. Imagine taking a spoonful of peanut butter and throwing in a shot of sugar — more than a shot, actually, it was practically a whole bottle. Koogle was peanut butter on steroids, with every flavor coming in a sugar rush that would make even your dentist wince. But that's what made it so irresistible.

Koogle was marketed as the ultimate snack, versatile enough to spread on toast, dollop onto ice cream, or — here's a fun one — melt it down and pour it over cakes. You could even dip fruits like bananas or berries into Koogle and freeze them for later, similar to the hundred odd other ways people freeze peanut butter for fun. Because who doesn't love peanut butter popsicles?

Koogle had a mascot: a googly-eyed, gruff-voiced character called the Koogle Nut, whose sole purpose seemed to be hyping up the sweet madness inside the jar. You could hardly turn on the TV without seeing that nut boogie down in a commercial, reminding us all how not sticky Koogle was compared to regular peanut butter. Because, apparently, that was a selling point.

Despite the hype, Koogle's sugary reign was short-lived. Health concerns started gaining traction and parents became increasingly wary of high-sugar foods marketed toward kids. By the late '70s, it had practically disappeared from the shelves. Critics slammed the product for being too sugary and too artificial, especially since Koogle didn't even meet the minimum peanut content required for peanut butter by the FDA. Koogle was declared a sugar bomb and the public's fascination with it slowly fizzled out. Subsequently, declining sales, growing competition, and shifting consumer tastes also contributed to its quiet discontinuation. And as quickly as it came, it was gone — not just from store shelves, but from public memory. Unlike other nostalgic food items that get revived or referenced in pop culture, Koogle didn't make it into the meme-ified canon of retro foods. It vanished so thoroughly that even many foodies and peanut butter fans today have never heard of it.

If you never had the pleasure of tasting Koogle, you might think it sounds weird or gross. But there's something about the absurdity of it all — the idea of turning peanut butter into a sugary, over-the-top spread — that just feels so ... retro. Maybe it's time for a Koogle revival, after all. Considering how peanut butter has evolved over the years — you never know what might pop up next.