Do you remember the days when we would sneak snacks into classrooms, hiding them under our tables to eat during lessons? Or hang out at our favourite canteen spot with our best friends, munching on snacks bought with our weekly allowance? Even though inflation has hit and our beloved Polar Snacks are no longer sold in canteens for just 10 cents, the memories these snacks gave us will never be forgotten.
Today, these gems can still be found in some stores—if you know where to look! Read on to take a trip down memory lane with our favourite childhood must-haves!
1. Seaweed Rings
Photo credit: SG Houten website
Categorising this alongside our beloved Polar Snack, the seaweed ring is a tough competitor when it comes to deciding what to eat for recess. Throwing back to the days when our toughest decision was choosing which snack to buy—whether to indulge in seaweed rings, Polar Snacks, or both (for those with extra pocket money)! Although seaweed rings are harder to find now, local brands like Singapore Houten still create these childhood delicacies for anyone who wishes to savour a taste of nostalgia.
2. Kuih Piring (Crispy Wafer Biscuit)
Photo credit: House of Tau Sar Piah website
Your childhood was a sweet one if you grew up with this delight! It melts in your mouth, and the snack is so indulgent that our parents would often give us just one, leaving us craving more. If you had a sibling, your first food rivalry might have been over this treat, as you fought over which colour to eat—even though they all pretty much tasted the same.
3. Colourful Gem Biscuit
Photo credit: Kracker King website
This needs no introduction as it is one of the most iconic local childhood snacks, and it’s still popular today! Shoutout to all the real ones who would eat the biscuit first before enjoying the icing gem as a kid! Not only was this addictive as a child, but it remains just as addictive now, even as adults indulging in it occasionally. We finally understood why our parents rationed our snack intake, especially with gems like this! Let’s not forget, they also made this in the shape of a hamburger, which is equally addictive, and harder to find now! After all these years, we’re just glad that local manufacturers haven’t stopped producing these delicious snacks! Continue reading to find out where you can buy these biscuits and satisfy your sweet cravings!
4. Ice Pops
Photo credit: .𝔁𝓼𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝔁. on Shopee and Walls Ice Cream website
When the school bell rings and a whole bunch of students dash across the street to the nearest neighbourhood MAMA shop, you know exactly what we’d be buying—Ice Pops! Despite the variety of flavours that match the colours, the popular choice will always be purple! With the sweltering heat in Singapore, these affordable thirst-quenchers are our go-to, and we all love them!
Aside from this, other honourable mentions include Wall's Twister and, of course, Paddle Pop! If you’re from a neighborhood school, you’d also hear a familiar bell ringing, signaling the famous ice cream uncle parking outside the gates. Offering $1 ice cream wrapped in bread or a wafer, these little ice gems brought so many memories and so much satisfaction to our younger selves!
5. Seasoned Seaweed
Photo credit: Blenta.OS on Shopee
It’s impossible not to have tried Singaporean's favourite Japanese seasoned seaweed, before the Korean laver took over by storm! This seaweed was in every goodie bag we received as children, and we had to gently separate the packaging, or it would rip into the next pack! Buying this as a child felt like receiving a huge package, as it often came in large packs with never-ending rolls of seaweed. Sharing them with your classmates was part of the joy! It was like our local version of “opening a pack of gum!”
6. Apollo Wafer Biscuit
Photo credit: Shopee Supermarket and Chaifong23 on Shopee
This was iconic in our childhood! It also appeared in many goodie bags or as a treat from our teachers during Children’s Day. This snack mainly comes in two flavours—chocolate and strawberry. Eating this as an adult made me realise that, even though the filling is minimal, it still brought us so much joy as children. It remains one of the best travel snacks, especially when we were out on a school excursion.
Another wafer biscuit that comes close to Apollo is also called the Apollo Wafer Chocolate Biscuit. However, this biscuit is completely coated in chocolate and wrapped in its notable striking red wrapper. It is one of the best snacks one can indulge in, especially after an exhausting, brain-draining day at school or tuition.
7. Ring Pop
Photo credit: ringpopofficial on Instagram and Push Pop Store on Amazon
Your first proposal was probably made with a Ring Pop! Whether it was to your childhood crush or your best friend, it was always proposal season whenever we wore a Ring Pop! Needless to say, the proposal ended once the sweet was consumed. Even though it’s harder to find these days, we’re still thankful that some local merchants continue to sell them!
Another close contender to our favorite Ring Pop would be Push Pop! This is for all the little girls who have now grown up. It was like our very first lipstick, where we would smear the candy all over our lips before licking it off—gross! But it brought us so much glee and made us feel like grown-ups. The little pleasures from these sweets were astonishing, even to this day as we look back.
8. Dahfa Dried Fish
Photo credit: Teong Heng Trading website
Dahfa Dried Fish was the kind of snack our parents would buy for us. It often tasted a little fishy but was still somehow fragrant and addictive. To make it more fun, many of us probably stuck two dried fish strips on both corners of our mouths, pretending to be a catfish before munching them up like a rabbit. This was also a great sharing snack that we often chewed on while studying or during excursions!
There are still many other iconic childhood snacks that may have been forgotten over time, but I’m sure the contentment they brought will never be forgotten. As far as millennials and zillennials remember, these are a few of the precious, timeless snacks that shaped our childhood. So, the question is: where can we still find these precious gems in Singapore?
While some can be found at FairPrice in commercial packaging, we believe that eating them scooped out from the traditional metal tin containers or digging our arms into tall plastic containers to choose the right flavour is what truly brings back the nostalgia of childhood. Luckily for us, some stores still serve their snacks this way!
1. Teck Leong Lee Kee
Photo credit: Teck Leong Pte Ltd website
Located in Ang Mo Kio, this store still carries many of our childhood favourite snacks that will definitely bring back a flood of memories when you see them. Items like baby bottle candy and ear biscuits in metal tins are just a few of the nostalgic treats this store continues to offer. If you're a parent reading this, bring your little ones to try all the snacks you grew up with—this legacy can only continue if the next generation enjoys these snacks as much as we do! Just a gentle reminder to check out their website or call their hotline before heading down, as they are a wholesaler and not a retail store, after all!
2. Biscuit King
Photo credit: Trip Advisor website
Hidden near Upper Thomson on Casurina Road is a little store called Biscuit King. As the name suggests, you'll find all your favourite biscuits, including Colourful Gems, all pre-packed for your convenience! Furthermore, if you're hosting a party and want your guests to enjoy these snacks, Biscuit King also caters to events! Simply head down to their store to find out more!
3. SnacKING Retro Biscuits
Photo credit: snackingretrobiscuits on Instagram
A popular chain found in many neighbourhood shopping malls, such as Jurong Point, Northpoint, Pasir Ris Mall, and many more! SnacKING Retro Biscuits doesn’t just sell all your favourite snacks in convenient packaging; it also offers our childhood toys, like paper balls, chapteh, Old Maid card game, and other nostalgic items! Visiting these stores feels like heading to our school bookshop to spend that extra cash on cheap thrills. Definitely worth a visit!
Relive these memories by taking a trip down memory lane to these stores or treating a friend to these long-forgotten snack gems! Also, let's continue to support these local stores so that their legacy and our childhood will not die. Moreover, bringing these snacks to parties or gatherings will always bring a smile to everyone and keep the conversation going when everyone starts sharing their fondest memories. We hope you'll find joy in enjoying these snacks again!