Twinkie Extinction: Hostess Closing (Say Goodbye to These Ten Iconic Snacks)

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The Twinkie is an endangered species.

Hostess Brands, makers of Twinkies, Wonder Bread, HoHo's Sno Balls, and other childhood favorites, may shut down all operations and liquidate as early as Tuesday after a failed attempt to settle a bakers strike.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the company, which filed for bankruptcy in January 2012, has requested permission from bankruptcy court to close its business and fully liquidate its assets.

Most of Hostess' 18,500 employees will lose their jobs, though a small fraction will stay on to oversee the closure of the company, which has baked treats since 1930.

In a statement released today, chief executive officer Gregory Rayburn said, "We deeply regret the necessity of today's decision, but we don't have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike."

Though there are still plenty of Twinkies and cupcakes in circulation today, the future of the snack cakes remains uncertain. The iconic names of Twinkies, Devil Dogs, Ding Dongs, and Sno Balls, along with their logos and recipes will likely be sold to another company since their brand recognition has real value.

We've counted down the ten most iconic Hostess cakes and breads, based on lunchbox popularity. Which of these favorites will you miss the most?

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10. Yankee Doodles
Both a snack cake and a history lesson, these cream-filled chocolate cupcakes were second-class citizens because of their lack of frosting (they tended to be dry). But, heck, things could be worse on the playground. Mom could have packed the even more unlovable (and untradeable) Sunny Doodle.

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9. Ho Ho's
Chocolate cake rolled with cream filling and drizzled in chocolate frosting. Might have gotten higher marks but for the fact that moms also liked to eat these snack cakes (along with those little packaged coffee cakes). Totally uncool.