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56-485: The Twinkie is an American snack cake , described as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling". It was formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands . The brand is currently owned by Hostess Brands, Inc ., itself currently owned by The J.M. Smucker Company and having been formerly owned by private equity firms Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company as the second incarnation of Hostess Brands. During bankruptcy proceedings, Twinkie production

112-467: A factory town in which he sold homes to his workers at favorable rates. Postum Cereal Company lost its founder in 1914. C.W. Post underwent an apparently successful appendectomy at the Mayo Clinic , but shortly after returning home to recuperate, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound . Post had for years suffered from bouts of illness and depression. While his death was without warning, his company

168-611: A "convenience store" diet consisting mainly of a snack of Twinkies, Oreos , or Doritos every 3 hours in an attempt to demonstrate to his students "...that in weight loss, pure calorie counting is what matters most, not the nutritional value of the food." He lost 27 pounds (12 kg) over a two-month period, returning his body mass index (BMI) to within normal range. In addition to Twinkies, Haub ate Little Debbie snack cakes, cereals, cookies, brownies, Doritos, Oreos and other kinds of high calorie, low-nutrition foods that are usually found at convenience stores. However, despite calling it

224-462: A Twinkie involves freezing the cake, dipping it into batter , and deep-frying it. Melissa Clark ( who interviewed one of the deep fried Twinkie's claimed inventors — Christopher Sell, originally from Rugby , England) , writing in The New York Times , describes how "Something magical occurs when the pastry hits the hot oil. The creamy white vegetable shortening filling liquefies, impregnating

280-480: A Twinkie. It then pops back into shape and Apu puts it back on the stand. The 2012 Super Bowl Chevy Silverado Apocalypse commercial also gives a nod to the Twinkie's reputed durability. In reality, Twinkies are on the shelf for a short time; a company executive told The New York Times in 2000 that the "Twinkie is on the shelf no more than 7 to 10 days." The maximum shelf life was reported to have been 26 days, until

336-508: A carpenter from the town of LeRoy in northern New York state. Mr. Wait's product was based upon a patent that had been issued to inventor and industrialist Peter Cooper in 1845, but which Cooper had never developed commercially. However, Wait was unsuccessful in marketing Jell-O, and in 1899, he sold the rights to it for $ 450 to a neighbor, Orator Francis Woodward, who had founded the Genesee Pure Food Company in 1897. Genesee became

392-474: A great deal of space and electricity, which were not readily available in most grocery stores of the period. For those stores which could accommodate them, the payback was immediate. Housewives quickly realized that keeping packages of frozen food in the icebox could mean fresher meals and fewer trips to the market. The company published a cook book in 1932, the General Foods Cook Book , dedicated "To

448-554: A healthy alternative. Its advertising slogan, which he coined himself, was, "There's a Reason." Postum's main ingredients were naturally caffeine-free wheat grain , bran , and molasses . Initially, Postum had to be brewed like coffee, but in 1911, Post introduced a powdered, instant formulation. This version of the product was manufactured in Battle Creek until it was discontinued in 2007. As of January 2013, Eliza's Quest Food had succeeded in returning Postum to many grocery stores across

504-472: A mass of 38.5 grams, while the original Twinkies contained 150 kilocalories (630 kJ) and had a mass of 42.5 grams. The new Twinkies also have a longer shelf life of 45 days, which was also a change made before bankruptcy, compared to the 26 days of the original Twinkies. Twinkies Cereal, made by Post , was introduced in December 2020. In April 2017, Chocolate Cake Twinkies came on the market. Deep frying

560-474: A reference in the hit film Ghostbusters . In the film, the character Egon Spengler describes a speculated level of psychokinetic energy and uses a regular-sized Twinkie to represent the normal level of such energy in New York City . He then says that based on a recent sample, the Twinkie representing New York would be over 35 ft (11 m) long and weigh approximately 600 lb (270 kg), to which

616-462: A relatively long time of ten, fifty, or one hundred years due to the chemicals used in their production. More radically, it is even claimed Twinkies could survive a nuclear war . The TV show The Simpsons depicted this claim in its 5th-season episode " Homer and Apu ". A customer at the Kwik-E-Mart screws up a Twinkie and throws it on the floor in anger. Apu shouts after him, saying he cannot hurt

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672-495: A result of his depression. His change in diet from healthful food to Twinkies and other sugary foods was said to be a symptom of depression. Contrary to common belief, White's attorneys did not argue that the Twinkies were the cause of White's actions, but that their consumption was symptomatic of his underlying depression. A common urban legend claims that Twinkies have a theoretically infinite shelf life , and can last unspoiled for

728-492: A separate company. About a quarter of Ralcorp's sales in 2010 were generated by its Post Foods unit. The spinoff was completed with an IPO for Post Holdings, Inc. on February 7, 2012. In 2014, the company acquired Michael Foods. The following year, Post Foods purchased MOM Brands (formerly Malt-O-Meal Co.) creating the third largest breakfast cereal company in the US. At this point, Post Foods rebranded as Post Consumer Brands , and

784-408: A staple in our popular culture and, above all, in our hearts. Often criticized for its lack of any nutritional value whatsoever, the Twinkie has managed to persevere as a cultural and gastronomical icon." On January 11, 2012, parent company Hostess filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Twinkie sales for the year, as of December 25, 2011, were 36 million packages, down almost 20% from

840-410: A year earlier. Hostess said customers had migrated to healthier foods. On November 16, 2012, Hostess officially announced that it "will be winding down operations and has filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking permission to close its business and sell its assets, including its iconic brands and facilities." Bakery operations were suspended at all plants. On November 19, 2012, Hostess and

896-561: Is a manufacturer of snack cakes in Mexico , and is the parent company of Marinela , which sells the Gansito brand of snack cakes. Snack cakes can be found in many American supermarkets and convenience stores , sold either individually or by the box. Examples include Drake's Devil Dogs , Twinkies and zebra cakes . Well-known American manufacturers of snack cakes include Hostess , Little Debbie , Dolly Madison , Tastykake and Drake's . In 2004,

952-700: Is an American consumer packaged goods food manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota . The company, founded in 1895 by C. W. Post , owns a large portfolio of cereal brands that include Bran Flakes , Honey Bunches of Oats , Golden Crisp , Grape-Nuts , Honeycomb , Oreo O's , Pebbles , and Waffle Crisp , among others. The company also produces several pet food brands, including Rachael Ray Nutrish, Kibbles 'n Bits , and 9Lives, and markets Peter Pan Peanut Butter . C. W. Post established his company in Battle Creek, Michigan , having lived there since 1891, when he

1008-513: Is headquartered in Lakeville , Minnesota . In July 2017, Post Holdings bought Weetabix Limited for £1.4 billion. In 2019, the company began combining some of its MOM Brands and Weetabix cereal brands under the Three Sisters Cereal name. On December 8, 2020, Post Holdings announced that it was acquiring the Peter Pan peanut butter brand from Conagra Brands . The transaction

1064-864: The Bakers Union agreed to mediation, delaying the shutdown for two days. On November 21, 2012, U.S. bankruptcy judge Robert Drain approved Hostess' request to shut down, ending Twinkie production in the United States. On March 18, 2013, it was reported that Twinkies would return to store shelves in May of that year. Twinkies, along with other Hostess Brands, were purchased out of bankruptcy by Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co for $ 410 million. Twinkies returned to U.S. shelves on July 15, 2013. Apollo subsequently sold Hostess for $ 2.3 billion. Before Hostess Brands filed for bankruptcy, Twinkies were reduced in size. They now contain 135 kilocalories (560 kJ) and have

1120-597: The Continental Baking Company in Schiller Park, Illinois . Realizing that several machines used for making cream-filled strawberry shortcakes sat idle when strawberries were out of season, Dewar conceived a snack cake filled with banana cream , which he dubbed the Twinkie. He said he came up with the name when he saw a billboard in St. Louis for "Twinkle Toe Shoes". During World War II , bananas were rationed, and

1176-544: The Griffin family moving to Natick, Massachusetts , in search of a Twinkie factory following the Y2K apocalypse . The factory is shown to have survived completely intact, allowing the Griffins to use it as a food source and a means to rebuild society. In the 2009 film Zombieland , Twinkies are the favorite snack of the character Tallahassee, who develops an obsession with finding one in

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1232-451: The sponge cake with its luscious vanilla flavor [...] The cake itself softens and warms, nearly melting, contrasting with the crisp, deep-fried crust in a buttery and suave way. The pièce de résistance , however, is a ruby-hued berry sauce, adding a tart sophistication to all that airy sugary goodness." In 2002, Brooklyn restaurateur Clint Mullen introduced the fried Twinkie at several state and county fairs to great popular acclaim, and

1288-407: The "Twinkie diet", Haub also consumed 1 protein shake per day and one serving of canned green beans or 4 celery stalks , along with the Twinkies, Oreos , and Doritos . Besides the protein shake and multivitamin, Haub also ate nutritionally dense whole milk, carrots, and vitamin fortified cereal. This contradicts representations by other media outlets stating that Haub "only" ate junk food. He ate

1344-528: The American homemaker". Five editions were published between 1932 and 1937. The book includes photographs (among which is "General Foods offers over twenty famous products for your well-stocked pantry shelf") and a subject index. Philip Morris Companies acquired General Foods in 1985 and Kraft Inc. in 1988, eventually merging them as Kraft Foods Inc. before the cereal unit was sold to Ralcorp in 2007. In 2011, Ralcorp announced plans to spin off Post Foods into

1400-643: The Jell-O Company in 1923, the same year it began marketing D-Zerta, a sugar-free gelatin, and a powdered mixture for making ice cream in the kitchen. In 1926, Postum Cereal acquired Igleheart Brothers, Inc (established in 1856), the makers of Swans Down cake flour , and followed this with the purchase of the Minute Tapioca Company. "Tapioca Superlative" had been invented in 1894 by a Boston woman, Susan Stavers, who made it from tapioca flakes that she ran through her coffee grinder. Later that year, she sold

1456-574: The La France Manufacturing Company, a maker of starch and other laundry products (this being Postum's first venture into nonedibles), and the Calumet Baking Powder Company , the leading maker of this kitchen essential. Financially, the year culminated on October 1 with the inclusion of Postum, Inc in the newly reformulated Dow Jones Industrial Average of 30 common stocks. By year-end, revenues stood at $ 101 million and

1512-607: The Philippines are Monde Nissin , Rebisco , Universal Robina , Lemon Square and Regent Foods Corporation, which produces and distributes snack cakes such as Fudgee Barr, Inipit, Quake, Lava Cake, Monde, Cream-O Cake Bar and Regent Cake. Indonesian company Kino Indonesia which produces snack cakes such as Kino Nastar. This dessert -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Post Consumer Brands Post Consumer Brands, LLC (previously Post Cereals and Postum Cereals ; also known as simply "Post")

1568-520: The US in 1923. Three more acquisitions followed in 1928. The most important was that of the Cheek-Neel Coffee Company. Its product, Maxwell House , dating from 1892, was a well-known brand in what was still a fragmented US coffee market. Within a few years, however, it was to become the number one brand in America and would retain that position well into the 1980s. Also acquired during 1928 was

1624-445: The United States and Canada. In 1897, Post introduced his first dry cereal , a crunchy blend of wheat and barley , which he called Grape Nuts . His first corn-flake product was introduced as " Elijah 's Manna " in 1904. Owing to consumer resistance to the (inaccurate) biblical reference that was so great that even Great Britain flatly refused to register the name as a trademark , it was renamed Post Toasties in 1907. C. W. Post

1680-434: The acquisition, General Foods began test-marketing an expanded line of frozen foods , but the company quickly realized that a packaging process alone would not be sufficient to market frozen products in stores. To be sold, the packages had to be kept frozen while on display, so Birdseye engineers began development of a freezer cabinet designed specifically to hold frozen foods. The cabinet, which first appeared in 1934, required

1736-424: The addition of stronger preservatives made beginning in 2012 increased it to 45 days. A box of Twinkies from shortly before Hostess's bankruptcy in 2012 was opened eight years later; one had completely molded over with cladosporium , another had a small amount of mold, and the creme filling in a third Twinkie had turned brown with the taste of "old sock". In 2010, Kansas State University professor Mark Haub went on

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1792-645: The character Winston Zeddemore replies, "That's a big Twinkie." On the Christmas Eve , Al Powell , one of the most iconic characters of the 1988 action film Die Hard , is introduced to the audience as a big Twinkie fan, in a scene where he is buying a lot of Twinkies at a local 7-Eleven near the Nakatomi Plaza, also known as 2121 Avenue of the Stars . He jokingly says "they are for my wife... she's pregnant". The 1999 Family Guy episode " Da Boom " involves

1848-615: The company Edita. Twinkies are also available in the United Kingdom and Ireland under the Hostess brand name where they are sold in Sainsburys , Tesco , ASDA , and B&M stores. Twinkies are produced and distributed by multiple commercial bakeries in China , where Hostess does not own the brand. Twinkies were invented on April 6, 1930, by Canadian-born baker James "Jimmy" Alexander Dewar for

1904-435: The company was forced to switch to vanilla cream. This change proved popular, and banana-cream Twinkies were not widely re-introduced. The original flavor was occasionally found in limited time only promotions; the company used vanilla cream for most Twinkies. In 1988, Fruit and Cream Twinkies were introduced with a strawberry filling swirled into the cream. The product was soon dropped. Vanilla's dominance over banana flavoring

1960-418: The company. In a deal arranged by Marjorie, who immediately understood the value of Clarence Birdseye's patents, Postum paid $ 10.75 million for a 51% interest and its partner, Goldman Sachs , paid $ 12.5 million for the other 49%. Following this acquisition, Postum, Inc changed its name to General Foods Corporation. Goldman sold its share back to General Foods in 1932, apparently at a slight loss. Shortly after

2016-473: The dividend on the five million authorized shares was $ 5.00 per year, a 25-fold increase since 1922. By far the most important acquisition of 1929 was of the frozen-food company owned by Clarence Birdseye , called "General Foods Company". Birdseye (December 9, 1886 - October 7, 1956) was one of the most important entrepreneurs in the history of the food industry. Born in New York City, he became interested in

2072-649: The frozen preservation of food during the course of working as a fur trader in Labrador between 1912 and 1916. By 1923, he had developed a commercially viable process for quick-freezing foods using a belt mechanism, which he patented. In 1924, with backing from three investors, he formed the General Seafoods Company, in Gloucester, Massachusetts , to produce frozen haddock fillets packed in plain cardboard boxes. The founder's daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post ,

2128-498: The leadership of financier (and at one point, son in-law to the founder), E. F. Hutton as chairman and Colby M. Chester as president, Postum Cereal made the first of a series of corporate acquisitions which would within a few years transform it into the dominant U.S. packaged grocery products manufacturer. It began late that year with the purchase of the Jell-O Company. Jell-O had been first produced in 1897 by Pearle Bixby Wait ,

2184-408: The middle of a Zombie apocalypse . " Habits (Stay High) ", a 2013 song by Swedish singer Tove Lo , mentions Twinkies in the line "I get home, I got the munchies / Binge on all my Twinkies / Throw up in the tub / Then I go to sleep." In an interview, the singer confessed she had thought that "twinkie" was a synonym for "cookie" and that Hostess had sent her a sample of the product after the success of

2240-462: The notion spread to other establishments that specialize in fried foods. Fried Twinkies are sold throughout the U.S. in fairs as well as ball games, and in various restaurants. Starting in August 2016, Walmart began selling prepackaged, frozen versions of the deep-fried Twinkie at stores nationwide in the US. In 1984, the Twinkie became known worldwide in countries that did not sell the confection, due to

2296-612: The rights to John Whitman, of Orange, Massachusetts , who changed its name to "Minute Tapioca". In 1908, he changed the name of his company to that of his product. The "Minute" brand would later become better known for a General Foods innovation introduced in 1949 known as Minute Rice , a brand of parboiled rice . As a consequence of the Jell-O and Minute Tapioca acquisitions, Postum Cereal's revenues in 1926 jumped to $ 46.9 million. The number of shares stood at 1.375 million, including shares issued to acquire Jell-O and Minute Tapioca. The dividend

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2352-425: The same as in 1921, but in 1923, they were $ 22.25 million and a stock split , in the form of a 100% stock dividend, increased the authorized shares to 400,000. These shares also earned a $ 3.00 annual cash dividend, representing a 20% increase over the presplit rate. In 1925, with revenues now at $ 27.4 million, the stock was split once again and the dividend was increased to $ 4.00 per new share. Starting in 1925, under

2408-474: The snack-cake industry in the US experienced major consolidation, which resulted in fewer products being offered to consumers. For example, Dolly Madison zingers , Hostess brand Twinkies , and Drake's coffee cakes were all solely produced by the now-defunct Interstate Bakeries Corporation . Jaffa cakes are a popular type of biscuit-like snack cake in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The main manufacturers in

2464-399: The song. "Twinkie defense" is a derisive label for an improbable legal defense . It is not a recognized legal defense in jurisprudence , but a catch-all term coined by reporters during their coverage of the trial of defendant Dan White for the murders of San Francisco city Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone . White's defense was that he suffered diminished capacity as

2520-558: The vegetables at the dinner table in order to set a good example for his children. It is claimed legendary bodybuilder Sergio Oliva would sometimes indulge in eating a box of Twinkies (with a 2 liter bottle of Mountain Dew ) after his notoriously strenuous workouts. Snack cake The main manufacturer in Canada is Vachon Inc. which makes and distributes such products as May West , Jos. Louis , Passion Flakie, and Ah Caramel!. Grupo Bimbo

2576-422: Was a patient at a holistic sanitarium operated by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg . Dr. Kellogg, with his brother W. K. Kellogg , had developed a dry corn flake cereal that was part of their patients' diet. Post's first product, introduced in 1895, was not a cereal, however, but a roasted, cereal-based beverage, Postum . Having developed an aversion to coffee during his time in the sanitarium, Post positioned Postum as

2632-485: Was added to Post Consumer Brands' broad portfolio of private label cereal products. In February 2023, Post Holdings announced its acquisition of pet food brands like 9Lives , Kibbles 'n Bits and Gravy Train . Such acquisition would enable Post's entry to the 'pet food category'. After the completion of this acquisition, Post intends to develop a new pet food category within Post Consumer Brands. Postum ,

2688-496: Was an astute businessman who believed that advertising and aggressive marketing were the keys to a successful enterprise. Within 10 years of its incorporation, his Postum Cereal Company had more than $ 10 million in capital and was spending $ 400,000 a year on advertising, sums which were remarkable for the period. His employees were the highest-paid in his industry and working conditions at the Post factory were exemplary. He even developed

2744-446: Was challenged in 2005, following a month-long promotion of the movie King Kong . Hostess saw its Twinkie sales rise 20% during the promotion; in 2007, the company restored the banana-cream Twinkie to its snack lineup although they are now made with 2% banana purée. In November 2012, as Hostess announced its plan to shut down its operations, Time ranked the Twinkie #1 in its list of 10 "iconic" junk foods , saying that "they've been

2800-417: Was completed on January 25, 2021. With the acquisition of Peter Pan peanut butter on January 25, 2021, Post created a new group called Animated Brands , with the Peter Pan brand being the founding member. Animated Brands is managed under Post Consumer Brands. On June 1, 2021, Post announced it acquired the ready-to-eat ("RTE") cereal business of TreeHouse Foods. The TreeHouse Foods RTE cereal business

2856-434: Was first to become excited about the prospects for the frozen foods business. In 1926, she had put into port at Gloucester on her yacht, Hussar (IV) , and was served a luncheon meal which, she learned to her amazement, had been frozen six months before. Although she eventually became the richest woman in America because of her business genius, it took Marjorie Post three years to finally convince Postum's management to acquire

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2912-551: Was followed by the purchase of Log Cabin Products, the maker of Log Cabin Syrup (first produced in 1887), and of Richard Hellmann, Inc (established in 1913), the producer of Blue Ribbon mayonnaise. And late in the year, Postum Cereal began selling its first coffee product, " Sanka ", by obtaining US marketing rights from Dr Ludwig Roselius of Bremen, Germany . Roselius had developed the decaffeinated coffee in 1906 and began selling it in

2968-509: Was increased to $ 4.70 a year. The acquisition spree continued in 1927 with the purchase of two similarly named confectionery companies, chocolate-maker Walter Baker (founded in 1765, making it the oldest component of the Postum constituent companies), and coconut-processor Franklin Baker , which had begun early in the 19th century as a flour broker, but whose confectionery products dated from 1895. This

3024-444: Was not left rudderless. His daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post , had been raised in the business and was familiar with virtually every aspect of its operations. She assumed control of the now $ 20-million Postum Company and managed its affairs for the next eight years. While she did not oversee major product innovations, she did have a good feel for business and for promoting talented managers. In addition, her second marriage, in 1920,

3080-836: Was suspended on November 15, 2012, and resumed after an absence of a few months from American store shelves, becoming available again nationwide on July 15, 2013. Grupo Bimbo 's Vachon Inc. , which owns the Canadian rights to the product and made them during their absence from the U.S. market, produces Twinkies in Canada at a bakery in Montreal. They are made in Emporia, Kansas , in the U.S. Twinkies are also available in Mexican stores as "Submarinos" made by Marinela, and as "Tuinky" made by Wonder; both Marinela and Wonder are also subsidiaries of Mexican bread company Grupo Bimbo. In Egypt, Twinkies are produced under

3136-447: Was to Edward F. Hutton , the founder of a brokerage firm on Wall Street. Gross revenues in 1921 were $ 17.75 million. In 1922, Hutton took the newly incorporated Postum Cereal Company public by issuing 200,000 common shares. The 1920s was a period in which common stock was still considered highly speculative, and consequently the newly issued shares carried a dividend at the rate of $ 5.00 per year. Revenues in 1922 were essentially

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