At long last, we finally know the shelf life of a Hostess Twinkie — and it’s our number of the day: 82 years.
That is — literally — how long Twinkies lasted on the shelf. Not each individual Twinkie, of course, but the product altogether.
The first Twinkies came out of an Illinois bakery in 1930. They eventually became an indelible part of the American landscape, even spawning the famous “Twinkie defense” — it helped make us what we are today.
But that’s coming to an end.
Hostess, the makers of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho-Hos, is liquidating the company today, after repeated trips to bankruptcy court and a long battle with their workers’ union.
It’s hard to imagine a world without Twinkies. But then again, when was the last time you actually ate one — or fed one to your kids?
Sure, it was part of our childhoods, but so were driving without safety belts and going to the beach without suntan oil. We’ve gotten smarter since then.
If that’s no comfort to you, the Twinkie might not be gone for good.
Some company will probably buy the name and recipe from Hostess, and we’ll see Twinkies back on the shelves soon enough.
Isn’t that good news?
