Of all the stories of the past few weeks, from elections to storms to countless sporting contests, no single news item flooded my own personal social media streams more than the reported demise of Hostess Cakes (well, with the exception of Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars. The Force and sugary foods are strong with my online friends). And apparently, my Facebook (News - Alert) feed was not the only Internet destination to feel shockwaves from the announcement about the impending doom of delicious, cream-filled goodies.
As they said in Ghostbusters: “Tell him about the Twinkie.”
“What about the Twinkie?”
Apparently, Twinkie nostalgia has been sweeping eBay (News - Alert) as well. Items with Twinkie the Kid’s image, for example, have become increasingly popular today. One lunchbox, for example, started the day at $14.99 and, 58 bids later, was going for $690.
Auctioneers on the site are taking advantage of the fervor by posting any number of Hostess-related items for bidding. These include bean-bag figures of the anthropomorphic cowboy mascot, Twinkie the Kid, Twinkie-shaped containers and a Twinkie bake set (whatever that is, since real Twinkies are not backed but rather composed of a spongy substance).
No word on whether classic ‘80s Marvel comics, which featured one page mini-comic where superheroes like Spider-Man and The Thing had to stop villains from stealing Hostess products such as Fruit Pies and Twinkies, are flying off virtual shelves as well.
It remains to be seen if the announcement by Hostess will mark the end of the Twinkie era. Many of us imagined that the world itself would end, possibly in a zombie apocalypse, before the Twinkies ever did, outliving us like the roaches.