There’s something to be said for nostalgia, it’s very human to be attached to familiar situations, place and things that have become out of reach. As diverse as the human experience is, there are still some elements that make us realize that we are in one way or another, living the same lives. That being said, we as Nigerians share a collective memory of some epic throwbacks from our childhood, like the awesomeness of the old Cartoon Network, and Indomie adverts. And so, I’m going to be employing ever-present nostalgia to play on your feelings today. Here is a ranking of my favourite childhood snacks.

• Goody-goody

 The utter goodness of this, I can never forget. The red wrapper, with gold lines close to the edges and the exquisiteness of the caramel inside it. It was extremely chewy like self-respecting caramel is and absolutely delicious. Remember the line in the middle when you open it? Well, I do. That’s how much of an impression goody-goody made on me. A perfect snack. And that’s a lot coming from me because caramel is not one of my favourite things.

Tobi’s ranking: 9/10- ranking close to the actual love of my life.

• Baba Dudu

The sight of this always takes me back to when I used to come home from primary school, looking at links of baba dudu hanging from the shutters of the resident mallam’s kiosk. Part of the excitement was knowing that my mom would kill me if she saw what I was spending money for food on but what are kids without a little rebellion, right? 

Baba Dudu is literally caramel, made from coconut milk, cream and sugar cooked together. It comes in links- like sausages,  wrapped in transparent nylon and is really cheap, and so it was a perfect way to spend lunch money on something I actually liked. I don’t enjoy caramel much though, and so after three or four of these, I start to feel nauseous. 

Tobi’s ranking: Baba Dudu is solid 8 on this scale.

• Cadbury’s Eclairs

Who remembers that ad that was a constant on Saturday mornings with the lady at the end saying “So go get yours, now!”? I loved that advert and I love(d) Eclairs even more. The caramel was the exact same taste as that of goody-goody and then the best part was the spurt of chocolate in the middle. Eclairs is perfection.

Tobi’s ranking: Another 8.

• Ptit

Ptit appealed to the immense sweet tooth that all children have. It was condensed milk, in a sachet and was ridiculously sweet, now that I think about it. But as a child, I definitely enjoyed the cloying goodness of this.

Tobi’s ranking: This ranks a 7 on the scale, just because it’s milk.

• Nestle’s Chocomilo

These were little cubes of chocolate that used to come in these brown and green striped wrappers and were like jawbreakers, they were impossible to chew. You just had to roll it around in your mouth as it melts and disappears completely. It made a long-lasting snack that way but then it disappeared off the shelves for a long time. When it came back, it had lost that jawbreaking quality that made it so great, it can be grounded to powder and gone in less than two seconds. 

Tobi’s ranking: A 6, only recommended if you’re interested in visiting the emergency room for a broken jaw.

• Speedy(and friends)

Remember those Yale biscuits that had unconventional flavours and came in very colourful packs? Pepper snacks(I liked this one a lot), Fishly, Coconut Cookies, Milkmaid and of course Speedy. Lol, I remember swallowing one ball of speedy because I thought it was tiny enough to go down without being chewed. I was wrong. It was a favourite of many of us (I speak for myself and my friends.)

Tobi’s ranking: Ranks a 5, just because they were such fun flavours.

• Sisi pelebe

Made from groundnut and usually on the same tray as baba dudu, this is another epic snack from way back. I recently found these again in Ikeja and oh, the absolute joy! 

Tobi’s ranking: I get tired of the flavour easily after two or three so this ranks 4/10.

• Chokki chokki

These were chocolate-filled straws, and always made me so excited whenever I saw them (I’m always excited whenever I see chocolate). This was also really cheap and could be hidden very well due to its size. 

Tobi’s ranking: I’m ranking this 3 just because of this inefficient design, half of the chocolate remains stuck in the straw when you’re done.

• Nutri C

I recently learned that some of you used to snort Nutri-C when you were kids and honestly I have been looking at the world quite differently since then. The most I used to do was lick it, just to get that tangy flavour that was always diluted by water. Kinda miss that. 

Tobi’s ranking: Nutri C is a solid 2 because of that almost painful, artificial flavour.

Did I miss any of your favourite childhood snacks? Share with us in the comments!