Twinkies Saved from Extinction

 

Hallelujah and thank the Lord, Hostess Twinkies, those “golden sponge cakes with creamy filling” will survive. I've read not one, but innumerable articles concerning the potential demise of this iconic cellophane-wrapped, long-life lunchbox filler. All you Aussie and Kiwis out there, no snickering. What's it like when Vegemite and Marmite are in short supply, huh?

Devil Dogs, RingDings, Yodels, Hostess Cupcakes, Little Debbies … all these junk food “snack cakes” stand second tier to Twinkies in my book. Granted none of them have any nutritional value, all are super high in sugar, calories, saturated fat and cholesterol, but still Twinkies have been around forever (or 1930, whichever came first). Urban legend has it that the same original Twinkies produced in the 1930's are still available for sale, having an eternal shelf life, but that's been debunked. They're only good for 45 days according to the latest info I could gather. Sometimes they're shipped frozen so retailers can mark their own expiration dates on them. That's very trusting.

So, here's the story in a nutshell. The Hostess Company filed bankruptcy in 2012 when they couldn't come to terms with the baker's union and thus had to stop production and went belly up. Twinkie consumption was down, too. Part of the problem they reckon, is that more people are eating healthy (darn!). They got bought out and the new company doesn't use union labor, so their costs are lower and they're hoping they can make a go of it and junk food junkies will consume more.

Touted as “the sweetest comeback in the history of ever” (man, who's their marketer?), the new Twinkies hit the shelves of WalMart on July 14, a day before the rest of the country. WalMart knows its customers! The new Twinkies are also a little smaller, and therefore have 15 less calories. I think that means you can eat more. I might add that Twinkies are also available in Mexico, manufactured by a subsidiary of Bimbo Bread. That in itself says something, huh?

Here's some Twinkie trivia for you:

According to Hostess, it takes 45 seconds to explode a Twinkie in the microwave. Good info to have.

The original filling flavor was banana.

The “old” shelf life of a Twinkie was considered only 26 days; the “new and improved” (and smaller) Twinkies last 45 days on the shelves.

President Clinton put a package of Twinkies in the national millennium time capsule (2000) as an “object of enduring American symbolism”. Really?

There are 39 ingredients in a Twinkie … including glue, rocks and petroleum.

Born in 1930, the Twinkie is 83 years old this year.