No More Twinkies As Hostess Shuts Doors On Operations

If there's ever been a doubt regarding the Mayan calendar and the End of Times rumors, this certainly won't help things. Of all the products rumored to survive a nuclear holocaust, Twinkies were reportedly one of them...now that's no longer the case.

Word came down this morning that Hostess was shutting their doors after a lengthy bankruptcy combined with a striking workforce. Hostess distribution points across the US were notified and their delivery trucks were being pulled from the street. Stores will have a 50% markdown on their inventory tomorrow and by next Wednesday, around 18,500 people will be unemployed, including many in the Lafayette area.

For generations, Twinkies were the stuff of legend, and their recipe has been difficult to duplicate.

It's the end of an era; no more deep fried Twinkies at the Texas State Fair, no more browsing the Twinkie recipe book, no Twinkie races, no Twinkie festivals, and no sweet surprises stuffed into lunchboxes across the globe.

As sad of a day as it is for consumers of Twinkies and other Hostess products, it's also a sad day for the 18,000+ employees that will soon be unemployed. I seriously doubt that the Twinkie brand will be left to the history books. Instead, I feel quite confident that some competing national bakery will jump on the opportunity to revive the brand that has become an icon to children and post-apocalyptic survivors everywhere. Maybe December 21, 2012 will not mean the end of Twinkies and the world as we know it, but may be a new beginning instead.