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ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ — Pour one out for Choco Taco.
The beloved Klondike product, packaged ice cream in a taco-shaped cone, has been discontinued.
"Over the past 2 years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide," a Klondike Brand representative told CNN Business in an email, adding "we know this may be very disappointing."
You could possibly still find Choco Tacos around as sellers run through their inventory, the representative said.
During the pandemic, it became common for companies to slim down their portfolios to help meet demand for their most popular items. But even less popular products have devoted fans who are upset by the decisions.
"Choco Taco has fallen," one Twitter user declared. "They always take the best things away from us," another mused. Others berated Klondike for the decision.
The Choco Taco was born in the early 1980s, according to a 2016 article in Eater. At first it was available mostly through ice cream trucks. Eventually, Unilever, which now owns Klondike, began to distribute the product more widely.
Ice cream in a waffle cone with toppings is not all that innovative. But ice cream in a taco shell — that was a game changer, according to inventor Alan Drazen.
"When you eat a sugar cone, you generally eat the nuts, chocolate, and ice cream on the top," Drazen told Eater. "With the Choco Taco you're getting the ice cream, cone, nuts, and chocolate with just about every bite."
For many, the Choco Taco conjures long-ago memories of biting into a cold, sweet treat on a hot summer's day. Others may have more recent memories, especially because Taco Bell — which used to sell the product years ago — brought it back to some stores for a limited time earlier this year.
Not all hope is lost, however. Some notable fans are already trying to figure out ways to resurrect the Choco Taco.
"I'd like to buy the rights to your Choco Taco and keep it from melting away from future generations' childhoods," Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian tweeted at Unilever, Klondike's parent company. Patrick Shriver responded that he'd "go in on this."
