Bagel Bites – Handy, Simple, and Delicious Childhood Snacks

In the 1990s, little pizza bagels sometimes referred to as “Bagel Bites,” were a popular after-school snack. Cartoon ad breaks in the morning and afternoon featured the gratingly catchy theme music. If you were young or a parent of small children at the time, the jingle is probably still playing in your head.

If you are a 90s kid, then this article about pizza bagels will definitely bring back sweet childhood memories. Below, we will explore some interesting information and the history of Bagel bites. 

History

Unexpectedly, there is some debate regarding who really created the first bagel bites. The pizza bagel, according to the sources, was created in 1973 or 1974 at a Western Bagel store. In 1974, California stores started serving pizza bagels on a regular basis. On the East Coast, Harry Katz, the then-owner of Katz Bagel Bakery in Massachusetts, is credited with creating the first pizza bagel in the early 1970s.

Kraft Heinz sells frozen pizza bagel treats under the name “Bagel Bites.” Although it’s possible we’ll never know who created and sold the first pizza bagel, a trend was started. Bagel Bites were created by Stanley Garczynski and Bob Mosher in the middle of the 1980s using specially produced miniature bagels. The Florida couple sold the business a few years after the brand became an immediate hit. They sold the company to John Labatt Co., a well-known food manufacturer. 

After purchasing the business in 1991, Heinz, the proprietor of Ore-Ida, the brand name on the Bagel Bites box, introduced it to the nation’s supermarkets. Since the 1990s, the company has released a number of fresh varieties, including a breakfast kind with bacon, egg, and cheese. The business removed the item from Canadian store shelves in 2022. However, it wasn’t explained why.

Over 30 days, 1.24 percent of US families consume five packs or more of Bagel Bites, according to a survey of more than 28,000 homes that was carried out between February 2014 and March 2015. There is no information on when they were consumed, whether it was in the morning, evening, or at supper.

Logo

Variations

Just like on regular pizza, cheese, and other toppings are placed on top of the small bagels. Six types of bagel bites are offered: cheese and pepperoni, three cheese, cheese, sausage, and pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, supreme, cheesy garlic bread, and extreme nachos. Bagel Bites are available in counts of 9, 18, 24, 40, and 72. They feature no high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors, as well as 7 grams of protein and 0 grams of trans fat per serving. Southwest Florida is where Bagel Bites are made.

In addition, this snack company produces Breakfast Bagel Bites, which are mini-bagels with breakfast toppings. These come in bacon and cheese, bacon egg and cheese, and bacon sausage and cheese varieties. Either a microwave or an oven is used in the preparation of Bagel Bites.

Pizza bagels are one of the items the company sells, but they are not the only ones. Did you know that the company has also expanded into producing miniature hot dogs? To make Bagel Dogs, bagel dough is wrapped around little Oscar Mayer franks like pigs in a blanket, cooked, and then frozen. They may now be heated up, dipped in ketchup, and enjoyed. 

Advertisement Campaigns

Bagel Bites Theme Song

Bagel bites have a theme song, which is pretty catchy for a reason. The 1957 song Sugartime, written by Charlie Phillips and Odis Echols and sung by the McGuire Sisters, served as the inspiration for the Bagel Bites advertisement that became such a childhood earworm. There was a controversy regarding the originality of Bagel Bites’ theme song. Regardless of how the company came up with the idea, we all have to admit that the final product is rather catchy.

Tony Hawk and Bagel Bites

Although Bagel Bites presents itself as the teen snack meal of choice in its advertising, that wasn’t its first goal. In fact, parents were the target audience for the brand’s initial promotion in the 1980s. It didn’t decide to change its direction and sell to preteen boys until the turn of the twenty-first century. 

This change turned out to be a huge success for the company. Thanks to skateboarder Tony Hawk, the accomplishment was achieved. Hawk was considered cool at the time, a pioneer in alternative sports, and a hero to many young Americans. 

He participated in a well-known radio media tour, promoting the snacks and raising their cool factor for the new target demographic for the company. The campaign significantly increased consumption and transformed the brand image of Bagel Bites from a healthy snack to a hip after-school snack.

Campaign Against Totino’s

Advertising for Bagel Bites isn’t all fun and games. Bagel Bites launched a smear campaign against Totino’s pizza rolls in the early 2000s, departing from the tone of its earlier advertising efforts. The advertisement contrasted the two items, suggesting that whereas Totino’s used a replacement for mozzarella cheese, Bagel Bites used actual mozzarella cheese. “Which would you gift your children?” asked the advertisement. and it seemed that the answer was unambiguous.

Bagel Bites and Totino’s pizza rolls cannot be considered wholesome, unprocessed snacks. While Bagel Bites cheese does indeed have fewer ingredients than Totino’s pizza rolls, the ingredient list for the pizza-topped bagels is lengthy too. Perhaps it wasn’t a smart idea for Bagel Bites to promote the healthiness of its product as a selling point.

Legal Battles Of Bagel Bites

In May 2021, a lawsuit was filed against Bagel Bites. The claim was that the cheese in the bagel isn’t “genuine.”

The Kraft Heinz Food Company’s usage of fillers and thickeners was blamed for the phony mozzarella in the case, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. If individuals had realized that the mozzarella had chemicals, the lawsuit said, they would not have bought the snack or not have spent as much. The lawsuit also alleged that the firm intentionally misled customers by labeling the topping “tomato sauce,” which was thickened with cornstarch and cellulose.

Judge Charles Norgle of the Northern District of Illinois granted a request to dismiss the case in favor of Kraft Heinz Food Company. 

Homemade Bagel Bites

Even though bagel bites make you feel nostalgic, you could be dissatisfied if you try to eat one right now. When microwaved in particular, the bread might have a stale flavor and texture, and the sauce can be a touch too salty and thick. The cheese that is there may not melt properly either.

Fortunately, making small pizza bagels at home is simple. Unless you prepare bagel dough yourself and shape it into teeny, tiny bagels, you won’t achieve the same adorable little size, but you will get a better texture and complete control over the ingredients. To prepare your own bagel bites, you’ll need a few essential items. The quality of the ingredients will determine how good the tiny pizza bagels are.

Ingredients

Bagels

The main ingredients for the Bagel Bites are obviously bagels. Grocery bagel brands like Thomas’ do manufacture “micro bagels,” which are smaller than the ones used for Bagel Bites. They are a wonderful basis for small pizzas and are almost double the size of a Bagel Bite, especially when split and lightly toasted before topping. Of course, you can also make bagels from scratch.

Sauce

Too sweet, too salty, and too thick sauces are common problems with frozen pizza items. Use your favorite tomato sauce or pizza sauce to top your small pizza bagels. Add a little sprinkle of dried oregano and a pinch of red pepper flakes if your sauce seems a touch lifeless. For better results, you may even prepare your own pizza sauce.

Cheese

Shredded mozzarella is typically used as a cover for bagel bites. Even though it melts well, if you want an extra taste, try an Italian cheese mixture or just replace approximately 1/4 of the mozzarella with shredded Parmesan. You may also use non-dairy cheese.

Toppings

You may add any toppings you desire because you are building your own tiny pizza bagels. The traditional Bagel Bites come in cheese and pepperoni varieties and are made with thick, tiny pepperoni cubes, which can be hard to locate on the market. Consider adding one thin pepperoni and many small pepperonis, or go out of the norm and add cooked sausage or bacon to each. Leave off the meat and only use cheese for a vegetarian option, or add thinly sliced mushrooms, olives, peppers, or onions on top.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	1 piece (15g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories	50
Calories from Fat	14
Total Fat	1.5g	2%
Saturated Fat	0.4g	2%
Trans Fat	0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat	0.4g
Monounsaturated Fat	0.6g
Cholesterol	0.9mg	0%
Sodium	91mg	4%
Potassium	46mg	1%
Total Carbohydrates	7.7g	3%
Dietary Fiber	0.2g	1%
Sugars	0.6g
Protein	1.3g
Vitamin A		1.6%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		1.5%
Iron		1.5%

• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Pictures

Commercials

Bottom Line

The pizza is fantastic; the same may be said of the bagels. For some reason, though, it wasn’t until the 1980s that brilliant people came up with the idea to combine the two into a single delicacy that may be eaten in the morning, evening, or at dinner. 

Beyond the catchy melody, Bagel Bites became popular because they were so handy and delicious. They simply take a few minutes to heat up after being frozen and don’t need to be defrosted. That is why they managed to get so popular and are loved by adults and kids alike.