Ding Dong's vs Ho Ho's

About 40 years ago, the Hostess Company burst out on the market not 1 but 2 delectable snack cakes for us to enjoy, the Ho Ho and the Ding Dong. Even though they looked quite different, each one essentially had the same ingredients of devils food chocolate cake and creamy white filling and a shit load of calories to boot all wrapped up in either a thin plastic wrapper or aluminum foil. Well, the foil is long gone and replaced by the plastic but the delectable and decadent treat has withstood the test of time.

These 2 treats have been frozen, sliced and served on everything from paper plates to wedding cakes, and licked off fingers of the young and old over the past 4 decades. And in those 40 years questions have been raised as to why they were named as they were. Even though the Ho Ho has stayed the same, the Ding Dong was subject to copyrights and competition, being referred briefly as the King Dong (please don’t laugh) and Big Wheels.

Now help me here if you can…

I haven’t written this blog in hopes to educate the masses about their history but to debate as to why the Ding Dong was shaped like a hockey puck and the Ho Ho was long and skinny. I found quite a few references to the opinions of many that believe that the Ding Dong should have been the tubular treat and the Ho Ho should have been the round delectable dessert. I’m sure there are other people out that that believe this is very sexist but to be totally honest, they have a point. Hostess, who is owned by Interstate Bakeries Corporation (hella name isn’t it?) has repeatedly declined to comment anymore on this claiming that it was merely society’s machination to soil an otherwise spotless reputation and even became belligerent once by stating that the media should shove a Twinkie up their ass. Hmmm…

I’ll ask you, should the Ding Dong be shaped like the Ho Ho? If we said yes, does that make us sexually deviant and dirty? Below are some rather interesting opinions I found online:

Ding Dongs shouldn’t be round. Well they should be but not flat. They should be like Ho Ho’s because we all know that Ding Dongs are, well, you know.

I used to love Ding Dongs. I’d unwrap the foil and eat the chocolate off then stick my tongue inside and eat the cream out. I got in trouble at school when I was a lad for doing that. I don’t understand why Ding Dongs weren’t called Ho Hos. When I was in the military we used to…(I’ve not included the rest of this post since this was a public site and there are young impressionable adults and teens on my friends list)

Ho Hos…Ho Hos? If I saw a Ho with a Ho Ho, I’d think twice!

I saw a girl eat a frozen one once. No wonder they called her a Ho.

If my man had a stubby Ding Dong, I’d no doubt go to the competition and get myself a King Dong!

Oh don’t make me start on Don Imus again

(girl)Does it make me different that I enjoy Ding Dongs better?

(boy)Does it make me different if I like eat Ho Hos?

I think we should leave the names alone, otherwise my mom wouldn’t by them for me and I’d have to sneak them in my bedroom like my dad does with his magazines.

Dong’s before Ho’s, man


These are all references to the misconceptions our society has when it comes to 2 of our favorite afternoon snacks. It’s been racially charged and flat out derogatory and it’s fighting off daily attacks from the politically correct. Did Hostess do the right thing when it named the treats over 40 years ago? Would there have been more issues today if they had switched? Does it make you wonder what the Twinkie was really named after?

I’m curious…but would have to say that Ding Dongs should have been Ho Hos. It fits better and upon reading even more opinions, I just may have issues eating a Ding Dong from now on, I’d feel dirty…