Ding Dong! Hostess is dead: A Boise obituary for the Twinkie

CREATED Nov. 16, 2012

  • Print
  • The Twinkie was born in Schiller Park, Ill. in 1930 to a James Alexander Dewar. The cream-filled cake of a baker, the Twinkie got its name from a billboard advertising Twinkle Toe Shoes. Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com

    video

The Twinkie was born in Schiller Park, Ill. in 1930 to a James Alexander Dewar. The cream-filled cake of a baker, the Twinkie got its name from a billboard advertising Twinkle Toe Shoes.

It became a national celebrity before the age of 30, frequently making cameos on shows like Howdy Doody and – later – in Hollywood mega-hits like Ghostbusters.

But the Twinky’s greatest role may have been as one of the people.

“Goodbye, Twinkie,” a young woman in downtown Boise said to the treat, Friday afternoon.

Fans remember the Twinkie for its availability, composition and consistency.

“I was probably about four of five when I had my very first Twinkie,” a man near the Grove told us, “and ever since then I always liked eating Twinkies.”

The Twinkie takes with it Ho Hos, Ding Dongs, Donettes and others. But those who knew it say it leaves behind an adopted family: Those who ate it.

But perhaps more than anything else, the Twinkie taught us – like so much else in life – snack food is fleeting. One bite. Two bites. And, before we know it, we’re left with only crumbs.