Twinkie the Kid

Last updated
Twinkie the Kid
TwinkieTheKid.jpg
Voiced by Allen Swift
In-universe information
Species Twinkie

Twinkie the Kid is the mascot for Twinkies, Hostess's golden cream-filled snack cakes. [1] He is a registered trademark of Hostess Brands. He made his debut in 1971. [2] He has appeared on product packaging, in commercials and as related collectible merchandise, except for a brief period between 1988 and 1990 when he was temporarily removed.

Contents

A Twinkie the Kid-shaped Twinkie holder Twinkie Holder.jpg
A Twinkie the Kid-shaped Twinkie holder

Description

Twinkie the Kid is an anthropomorphized Twinkie appearing as a wrangler. He wears boots, gloves, a kerchief with hearts, and a ten-gallon hat with the words "Twinkie the Kid" on the band. He was created by Denny Lesser, a route delivery driver for Hostess in the San Fernando Valley. He designed the mascot and his wife made the costume that he used for a traveling promotional campaign.

Animated commercial appearances

The character appeared in animated TV advertisements for Twinkies in the 1970s, voiced by Allen Swift. [3]

See also

Notes

  1. Mansour, David (2005), From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century, Andrews McMeel Publishing, p. 502
  2. "Twinkie The Kid, Dead At 85". Huffington Post. 2012-11-16. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  3. IMDb entry for Allen Swift

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolly Madison</span> Snack food brand

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twinkie</span> American snack cake

The 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate Bakeries</span> Bakeries of the United States

Old HB, Inc., known as Hostess Brands from 2009 to 2013 and established in 1930 as Interstate Bakeries Corporation, was a wholesale baker and distributor of bakery products in the United States. Before its 2012 closure and liquidation, it owned the Hostess, Wonder Bread, Nature's Pride, Dolly Madison, Butternut Breads, and Drake's brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twinkie defense</span> Mocking term for improbable legal defense

"Twinkie defense" is a derisive label for an improbable legal defense. It is not a recognized legal defense in jurisprudence, but a catch-all term coined by reporters during their coverage of the trial of defendant Dan White for the murders of San Francisco city Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. White's defense was that he suffered diminished capacity as a result of his depression, a symptom of which was a change in diet from healthy food to Twinkies and other sugary foods. Contrary to common belief, White's attorneys did not argue that the Twinkies were the cause of White's actions, but that their consumption was symptomatic of his underlying depression. The product itself was only mentioned in passing during the trial. White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter rather than first-degree murder, and served five years in prison.

Ira J. Stadlen, known professionally as Allen Swift, was an American actor, writer and magician, best known as a voiceover artist who voiced cartoon characters Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the Underdog cartoon show. He took his professional name from radio comedian Fred Allen and 18th century satirist Jonathan Swift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ding Dong</span> Small chocolate cake of hockey puck size

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.

Martin George Blinder is an American physician and forensic psychiatrist. He is editor-in-chief of the academic journal Family Therapy, a former assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and a former adjunct professor of law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He was instrumental in the development of the use of lithium carbonate for treatment of bipolar disorder and in winning FDA approval for use of this drug in the United States.

Ripplewood is an American private equity firm based in New York City that focuses on leveraged buyouts, late stage venture, growth capital, management buyouts, leveraged recapitalizations and other illiquid investments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ho Hos</span> American snack cake brand

Ho Hos are small, cylindrical, frosted, cream-filled chocolate snack cakes with a pinwheel design based on the Swiss roll. Made by Hostess Brands, they are similar to Yodels by Drake's and Swiss Cake Rolls by Little Debbie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chocodile Twinkie</span> Confection created by the Hostess Brands company

Chocodile Twinkies are a confection created by the Hostess Brands company. The confection was known only as Chocodiles prior to 2014. The package describes the snack cake as a "chocolate coated sponge cake with creamy filling." The Chocodile is Twinkie-shaped and sold in packages of two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit Pie the Magician</span>

Fruit Pie the Magician was the official mascot for Hostess fruit pies for over three decades, from 1973 until at least early 2006. Fruit Pie the Magician was featured in print ads in comic books as well as animated in television commercials. The character appeared on Hostess product labels as an anthropomorphic fruit pie sporting a cape, white gloves, a top hat, and a magic wand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grasshopper (cocktail)</span> Sweet, mint-flavored, after-dinner drink

A Grasshopper is a sweet, mint-flavored, after-dinner drink named for its green color, which comes from crème de menthe. Tujague's, a bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, claims its owner Philip Guichet invented the drink in 1918. The drink gained popularity during the 1950s and 1960s throughout the American South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sno Balls</span> Cream-filled chocolate cakes covered with marshmallow frosting and colored coconut flakes

Sno Balls are cream-filled chocolate cakes covered with marshmallow frosting and coconut flakes formerly produced and distributed by Hostess and currently owned by The J.M. Smucker Company. Sno Balls are usually pink; however, they are also available in chocolate, lemon, white, green, blue and other colors for specific holidays and times of year. They come in packages of two and are sold at many convenience and grocery stores in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Cupcake</span> Fictional character

Captain Cupcake was the second mascot for Hostess brand baked goods along with Twinkie the Kid. He was portrayed as an anthropomorphic cupcake which wore a navy blue hat and gave the appearance of being the captain of a ship.

James Alexander Dewar was a Canadian inventor known for inventing the Twinkie in 1930.

Cupcake is a small, single-serving cake, usually frosted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continental Baking Company</span> American company (1849–1995)

The Continental Baking Company was one of the first bakeries to introduce fortified bread. It was the maker of the Twinkie and Wonder Bread. Through a series of acquisitions and mergers it became part of the former Hostess Brands company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hostess CupCake</span> American snack cake brand

Hostess CupCake is an American brand of snack cake produced and distributed by Hostess Brands and currently owned by The J.M. Smucker 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hostess Brands</span> American food company

Hostess Brands Inc. is an American bakery company formed in 2013. Its main operating subsidiaries are Hostess Brands, LLC, and Voortman Cookies Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hostess (snack cakes)</span> Brand of snack cakes made by Hostess brands

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.