IRVING, Texas — The iconic Hostess Twinkie, one of the sweetest stars to
ever grace the American snack cake stage, is celebrating its 80th anniversary
capping a remarkable journey that has spanned television and film, given rise to
urban legends, and, by presidential decree, come to represent an “object of
enduring American symbolism.”
Here’s to the “best darn tootin’ idea” Hostess bakery manager James Dewar
a.k.a. “Grandpa Twinkie” had that fateful day in Chicago in 1930.
Here’s to the American ingenuity that put idle shortcake pans to work when
strawberries weren’t in season to produce a two-for-a-nickel Depression era
treat.
Here’s to Howdy Doody, Archie Bunker, Homer Simpson and countless others whom
have helped to make Twinkies an enduring part of our pop culture.
Here’s to the hundreds of thousands of people who have baked Twinkies over the
years, from Margaret Branco, an original “Twinkie Stuffer,” who filled the
sponge cakes one by one using a special foot-pedal operated machine to ensure
just enough filling was added, to the thousands of Hostess employees who have
perfected the art.
Here’s to the dozens of contributors who lent their culinary talents to The
Twinkies Cookbook, an inventive and unexpected recipe collection featuring
everything from Twinkie Pancakes to Twinkie Burritos and, lest we forget, an
astonishing chapter devoted to “Twinkies and Meat.”
And most of all, here’s to the millions of Twinkie lovers everywhere, who
continue to enjoy the tried, true and timeless treat to the tune of half a
billion Twinkies a year.
Twinkies by the Numbers:
500 million: The number of Twinkies baked each year.
10: The minutes it takes to bake a Twinkie.
1930: The year James Dewar invented the two-for-a-nickel treat.
150: The number of calories in one Twinkie.
50: The number of recipes in the Twinkies Cookbook.
7: The number of Twinkies needed to make the “Patriotic Twinkie Pie” recipe in
the Twinkies Cookbook.
1: The rank of New Orleans in terms of per capita Twinkie consumption compared
to other cities in the U.S.
1999: The year President Bill Clinton included Twinkies in the millennium time
capsule.
26 days: The shelf life of a Twinkie.
Got a great Twinkie tale to share? Want to shout out a sweet salute? Follow
Twinkies on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Hostess_Snacks. For more information
about Twinkies or other Hostess products visit
www.hostesscakes.com.
Hostess Brands, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest providers of fresh-baked
bread and sweet goods, sold under various brand names including Wonder, Merita,
Home Pride, Nature’s Pride, Hostess, Drake’s, and Dolly Madison. The Company
is headquartered in Irving, Texas.
Source:
Hostess Brands, Inc.