Ding Dongs

Ding Dongs are a chocolate, cream filled snack cake made by Hostess. When they were first introduced, they were actually called King Dons in some parts of the country (and Big Wheels in some regions).

History

When Hostess introduced Ding Dongs in 1967, the advertising campaign included a ringing bell: hence the name Ding Dongs. However, in the eastern United States, Hostess opted to package the cakes as King Dons to avoid confusion with a competitor's product, "Ring Dings". Hostess consolidated the King Don and Ding Dong name in 1987, packaging the cakes as Ding Dongs in all regions. Six months later, Hostess decided to go back to using the King Don name in the eastern U.S., again, to avoid confusion with a competing product. But, today the issue has been put to rest and only Ding Dongs are sold nationwide.

Relevance to "CHiPs"

In the television show "CHiPs", Ponch is a fan of Ding Dongs.