Hostess Files for Bankruptcy: Twinkies Face Extinction

Hostess files for bankruptcy protection

Hostess Files for Bankruptcy; Fate of Twinkies Unknown

Could Twinkies be going the way of the dinosaur?

Twinkies are in trouble, as Hostess has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

True story: my kids don't know what Twinkies are.

That's not to say that we are a strictly granola-crunching family, but they have never had a Twinkie nor know what one is. That's not to say that I didn't have a couple (boxes) of 'em when I was a kid.

Twinkies have been around for over 80 years, if you can believe it, and even made their way from regular junk food status to super status with the invention of the deep fried Twinkie.

It's a little sad to see the cultural cream puff face its extinction. Well, maybe not. Of course, while it will always have its place in history, plenty of cakey replacements will no doubt come along.

Read: Pringles Sold to Diamond Foods for $1.5 Billion

Twinkies were invented in 1930 by James A. Dewar, manager of the Continental Bakery in Chicago, who used shortcake pans to make cakes filled with banana cream filling.

Vanilla came into play when there was a banana shortage during WWII.

Health concerns over the snack food played a part in the decreased consumption of Twinkies over the years, as they were blasted for high fat and sugar content.

The Hostess company doesn't point to a decline in sales as the reason for filing Chapter 11, but instead blames the rising costs of labor and ingredients.

Of course, this impacts more than just Twinkies: Hostess also makes Ho Ho's, Hostess Cupcakes, Suzy Q's, Ding Dongs, Zingers and those gas station convenience store staples, SnoBalls.

Reuters reports that Hostess carries over $860 million in debt, but the company plans to continue union negotiations to stay afloat.