6 Things You Can Buy In The US That Made Me So Damn Jealous Growing Up In Canada
Take a trip down memory lane. 🇺🇸 🇨🇦
A person holding an American Girl bag. Right: Smucker's Goober PB&J.
The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
If you grew up in Canada, you know the struggle was all too real when it came to an exciting new toy or snack being released in the U.S. only.
I have lived in Vancouver, B.C. my entire life and this situation happened often. I was constantly feeling jealous of any Americans that could get their hands on these fun items and snacks easily.
From American Girl Dolls to PB&J in a jar, these certain things had a hold on me and honestly, thinking about it now, it's pretty nostalgic.
Here are six American products that I wish were being sold in Canada when I was a kid.
Peanut butter and jelly in a jar
Peanut butter and jelly together in one jar? Yes, please.
Americans had the absolute coolest snacks and growing up in Canada, we were stuck with buying plain old Kraft peanut butter and a separate jelly.
This was just one of the many specialty food items Americans got to have and we didn't.
American Girl Dolls
Who remembers these?!
Although they are kind of creepy to me now, back when I was a kid, these were all the rage. I remember a girl in my class bringing one of these back from vacationing in the U.S. and boy, was I jealous.
Unfortunately, they did not get brought into Canada until many years later, and by then, I was too old to care.
Cherry Coke
Cherry Coca-Cola was like a mythical creature to Canadians. All we knew was regular Coca-Cola products and Americans got all the cool flavours.
Pop just wasn't as cool in Canada, as soda was in America.
Aunty Anne's Pretzels
There was just something about these pretzels at an American mall that had me daydreaming about them forever.
It wasn't often that I got to visit a mall in America, but when I did, you bet I was getting one of these. The smell of freshly baked pretzels would take over an entire food court and I could never resist.
Kendall and Kylie's PacSun Collection
Over the years, Kendall and Kylie have collaborated on a bunch of brands together and most of the time, they were only being sold in the states.
When I was a pre-teen, the Kendall and Kylie collection at PacSun was something I desperately wanted to get my hands on but never could because, well, I lived in Canada!
By the time I was going back to the U.S. for a shopping trip with my parents, I was already over it.
FUNYUNS®
These onion ring-like chips were completely mesmerizing to me and sadly, they could only be purchased in the U.S.
Sure, Canada has ketchup chips, but we always want what we can't have — right? I always wanted to try these unique snacks growing up, but unfortunately, I never did!