Fizzie Memories

Before there were Pop Rocks, before there were Zotz, there were Fizzies.

Explosively effervescent, these frothy, flavored drink tablets were a favorite of my brothers and me when we were growing up. We always drank ours dissolved in water, but there were others, braver than we, who popped them into their mouths. It was fabulous theater.

Then, for some mysterious reason, Fizzies disappeared from our preteen universe. Something about cyclamates and potential health problems.

Well . . . they’re back! This time, without the cyclamates and powered by Nutrasweet rather than by sucaryl, Fizzies are being marketed by Premiere Innovations in Santa Monica. And they still have the same overpowering saccharine sweetness, even without the saccharin. (A little too sweet was the consensus of the grown-ups in the Times Test Kitchen.)

But these new Fizzies just aren’t the same. Somehow when I tasted them, that sense of excitement from the old days was missing. Maybe the cyclamates were the main attraction after all. Or maybe you just can’t go home again.

But then, adults are not the target market. Fizzies are, you know, for kids.