WARNING: READ ME!
This episode is not suited for children. I am sure you are thinking, “Little Debbie Snack Cakes not suited for children?! These podcasters are mistaken.” But unless you have had “the talk” with your kids, don’t let them listen. Even if you have had the talk, you might get some awkward questions from them.
Consider yourself warned.
So now that we have the parental warning out of the way… Let’s get started! Today we are Questing for the Best Little Debbie Snack Cakes.
Which Little Debbie Snack Cakes are we trying today?
Oatmeal Cream Pie
Nutty Buddy
Zebra Cake
Star Crunch
Strawberry Shortcake
Cosmic Brownie
Who is on this cakey quest with us today?
Nate, the guy who talks about cream filling too much.
Kris, a.k.a. Chocolate Trunk.
Matt, big fan of O.D. McKee.
Amy, lover of grandma cookies.
And of course, our subscribers! Thanks to our small, yet coveted group. Let us know what you think and what you would like to hear about next. And as always, we really appreciate the support!
The History of Little Debbie Snack Cakes
The Little Debbie story started during the Great Depression when entrepreneur O.D. McKee began selling 5¢ snack cakes from the back of his 1928 Whippet. In 1934, he and his wife, Ruth, bought a small, failing bakery, using the family car as collateral.
In 1960, O.D. decided to name the brand after his 4- year old granddaughter Debbie and used her photo for the logo. In August of that year, the first family pack was produced and consisted of the original snack cake, the Oatmeal Creme Pie. They were individually wrapped products and the first carton was only 49 cents. After this initial introduction, more than 14 million cakes were sold within 10 months, and by 1964 there were 14 different varieties being sold.
Today, more than 75 different varieties are available. Little Debbie snacks are available in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
The top-selling Little Debbie varieties are Oatmeal Cream Pies, Swiss Cake Rolls, and Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars. McKee Foods sells more than 200 million cartons of these three products every year.
Timeline:
1935: O.D. McKee created the soft, delicious oatmeal cream pie, selling them for a nickel a piece.
1954: McKee family purchases King’s Bakery, renaming it to McKee Baking Company in 1962.
1959: The Nutty Bars were first sold.
1960: The “Family Pack” which consisted of 12 individual wrapped cakes was introduced.
1962: Swiss Cake Rolls were introduced to the Little Debbie lineup.
1964: Banana Twins, Zebra Cakes, and Raisin Creme Pies were introduced.
1966: Strawberry shortcake rolls were introduced, originally sprinkled with sugar and called Jelly Rolls. They became Strawberry Shortcake Rolls in 1994.
1968: Seasonal cakes were introduced with Chocolate Party Cakes.
1969: Fudge Brownies were introduced, featuring a classic fudgy brownie with English walnuts.
1970: Introduced as Moon Crunch Snacks in celebration of the 1969 moon landing, in 1972 the popular cookie was rebranded as Star Crunch Cosmic Cookies.
1972: Devil Squares were introduced.
1975: Fudge Rounds were created by McKee Foods employee Cliff Dildy.
1977: Peanut Butter Crunch bars were introduced.
1983: Donut Sticks were introduced as Dunk’em Sticks.
1985: The Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes were introduced. The originals were a triangular shape with a chocolate trunk.
1986: Figaroos jumped onto the scene, now known as Fig Bars. Chocolate Chip Cakes and Fancy Cakes were also introduced in 1986.
1988: Devil Cremes and Salted Caramel Cookie Bars.
1989: Frosted Fudge cakes. Also in 1989? The giant Oatmeal Creme Pie from Honey I shrunk the kids was envied by every child in America.
1992: Pecan Spinwheels.
1999: Honeybuns, Christmas Tree Brownies, and the amazing Cosmic Brownies were introduced.
2003: Chocolate Chip Creme Pies.
2009: Chocolate Cupcakes are introduced along with Frosted and Powdered Mini Donuts, followed shortly by Glazed, Cinnamon Sugar, Strawberry, and double chocolate.
2012: Little Debbie Mini Muffins hit the scene with Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, and Mini Brownies.
2014: Peanut Butter Creme Pies.
2018: Turtle Brownies.
2020: Unicorn Cakes.
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
6th/5th Place (TIE): Star Crunch
Amy: 2
Kris: 3
Matt: 4
Nate: 4
6th/5th Place (TIE): Zebra Cake
Amy: 3
Kris: 3
Matt: 5
Nate: 2
4th Place : Strawberry Shortcake Roll
Amy: 4
Kris: 4
Matt: 5
Nate: 5
3rd Place: Oatmeal Cream Pie
Amy: 4
Kris: 6
Matt: 6
Nate: 3
2nd Place: Cosmic Brownie
Amy: 4
Kris: 5
Matt: 6
Nate: 5
1st Place: Nutty Buddy
Amy: 9
Kris: 9
Matt: 8
Nate: 7
Little Debbie Fan Girl: Matt! 35/60
There you have it. Nutty Buddy gets the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Check out the Little Debbie website here for all your snacking needs.
https://littledebbie.com/
Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried all these snack cakes? Which one was your favorite? We would love to hear your rating as well.
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
And of course, remember to subscribe to hear the latest episodes. Additionally, paid subscribers will have access to monthly content where we put two restaurants head to head in a Quest for the Best battle. You definitely do not want to miss out.
Show Notes
https://littledebbie.com/291.798/little-debbie-history
https://www.mashed.com/70970/untold-truth-little-debbie/
https://www.mckeefoods.com/105/our-history
The OG Little Debbie