Ding Dong, Hostess Brands is dead

Another snack-cake sized piece of my childhood died today.

As has now been widely reported, Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, and my personal favorite, Hostess CupCakes, is closed. Shut down (ultimately*) by a Bakers Union strike.

And while I have never been a fan of Twinkies, and I cannot recall the last time I had a Hostess snack cake, the thought of never again experiencing the pleasure of scraping the hard chocolate coating off of a Yodel with my teeth before unrolling it, then licking up the creamy filling, and finally partaking in the moist chocolate cake, makes me incredibly sad.

And no, I am not confusing Drake's cakes with Hostess snack cakes. As it turns out, unbeknownst to me until now, the company that is now called Hostess Brands acquired Drake's and several other bakeries in the mid-1990s. So it is not only Twinkies, CupCakes, and other Hostess Brands that are affected but also Drake's and a half dozen other brands (including Wonder Bread) that are ceasing operations. Though Hostess Brands is looking for buyers for many of its iconic brands.

And even though I know these sugary treats are bad for you, there is a little kid inside me that hopes Yodels (and maybe some of the other brands) survives.

So, what was your favorite Hostess snack or Drake's cake growing up? Let me know via the Comments.


*Hostess Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2012, the second time the company had done so.

UPDATE: IT'S TWINKIE MADNESS! ABC News is reporting that at least one New York City supermarket sold out of Twinkies by midday today and that boxes of Twinkies are being sold on eBay for $100.