Ho Hos are small, cylindrical, frosted, cream-filled chocolate snack cakes [1] with a pinwheel design based on the Swiss roll. Made by Hostess Brands, [2] [3] [4] they are similar to Yodels by Drake's and Swiss Cake Rolls by Little Debbie.
Sold two or three per package, they contain about 120 calories per roll. [5]
The product is also produced in Canada by Vachon Inc., which holds its Canadian rights, but they are marketed as Chocolate Swiss Rolls. [6]
A San Francisco bakery created the first Ho Hos in 1967. [7]
Happy Ho Ho was created in the 1970s [8] and was the original cartoon mascot for Ho Hos. The mascot appeared on the boxes, ads, and television commercials [9] for many years before he was discontinued. The character wore an outfit similar to that of Robin Hood, [10] including a feathered cap.
A nut-covered version named Nutty Ho Hos was introduced in 1989, [11] along with a promotional search for "the country's nuttiest celebrity laugh" which was awarded to comedian Eddie Murphy based on consumer votes. [7] [9]
Caramel Ho Hos were introduced in February 2004. The modified snack includes a layer of caramel along with the creme filling. [12] Caramel-chocolate Ho Hos were another new flavor, introduced in May 2003. [13]
Dolly Madison is an American bakery brand owned by Hostess Brands, selling packaged baked snack foods. It is best known for its long marketing association with the Peanuts animated TV specials.
A Twinkie is an American snack cake, described as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling". It was formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands. The brand is currently owned by Hostess Brands, Inc., itself currently owned by The J.M. Smucker Company and having been formerly owned by private equity firms Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company as the second incarnation of Hostess Brands. During bankruptcy proceedings, Twinkie production was suspended on November 15, 2012, and resumed after an absence of a few months from American store shelves, becoming available again nationwide on July 15, 2013.
Pocky is a Japanese sweet snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico food company. Pocky was first sold in 1966, and was invented by Yoshiaki Koma. It consists of coated biscuit sticks. It was named after the Japanese onomatopoeic word pokkiri (ポッキリ), which is supposed to resemble the sound of the snack being cracked.
A Ding Dong is a chocolate cake produced and distributed in the United States by Hostess Brands and in Canada from Vachon Inc. under the name King Dons; in some U.S. markets, it was previously known as Big Wheels. With the exception of a brief period in 2013, the Ding Dong has been produced continuously since 1967. It is round with a flat top and bottom, close to three inches in diameter and slightly taller than an inch, similar in shape and size to a hockey puck. A white creamy filling is injected into the center and a thin coating of chocolate glaze covers the cake. The Ding Dong was originally wrapped in a square of thin aluminum foil, enabling it to be carried in lunches without melting the chocolate glaze.
Milka is a Swiss brand of chocolate confectionery. Originally made in Switzerland in 1901 by Suchard, it has been produced in Lörrach, Germany, from 1901. Since 2012 it has been owned by US-based company Mondelez International, when it started following the steps of its predecessor Kraft Foods Inc., which had taken over the brand in 1990. It is sold in bars and a number of novelty shapes for Easter and Christmas. Products with the Milka brand also include chocolate-covered cookies and biscuits.
Milky Way is a brand of chocolate-covered confectionery bar manufactured and marketed by Mars, Incorporated. There are two varieties: the US Milky Way bar, which is sold as the Mars bar worldwide, including Canada; and the global Milky Way bar, which is sold as the 3 Musketeers in the US and Canada.
A Swiss roll, jelly roll, roll cake, cream roll, roulade or Swiss log is a type of rolled sponge cake filled with whipped cream, jam, icing, or any type of filling. The origins of the term are unclear; in spite of the name "Swiss roll", the cake is believed to have originated elsewhere in Central Europe, possibly Austria or Slovenia. It appears to have been invented in the nineteenth century, along with Battenberg cake, doughnuts, and Victoria sponge. In the U.S., commercial snack-sized versions of the cake are sold with the brand names Ho Hos, Yodels, Swiss Cake Rolls, and others. A type of roll cake called Yule log is traditionally served at Christmas.
A Gansito is a Mexican snack cake, described as “a strawberry-flavored jelly and crème-filled cake with chocolate-flavored coating.” It is made and distributed by the Marinela Brand, which is owned by Grupo Bimbo. Gansito is also available in the U.S., Colombia, Peru, and many countries in Latin America, as well as having a limited presence in Europe. In 2019 in the U.S., 5.46 million Americans ate Gansito 1-3 times a month, with 1.24 million eating 4-7 in a month, and 1.31 eating 8 or more in a month.
Snack cakes are a type of baked dessert confectionery made with cake, sugar, and icing.
Vachon Bakery is a Canadian maker of popular snack pastries. The company was part of Saputo Inc. from 1999 to 2015. It has been owned by Canada Bread, part of Grupo Bimbo since 2015.
Moose Tracks is a branded flavor of ice cream owned and licensed by Denali Flavors Inc. that is manufactured by different companies under various brands. The Original Moose Tracks product description is as follows, "vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and famous Moose Tracks fudge".
Hostess CupCake is an American brand of snack cake produced and distributed by Hostess Brands and currently owned by private equity firms Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos & Company. Its most common form is a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing and vanilla creme filling, with seven distinctive white squiggles across the top. However, other flavors have been available at times. It has been claimed to be the first commercially produced cupcake and has become an iconic American brand.
Nesquik is a brand of food products made by Swiss company Nestlé. In 1948, Nestlé launched a drink mix for chocolate-flavored milk called Nestlé Quik in the United States; this was released in Europe during the 1950s as Nesquik.
Hostess Cake, mostly known simply as Hostess, is a brand under which snack cakes are sold by Hostess Brands. The brand originated in 1919 when the first Hostess CupCake was sold. However, it is better-known as the brand under which Twinkies are sold, after that product appeared in 1930.
Oatmeal creme pies were the first Little Debbie snack cake commercially produced by McKee Foods. The snack consists of two soft oatmeal cookies stuffed with fluffy creme filling.
