Growing up, nothing was better than to be treated to an individually wrapped Twinkie, Ding-Dong, or Hostess Cake in your lunchbox. When I’d open my Star Wars lunchbox, I’d hope for some Hostess product staring back at me like a foil wrapped Ding-Dong. Now, Hostess is ending. Is it wrong to mourn a snack food? I’ve done it before…There is tons of “extinct” candy and junk food I wish I could go back and eat.
As a geek (and a pudgy one), Hostess was a nice constant, and all around as a kid. When I was young, Twinkie the Kid, King Ding-Dong, Happy Ho-Ho, Fruit Pie the Magician, and Captain Cupcake were recognizable. This was so smart for marketing, because just like Snap, Crackle, and Pop, Tony the Tiger, and my personal childhood favorite Tusk the Elephant (for Cocoa Krispies) were recognizable to kids who couldn’t even read.
If you read Marvel or DC Comics in the ’70s and early ’80s (or just the back issues), almost every issue featured Spider-Man, Superman, or Batman showering villains with delicious Hostess products. Hostess was a taste so good it could even stop crime!!! Even Archie and the gang at Riverdale and Josie and the Pussycats rocked out to Hostess.
Ok, I realize it is stupid to write about losing a snack food, but with Hostess shutting down and as of now no plans to continue production of their iconic foods (yep even the ultra-fluffy stick to the roof of your mouth Wonder Bread is going away), it might be the last time you get to eat a Twinkie, get to the delicious cream filling of a Ding Dong, or taste the nice flaky chocolate of a Ho-Ho (those Swiss Rolls just aren’t the same). Even Weird Al Yankovic has to be mourning his last Twinkie Wiener Sandwich (see UHF)…Will “Tell him about the Twinkie” from Ghostbusters even be relevant to the next generation? Another childhood memory is passing and bow your head for Twinkie as he rides by.
