We regret to inform you that the Smith’s Snackfood Company has stopped making Toobs. The tangy tomato crisp — a favourite of Lifehacker — will no longer be sold due to a slump in sales. Worst Friday ever.
You may have noticed that bags of Toobs have been conspicuously absent from supermarket shelves in recent months. Unfortunately, it turns out that our worst fears have been realised.
When queried about the snack’s disappearance, Smith’s Consumer Information Centre sent the following reply to a Lifehacker reader who forwarded it on to us:
It is with a heavy heart that we advise Toobs is no longer available. Consumer demand for this tangy, tomatoey treat has declined and it is no longer possible to justify ongoing production. To our loyal Toobs fans out there, sincere thanks for your support.
We’ve investigated the validity of the email exchange and it unfortunately checks out: Toobs are dead.
Invented back in 1954, the Toobs brand has been a staple in supermarkets, convenience stores and pool canteens for several generations. The snack was previously discontinued in the ’90s but returned to shelves in 2006 due to customer demand. Sadly, it appears these customers eventually stopped buying.
Lifehacker’s commercial editor and cosplay/tech celebrity Rae Johnston has indicated her intention to start a Twitter campaign to bring Toobs back.
“I am not okay with this,” Johnston said earlier.
It’s been a bad year for retro snack addicts: back in July, Allen’s announced it would be killing off a range of old school confectionery including Spearmint Leaves — another Lifehacker favourite — Marella Jubes and Green Frogs.
If this is what growing up feels like, book me a return ticket to the womb. I seriously haven’t felt this bad since they pulled Monster Munch in the ’80s. What are they planning to take away next? Cherry Ripe? Violet Crumble? Nothing is safe.
Apparently, it’s still possible to snap up Toobs from select supermarkets but stocks won’t last forever — so get out there and start hoarding now! (I hereby stake my claim on all supermarkets between Circular Quay and Katoomba in NSW — you have been warned.)
Comments
32 responses to “It’s A National Tragedy: Toobs Have Been Discontinued”
NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo !
You know they’ll just take it off the shelves for a few years then out of the blue they’ll start a “back by popular demand” campaign or something to that affect.
Perhaps. But a manufactured Toobs drought is no less painful.
Aww! I haven’t had these in years, which makes me part of the problem I guess. I’M SO SORRY!
Please bring them back (along with those Freers Bacon Crisps, those were awesome).
Toobs suck. Bring back tomato sauce chips.
I still have my Burgermen!
Where can you still get Burgermen? They were awesome!
Toobs AND Spearmint leaves?! But that’s like, almost my entire snack repertoire!
This calls for drastic measures! To the snack mobile!
Just here for the icon love
Smiths Factory in WA is set to close as well.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-30/wa-potato-grower-wade-decampo-shock-smiths-shut-crisp-factory/6817356
Ugh… can we please stop with the punny headlines? ‘crunch time’… I don’t know why but for me I feel like it somehow cheapens the content of the article.
Wait. More importantly. NO MORE SPEARMINT LEAVES? WTF?
Just buy the much better Cheezels.
YES!!
oh god no!
Toobs have taste and not just bland cheese taste…
My little boy will be sad 🙁
#firstworldproblems
It’s a weird phenomenon: people aren’t interested in a product until they are told that said product is going to be discontinued. If people adore Toobs then why are sales so poor? I like them, but it isn’t the end of the world. Just eat one of the other million snacks foods, fatty.
Toobs are Cheezels for plebs
I’ve legitimately never heard of, or seen Toobs before this article. The loss of spearmint leaves leaves a hole in my heart though.
They sell off brand burger rings in Aldi, perhaps they sell off brand toobs as well
Don’t care, good riddance to inferior cheezels, which themselves aren’t that great. Eat REAL chips! Or Twisties if you’re into shitty chips.
Same goes for the various Allens lollies. Gummy treats are crap, and people who put them into mixes instead of hard candy or chocolate are monsters.
Now what will I eat to rip the top of my mouth to Shreds!!!!????
Seriously though, gonna miss them 🙁
Now what the hell am i supposed to eat?
Thanks Smiths.. you have just lost a household as a customer.
Wow, the number of people that compared toobs to cheezels obviously have no idea how different they taste.
This sucks for us, as we live overseas and always stock up every time we visit… or when we’re sent care packs.
If they didn’t change the texture of them from the original Toobs I would have bought more than 1 pack since they came back.. sooo hard and gritty! Was so dissapointed when they stopped them the first time, now meh, they should have just released the orignal smooth texture tubes unlike the grit based new ones.
As for being a Cheezle inferior etc.. different flavour people, is like comparing a Cheese & Onion to Sour Cream & Onion. That being said even Cheezles are heading down the gritty path of doom and a lot of the time major supermarket brands “Cheap” option are smoother and tastier.. though the taste could be because of the MSG 🙂
HA just found a convenience store in Rockdale that sells big bags of ‘no-brand toobs’ – really got me sentimental about ACTUAL toobs this week :{
a national tradegy, fo’ sho
This is as bad as when the original Jalapeno Cheddar 3D Doritos were cancelled, wah wah wah…
I still haven’t recovered from Parkers discontinuing tomato and basil pretzels in the late 2000s. They were the best snack food ever created ;-;
Even more tragic: when Arnotts discontinued nik nax. Or Kettles Herb and Spice chips.
I thought it said boobs.
What about the poor Polly Waffle’s they meet a similar fate.
Like how the old saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got till its gone, just like your virginity which you lost when your dad fucked you, you scumbag
I wuz born in ’54 an I never heard of dem Toobs.