When I think of Hostess snacks I’m immediately transported back to junior high afternoons, getting chased out of parking lots for skateboarding, and taking breaks to eat Hostess fruit pies and drink Shasta Cola. I remember there was a FoodCo in my hometown where you could get one of each for $0.50. It was the early 90s after all.
But what I don’t think about is the Hostess mascots. Maybe I just grew up in an area where Hostess didn’t advertise as much, but it’s clear that their creations didn’t have nearly the staying power or grasp on us like the Honey Smacks Frog, the Trix Bunny, or Tony the Tiger. Now that I think of it, most of the mascots I remember from childhood were from cereals. But let’s not get distracted.
I recently was reminded of Hostess’ Fruit Pie the Magician, so I wanted to see what else I was forgetting.
Fruit Pie the Magician
Fruit Pie the Magician showed up in the 1970s, wearing a cape and pulling fruit out of a magician’s hat. It was a pretty goofy concept, one of those mascots that was memorable precisely because it was such a lazy nod to pulling a rabbit out of it’s hat. Totally phoned in. I can vaguely recall seeing his commercials and thinking, “Okay, sure. Fruit pies. Magic. Makes total sense.”
Twinkie the Kid
Twinkie the Kid, on the other hand, had at least some logic to his existence. He was a cowboy-themed mascot with boots, a hat, and a lasso. Okay, maybe it didn’t make any sense.
A fun fact about Twinkie the Kid is that he was voiced by Allen Swift, who is best known for his roles as Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the Underdog cartoon.
King Ding Dong
King Ding Dong was introduced in the late 1960s as the snack-cake king, complete with a crown and a cape. I guess it was an attempt to make the cakes seem fancy in some way. But a foil wrapped (remember that?) chocolate cake doesn’t really scream affluence to me, but what do I know.
Captain Cupcake
Captain Cupcake emerged in the 1960s and wasn’t particularly flashy or memorable. He wore a captain’s hat and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about cupcakes. That’s about it. Still, even now, I kind of appreciate the low-effort simplicity he brought to the bright through the 70s and early 80s.
Happy Ho Ho
Happy Ho Ho might be the least memorable of them all, first appearing in the 1970s. His cheerful demeanor and cartoonish style gave the cylindrical chocolate cakes a bit of life. But honestly, he never really landed in my memory like Cap’n Crunch.
Where Did They Go?
The disappearance of these mascots wasn’t a big event—there was no press release, no news bulletin. They just slipped away over time. Changing tastes, evolving advertising practices, and perhaps a shift toward less cartoonish branding pushed them into obscurity throughout the 1990s and 2000s. One day, you realize they’re gone, making you wonder if they ever existed in the first place.
If you’re in the mood for more nostalgia, check out our list of Discontinued Hostess Snacks.
