Twinkies for breakfast? Snack cake in cereal form coming to groceries nationwide

For those looking to get their sugar fix filled first thing in the morning, Post Cereals and Hostess brands have just the thing: Twinkies Cereal.

Set to hit store shelves nationwide next month, the new breakfast offering "replicates the distinctive taste and familiar oblong shape of the golden-colored snack cake, delivering delightful sweetness in every bite," Post and Hostess announced Wednesday. 

"We think fans will find that it not only tastes great with milk but also outside the bowl," Josh Jans, brand manager of cereal partnerships at Post Consumer Brands, said.

Long the bane of nutritionists, Twinkies were launched during the Great Depression and have the most loyal consumer following among Hostess brands, which include Ding Dongs and Ho Hos. The treat's popularity rose in the 1950s, partly because of its sponsorship of "Howdy Doody," the children's television show. 

An ubran legend that held Twinkies would not go bad for years had Americans stockpiling them in bomb shelters and lunch boxes, and in 1996 Twinkies were placed in the nation's millennium time capsule.  

That said, Twinkies briefly seemed to be a snack for the history bins. Healthier eating trends and labor troubles helped push Hostess into bankruptcy in 2012, only to be brought back to life with a cash infusion from private equity investors.

The junk-food-for-breakfast theme is not novel for either Post or Hostess, which count Honey Bun and Donettes Cereal among their earlier collaborations.

It's also not the first time Hostess has looked to capitalize on the cake, with the company springing deep-fried Twinkies on the public in 2016.