If You Grew Up in the 70s and 80s, I Bet You Remember These TV Dinner Brands

I was a kid of the 70s and 80s and, to this day, many of my memories of childhood revolve around food. For example, how many times did you hit up the concession stand at the playground of your elementary school? How many rectangles of school pizza did you eat as a kid? Did your family buy potato chips from the Charles Chips truck?

I guarantee, if you're a proud member of Generation X like I am, that at some point during your childhood you had a TV dinner. My family consumed a lot of them and I was obsessed. While there were endless varieties and combinations, I always had a couple of favorite compartments in mine. I loved the baked apples (there was almost always a dessert compartment) and I loved the mashed potatoes. And, look! I am not sure those mashed potatoes were even real, but I still remember the texture and taste of them. They were THE BEST!

So, where in the heck did TV dinners even come from? Well, rather comically, the idea was born back in 1953 when Swanson discovered they had 260 tons of frozen turkey left after the Thanksgiving holiday. They had to do something with it and that's when the TV dinner was born.

Obviously, Swanson's paved the way for the TV dinner and other companies jumped on board. Honestly, when I was growing up, I had two favorite brands. Naturally, Swanson's was one of them. Here's a fantastic retro commercial.

SWANSON'S

The other brand I loved, because I friggin' loved their chicken, was Banquet. Check out that photo. The potatoes!!

BANQUET

There was another popular brand in the mix too.Though they weren't my favorite, I also occasionally ate a Hungry Man frozen dinner.

If you pop into the 'frozen' section of your local grocery store, you can still find Banquet and Hungry-Man dinners. They are alive and well and convenient. Granted, they have certainly evolved since the 70s and 80s, but the basic premise of the TV dinner remains the same- meat, a side or two, and possibly a dessert.

There's no doubt they bring back memories. Memories like these . . .