The 1980s are back, at least in the marketing campaigns of several companies, USA Today reports. "It??s a return to a simpler world," said Shiv Singh, who leads PepsiCo??s digital division. "There??s a massive teen trend around simplicity and authenticity."

Earlier this year, Walt Disney remade the 1980s-era movie TRON, and candy makers have been trolling for inspiration in the past for years. But now snack food and beverages are finding it pays to be retro.

"You??d think it's a step back, but it's really a leap forward," said Peter Madden, a branding consultant. He thinks the trend will continue, as consumers older than age 40 love to reminisce about their past and Generation Ys and tweens label retro hip.

Frito-Lay is betting consumers hungry for the past will gobble up its Doritos Taco Flavor Tortilla Chips in an eighties package design. A test run of the retro chips around the beginning of February sold out fast. The taco flavor will be hitting stores permanently in mid-April.

PepsiCo will make its Pepsi and Mountain Dew throwback versions a part of its permanent lineup. The versions are made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Even the Pepsi can, with its red, white and blue colors, hearkens back to the 1980s.