Hostess(R) Sno Balls(R) Celebrate 60th Anniversary

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Hostess(R) Sno Balls(R), America's most famous pink snack cakes, are celebrating 60 sweet years as one of America's favorite treats. Since being introduced in 1947, Sno Balls have become an enduring icon enjoyed by generations of snack cake lovers who can't get enough of the delicious and distinctive marshmallow, coconut and chocolate cake combination.

    --  Over 25 million Sno Balls are sold each year.

    --  With flour and sugar rationing during WWII, Sno Balls became an
        instant hit with Americans looking to indulge in a sweet treat.

    --  Sno Balls were not always the pink creme filled treats we know today.
        Original Sno Balls were white marshmallow and shredded coconut covered
        chocolate cakes - it wasn't until 1950 that the creme filling was
        added.

    --  Not long after the creme filling was added, in an effort to add a
        little pizzazz to the humble white Sno Ball, Hostess decided to tint
        the shredded coconut pink. And for added effect, each Sno Ball
        package included one white and one pink Sno Ball. Later, for
        efficiency's sake, two of the same color were coupled.

    --  Today, the original white Sno Balls are produced mostly around the
        winter holidays.

    --  Sno Balls are now produced in different colors for different seasons -
        You can find Glo Balls (glow-in-the-dark Sno Balls) for Halloween,
        Lucky Puffs (green Sno Balls) for St. Patrick's Day and Hoppers
        (lavender colored Sno Balls) in the Spring.

    --  Even though St. Louis is not known for record snow falls, residents of
        the Gateway City love Sno Balls. St. Louis residents eat more Sno
        Balls per capita than any other U.S. city. Rounding out the top five
        Sno Ball-loving cities are:

        --  Louisville, KY
        --  Grand Rapids, MI
        --  Roanoke, VA
        --  Hartford, CT

    --  Sno Balls are no strangers to celebrity. The marshmallow-and-coconut
        snack has had supporting roles in episodes of The X-Files and Gilmore
        Girls and in the film The Mirror Has Two Faces.

To learn more about Hostess and to find Hostess Sno Ball recipes that are sure to sweeten any occasion visit www.hostesscakes.com.

Interstate Bakeries Corporation, the maker of Hostess products, is one of the nation's largest wholesale bakers and distributors of fresh baked bread and sweet goods under various brand names including Wonder(R), Hostess(R), Dolly Madison(R), Baker's Inn(R), Home Pride(R), Merita(R) and Drake's(R). For more information visit www.interstatebakeriescorp.com.

SOURCE Hostess

Released November 5, 2007