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| The Hostess Twinkie: 1930-2012? | The Hostess Twinkie: 1930-2012? |
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| If the Mayans have it right, 2012 is the year of the apocalypse. If so, it seems that the end of the world may well prove to have been presaged by the death of the Twinkie. | If the Mayans have it right, 2012 is the year of the apocalypse. If so, it seems that the end of the world may well prove to have been presaged by the death of the Twinkie. |
| If union workers and Twinkies' parent company, Hostess, cannot agree a new contract – the latest version of which would cut worker wages by 8% – by 5pm Thursday, it will be lights out for the snack cake and all its cream-filled brethren. | If union workers and Twinkies' parent company, Hostess, cannot agree a new contract – the latest version of which would cut worker wages by 8% – by 5pm Thursday, it will be lights out for the snack cake and all its cream-filled brethren. |
| There was a scare for snack-cake fans in January, when Hostess filed for bankruptcy. But Hostess said then that the Twinkie would be around for the "foreseeable future". This time, the company faces liquidation, which sounds serious. And sort of delicious. | There was a scare for snack-cake fans in January, when Hostess filed for bankruptcy. But Hostess said then that the Twinkie would be around for the "foreseeable future". This time, the company faces liquidation, which sounds serious. And sort of delicious. |
| The end of the Twinkie would spell the end of a cultural era. No other snack is as beloved, as controversial... and as deep-fry-able. | The end of the Twinkie would spell the end of a cultural era. No other snack is as beloved, as controversial... and as deep-fry-able. |
| The first Twinkie was baked in 1930 by James Alexander Dewar of Illinois, who injected his spongey cake with banana-flavored cream. The second world war changed all that: rationing meant that the cream flavor had to be switched to vanilla, which is the flavor enjoyed today. In 1947, mascot Twinkie the Kid was introduced. | The first Twinkie was baked in 1930 by James Alexander Dewar of Illinois, who injected his spongey cake with banana-flavored cream. The second world war changed all that: rationing meant that the cream flavor had to be switched to vanilla, which is the flavor enjoyed today. In 1947, mascot Twinkie the Kid was introduced. |
| Twinkie would go on to be the subject of rumors, experiments and court cases. In 1979, for example, lawyers for Dan White, a former San Francisco police officer, put forward the Twinkie Defense during his trial for shooting dead mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk. After lawyers alleged that junk foods had curdled White's brain, he walked away with a conviction for voluntary manslaughter. It was an awkward time for cream-filled snacks. | Twinkie would go on to be the subject of rumors, experiments and court cases. In 1979, for example, lawyers for Dan White, a former San Francisco police officer, put forward the Twinkie Defense during his trial for shooting dead mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk. After lawyers alleged that junk foods had curdled White's brain, he walked away with a conviction for voluntary manslaughter. It was an awkward time for cream-filled snacks. |
| The following decades proved to be dark times for the cake and its cousins, Wonder Bread (b.1921) and CupCake (b.1919). Sales declined as some Americans tried (relatively unsuccessfully) to avoid processed foods and carbohydrates. Others spread hurtful rumors that the Twinkie was actually part zombie, alleging that the snack could live for up to 100 years and still be edible. (The truth is that a Twinkie keeps for about 25 days.) | |
| By 2004, rumors were swirling regarding the long-term viability of Twinkie's parent company, Hostess Brands. Incidentally, this was also around the time people at county fairs around America started deep-frying food that was already bad for them. Naturally, the deep-fried Twinkie was a crowd pleaser. | By 2004, rumors were swirling regarding the long-term viability of Twinkie's parent company, Hostess Brands. Incidentally, this was also around the time people at county fairs around America started deep-frying food that was already bad for them. Naturally, the deep-fried Twinkie was a crowd pleaser. |
| We may laugh at the Twinkie's goofy place in pop culture, as a guilty pleasure of the American palate, but there is no doubt that it is a cultural icon of much higher stature than rivals like the Sno Ball (b.1947) and Zingers (age unknown). If the apocalypse does come as the Mayans predict, just remember that Hollywood has already planned for Twinkies to outlast all other snacks. | |
| But if there is no apocalypse, and the 5pm Hostess deadline isn't met, life could still imitate art. To borrow a line from Woody Harrelson's character in Zombieland, we might be asking "Where are you, you spongy, yellow, delicious bastards?" a little sooner than we think. | But if there is no apocalypse, and the 5pm Hostess deadline isn't met, life could still imitate art. To borrow a line from Woody Harrelson's character in Zombieland, we might be asking "Where are you, you spongy, yellow, delicious bastards?" a little sooner than we think. |