03/01/2004: New Article: Hostess Choco-Bliss!
This one’s been mentioned by one of you blog commentator types a few times, so I figured, what the Hell, let’s put up a tribute to Hostess Choco-Bliss. Unlike Choco-Diles, these cakes are totally extinct and live on only through sweet memories and X-E’s exclusive commercial download featuring “Benny,” the boy who lost his friends to cake. The article is short and sweet. Choco-Bliss cakes were sweet. It was an intentional connection.
Discussion Thread: 88 comments
First post?
Posted by
Scott @ 03/01/2004 9:33 PM EST
Yay! Also, I used to love these things. I vaguely remember peeling the top layer of frosting off and eating it separately. I miss the Bliss.
Posted by
Scott @ 03/01/2004 9:34 PM EST
Third? Hey, I’m on the medal stand!
I don’t remember these, or even the commercials. As I live in a small town in an area of New Jersey where people only converge in between May and October, we only got the basic junk food and the occasional major fad. This also may have only been avalible in specific parts of the country, like the Choco-diles.
Posted by
starwenn @ 03/01/2004 9:38 PM EST
awesome
Posted by
Scourge @ 03/01/2004 9:51 PM EST
does anyone know the year these things came out? I have no relection of these. The guy in the ad, Benny looks like that guy who plays Seth in the OC. I’d like to put in a request for those old Hostess cupcakes, I forget the name the one that the bear took a bite out of.
Posted by
pikachulover @ 03/01/2004 9:56 PM EST
I always ate these things by pulling the two cakes apart. Made me feel like I was eating four treats.
I think these they came out in 86 or 87. At least I remember getting sick from eating them around that time. And they were making them at least 10 years ago. I remember going to a gas station when I was 15 and thinking about that TV spot. This is one that has stuck with me for a very long time, and I don’t know why.
On a somewhat related note of website self-promotion, my website (http://rayzak.com/dre) has Sushi made from Hostess Cakes. Check it out!
"Anyone who ate this stuff ended up looking like they tried to give oral to a shitting bear’s ass" that brought me to tears it really did
Posted by
scourge @ 03/01/2004 10:13 PM EST
This is me, kicking my ISP’s ass for not letting me send normal email.
Anyway, I have some information regarding your bag o’crap article, and since I can’t send it to you via email, I’ll just paste it here. Hope ya don’t mind.
—
http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0856/junk/42.html
That bubble gum seems to be of Mexican origin; I say this because well, I live there, and I’ve
bought that particular brand of gum for the last sixteen years. Although,I don’t really remember
it ever having that sort of packaging [the design, at least] so it has tobe from before 1988. The
green one is "Yerbabuena", sort of like the wintergreen flavored gum thatyou guys have, and
the other one is simply tutti-frutti… kinda like sweet fruit gum. I
can’t explain it.
http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0856/junk/38.html
I distinctly remember seeing this sometime in the mid 1980’s. I remember
getting one as a prize in an old cereal box, though I thought it was pretty shitty. All
you have to do is blow on one of the holes and make the ball go up. And that’s the entire point.
And uh, that’s it. I’ve seen some really weird candy down here, mostly
old, and well, if you
want some, I can send them. It’s no problem, plus you get to experience
the horror that is
having candy that tastes hotter than tabasco sauce.
Er, yeah. Later.
—
So there. Bye.
You finnaly got it out huh?
People like us have been watching this article all day..
Posted by
Cyanyde @ 03/01/2004 11:00 PM EST
W000h..
someone missed the magic..
heeey mr. mrxstaplxz
play dat funky music…
hehe,
w0000h sorry dude..
Posted by
Cyanyde @ 03/01/2004 11:03 PM EST
Y’know Matt, I’m pretty sure custom neon signs are a lot less trouble to get than what you’re willing to do to get the one from this commercial.
Then again, maybe you don’t mind losin’ a leg for total authenticity. You ate Nad’s Cream, how am I supposed to predict your neon-sign-obtaining-preferences…?
Posted by
Rewolf J @ 03/01/2004 11:11 PM EST
Holy Coincedence Batman! Why just tonight I sampled Hostess’s latest snack treat Devil’s Food Cake Twinkies. As you would expect they were just normal Devil’s Food Cake snacks except they were shaped like Twinkies.
Yes it seems Hostess’s legendary snack engineers just phoned this one in. Makes me long for the days of Choco Diles and Choco Bliss.
Posted by
Meatwad @ 03/01/2004 11:32 PM EST
Hey, I was just watching Unscrewed With Martin Sargent, and guess who was on!?! Robert Berry, from Retrocrush. Yeah, him! On TV! And I was watching!
Matt, that commerical…what? This is as bad as the commericals for Jolt cola, where they explicitly tell you it contains twice the amount of caffine. The choco bliss ad reminds me disturbingly of opium dens and the korova milk bar from A Clockwork orange. And is it just me, or did "Benny" look like the evil clone of Fred "the wizard" Savage? I rest my case.
Posted by
Jimkaider @ 03/02/2004 2:02 AM EST
I can kind of see the evil Fred Savage clone comparison. For some reason, Benny kind of scares me. Not sure why.
Posted by
Andrea @ 03/02/2004 2:42 AM EST
choco-bliss sounds a lot like what I thought chocolicious were. are chocolicious still around, and were they the same thing as choco-bliss?
Posted by
jag @ 03/02/2004 2:48 AM EST
I can’t believe that Hostess would kill off such an amazing sounding cake.
Posted by
Ian @ 03/02/2004 2:54 AM EST
sadly i dont remember these…
Posted by
heeloyd @ 03/02/2004 3:12 AM EST
I only tried these once, after talking my mom into buying them. I ate the whole box in a couple of days, and that was the last time she let me have any. I was a fat kid. I’m now a fat adult on a weight loss program. Mmmmm… chocolate.
Posted by
Hope @ 03/02/2004 3:52 AM EST
Matt, for the sake of Joe "Gremlins" Dante please look into reviewing "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" on DVD. I have yet to see it, but it sounds like it might parallel his perfect "Gremlins 2" in amount of gags and jokes. If X-E could help in DVD sales for this box office failure then maybe we could all be that much closer to "Gremlins 3."
Posted by
ME @ 03/02/2004 4:48 AM EST
Word. X .. O … foo’. XO!
Posted by
burp @ 03/02/2004 5:25 AM EST
Thats it! Those are the things I was talking about when you mentioned Chocodiles. These were always my snack cake of choise. I loved Choco-Bliss. So much chocolatey goodness that I could never understand why anyone would choose anything different! But this also saddens me because after the Chocodile article, I looked everywhere for these. Now they are sadly extinct. If anyone does happen to stumble upon them, let me know! I will certainly buy a case, and I don’t care what the expiration date is!!!
Posted by
Stilewalker @ 03/02/2004 8:16 AM EST
Man… American food culture 
Whenever I watch an 80’s commerical it seems like they were all trying too hard, and the result would be that wonderful cheesyness we’ve all come to… love?
great article Matt! XO
Posted by
chad @ 03/02/2004 8:49 AM EST
i never saw these things when i was a kid,where the hell was i?and x o is lost on me also
Posted by
meef @ 03/02/2004 8:54 AM EST
Matt once again your knowledge of the obscure saves the day. I’ve been racking my brain for the last two weeks trying to remember what the hell these things were called. I applaud you sir for your tireless efforts. Good Show.
And as a side know, I was able to score some Chocodiles recently and they are just as good as I remember.
Posted by
Brias @ 03/02/2004 10:21 AM EST
Want Choco-Diles?
909-686-5932
Wonder/Hostess Bakery #7034
2215 Third St
Riverside, CA 92501
They got em…
Posted by
Jon @ 03/02/2004 10:48 AM EST
I was more of a kudos and funny bones man myself, but i love these articles! keep them coming.
Posted by
mikey @ 03/02/2004 11:05 AM EST
I was a junor when these monstrosities were out, and I had a couple back then. mmmmmmmmmmm…..Choco….Blissssss…. And, like Matt pointed out, they stayed with you for quite some time. And as a diabetic now, I’d gladly risk my health for a few more. It’s a challenge to indulge my chocolate jones when most sugar free brands can be used as emergency laxitive. blorgh.
Posted by
kingklash @ 03/02/2004 11:56 AM EST
Exo = Outside
So it was basically an 80’s slang term equivalent for "far out"
Posted by
Chris @ 03/02/2004 12:15 PM EST
Ok, so Hostess deserves the genital warts for getting rid of choco-bliss, but I have one thing to say, and I’ve been saying it since Matt first tacked a message board to this site all those years ago,
*cough*
WHERE’S MY FUCKING PUDDIN PIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (please note the valid use of exclamations to portay anger)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t care if they ass rape the the pope with every fruit pie left in the world, I want ma puddin’ pies, you bastards.
Posted by
Toxikfoxx @ 03/02/2004 12:33 PM EST
I asked at my recently downsized Hostess Day Old Bakery about how to get ahold of Tiger Tails. The lady told me she hadn’t seen any in the Hostess stores in a long time, and that I’d probably have better luck at a 7-11 type place. No wonder Hostess Bakery stores are floundering, they’re letting their competitors get ahold of all the good stuff!
Posted by
squee4242 @ 03/02/2004 12:36 PM EST
I’ve been getting a couple Choco-Diles pretty much everytime I go to the store since they’re only $0.37 each… But last night, I made my way to my favorite isle to find that they were no longer there, and had been replaced with these Caremel Ho-Ho’s. There is no God.
Posted by
Lauren @ 03/02/2004 12:41 PM EST
Hostess Tiger Tails = Gone
Hostess Choco-Bliss = Gone
Hostess Pudding PIes = Gone
BUT! There is a petition…
http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/hostesspuddingpies/
More on the extinct junk food topic. I mourned the day when the Ferrara Pan Company quit making their “Mr. Melon” candy. It was pretty much a fat watermelon flavored Jelly Belly, but so much better. My fondest childhood memory is hanging out at the city pool in 1986, Nu Shooz’s “I Can’t Wait” playing off in the distance and a box of Mr. Melon in my hand.
I even went so far to write the company about the now defunct candy. They gave me some lame excuse that the candy was discontinued in the early ‘90s and the company has no immediate plans to bring it back. The company makes some sort of watermelon flavored lemonhead, but it sucks. Damnit.
Me no remember this either.
Benny is pretty freakin’ scary. Yow!
Posted by
Goonie4Life @ 03/02/2004 1:32 PM EST
"Chocolate on top of Chocolate, behind chocolate, under chocolate wrapped in chocolate…"
"Triple Chocolatey Outta Control!"
"Yeah!"
XO? Who the hell ever said XO? I think Hostess was trying to coin a new term, and obviously failed miserably.
Posted by
Never Eat Shredded Wheat @ 03/02/2004 1:33 PM EST
Ox! Ox I say! But not Xuxa.
Posted by
kingklash @ 03/02/2004 2:04 PM EST
Never Eat Shredded Wheat - Chris explained above that it was "Exo", not "XO".
Posted by
Julie @ 03/02/2004 2:04 PM EST
XO? I presumed it meant ‘Excellent’
Also…..Benny looks so familiar, I’m sure I’ve seen his older face in a film somewhere. hmm…
Posted by
Rondette @ 03/02/2004 2:19 PM EST
Is Chris’ theory of "Exo", as opposed to "XO", substantiated by anyone else? As a kid who had his finger on the pulse of much bad 80’s slang, I have never heard it before.
Posted by
Never Eat Shredded Wheat @ 03/02/2004 3:00 PM EST
Actually they sale tiger tails at the gas station next door to my work. One of the guys I work with bought one the other day, but he wouldn’t share. That was just mean.
Posted by
redslurpee @ 03/02/2004 4:42 PM EST
I go to school in Riverside, CA! And yes, our snack shop sells Choco-Diles. I had no idea they were so rare elsewhere.
But that’s a crying shame that they don’t make this Choco-Bliss anymore. Or that my Internet video player doesn’t work for that video.
Posted by
Andrew @ 03/02/2004 5:56 PM EST
I think for the sake of argument, we should stick with XO; it’s easier to type, and will confuse the hell out of everyone else (if it doesn’t already).
Posted by
evenbetter @ 03/02/2004 6:03 PM EST
eks-sew, eks-sew, eks-sew.
Three in a row, tic-tac-toe.
a-a-a-a-awe-some!
Posted by
kingklash @ 03/02/2004 6:11 PM EST
lol.
looks like your evil twin is back kingklash. Lucky you.
Posted by
Never Eat Shredded Wheat @ 03/02/2004 6:27 PM EST
Yeah, I deleted the second KK comment since it wasn’t made by him.
Posted by
Matt @ 03/02/2004 6:30 PM EST
but at the very least it was kinda funny. :p
Posted by
Never Eat Shredded Wheat @ 03/02/2004 6:32 PM EST
I don’t know if Kingklash would prefer people to think he refers to himself as a "h-h-homo," but if that’s the case, more power to him. 
Posted by
Matt @ 03/02/2004 6:33 PM EST
Hey Matt,
Where do you get all this archived footage of commericals and shows? Do you find it online, or is it your own personal collection? The level of obscurity of this stuff is amazing!?
Posted by
Never Eat Shredded Wheat @ 03/02/2004 6:38 PM EST
Andrew, and anyone else, get the Media Player Classic:
http://sourceforge.net/project...id=82303&package_id=84358
It is free and works with most types of video and audio from various other players. It looks like the classic Windows Media Player. You still need to download the various player for it to work though:
Windows Media Player for .wmv, .asx and .asf files
QuickTime Player .mov and .mp4 files
Real Player for .rm and .ram files
DIVX codec for .avi files
Posted by
ME @ 03/02/2004 6:49 PM EST
I checked Hostess’s official website for a product listing but couldn’t find one. It’d be interesting to know what other skeletons are hiding in Hotess’s snack closet.
Posted by
Meatwad @ 03/02/2004 7:38 PM EST
Meatwad -
Hostess Chocobliss
Hostess Oat Bran Muffins
Hostess O’s
Hostess Pudding Pies
Hostess Tiger Tails (Strawberry Twinkies)
That’s all according to this site:
http://www.hometownfavorites.com/shop/btwgb.asp
Posted by
Chris @ 03/02/2004 8:35 PM EST
Thanks for the link it brings back so many memories. Strange about Tiger Tails I just saw a bunch of them at the grocery store a month ago. They don’t have any now but I never figured they were discontinued.
Posted by
Meatwad @ 03/02/2004 9:31 PM EST
You know I don’t remember ever trying these, but that is probably because I am Canadian and we have some weird food laws about what is allowed up here and what isn’t. At least I get Twinkies.
Posted by
Gabbylicious @ 03/02/2004 9:42 PM EST
I LOVED these! We used to have to beg my mom to buy them cuz they were such garbage, and it’d stick to your fingers and youd end up with this chocolate cake stuff on the pads of your fingers in little ovals. I want a choco-bliss now. 
Posted by
Fangry @ 03/02/2004 10:01 PM EST
Tiger Tails aren’t gone. I just bought some a few days ago.
Posted by
Ian @ 03/03/2004 5:10 AM EST
Hey Matt and everyone,
I’ve been a lurker for a few months now and ever since I landed upon this site with a random search on Oscar Mayer Lunchables, I have never looked back! Excellent job on this site…I finally found someone else who appreciates all these 80’s and 90’s random products, sitcoms, commercials…etc…
Question though…After reading the Choco-Bliss article (those things were damn good), I started thinking about these cupcakes (I believe, made by Hostess) from like early 90’s that were colored chocolate cupcakes with a bite taken out of them. Something like Grizzly Chompers?? I cannot think of the name for the life of me right now and I have been forever searching on the internet during my work shift. Humor me and please tell me you know what I am talking about! This was when I still lived on Long Island, and I believe they sold them elsewhere too..I shall continue my search meanwhile….
Posted by
Renee @ 03/03/2004 9:51 AM EST
benny looks very much like one of the Savage family. Ben Savage, or the other one whose name i can’t remember.
Posted by
chico del nacho @ 03/03/2004 10:35 AM EST
I was having an attack of x there for a moment. Exo Squad, Exo Frames, Exo Skeletons, X-O Manowar, that sort of thing. And playing Toss Across with water balloons. Loser gets bombed back to Pangea. And shot with the water gun you could load up with ice.
Posted by
kingklash @ 03/03/2004 11:23 AM EST
I remember getting these as well as TMNT Pudding pies at our local Hostess bakery as a child. But my favorite has always been devil food twinkees, have not found any since 1987
Posted by
chris @ 03/03/2004 12:55 PM EST
I never had these. I hadn’t heard ofthem until today but man, these did look good. Even though they proboly had more fat than a Hippo!
Posted by
The Dragonrider @ 03/03/2004 2:03 PM EST
"I did not play a homo in Ben Hur!"
Posted by
kingklash channeling Chuck Heston @ 03/03/2004 3:14 PM EST
I’d be surprised if that kid survived the commercial shoot, the way he jams that chocolaty monstrosity wholesale into his maw. I would image he immediately fell into a sugar-shock coma and never recovered.
No joke: In middle school, I used to eat these every day for lunch. One day I gave one to a friend, and the next day he asked if I was gonna eat it… I said no and gave it to him. Next day, he asked again. I said I was gonna eat it, and he totally freaked out and started screaming and pounding on the table. These things shoulda had a warning label. Just one dose will hook ya!
Posted by
Mike T @ 03/03/2004 5:26 PM EST
I can also find Tiger Tails easily.
What I REALLY want though is some Cambell’s Southwest-style Chicken Vegetable soup. I haven’t seen any in my town for years… I guess I could always try making money on Ebay by selling Tiger Tails for a little more than I paid.
Posted by
RewolfJ @ 03/03/2004 7:05 PM EST
Choco-Bliss was the king of junk foods, if only for a brief while. I still remember the time back in elementary school when my mom packed one in my lunch every day for a week.
I can’t remember for sure, but I seem to recall eating one of these some time in the not too distant past. Of course, it could’ve just been some generic snack cake that only resembled a Choco-Bliss.
I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten either a Choco-Dile or a Tiger Tail, however.
I used to work with this girl who instead of saying "no" when asked to do something she would answer by saying "shan’t", but she pronounced it "shont". This has nothing to do with this article but it is something I wished to share.
Posted by
shinymetallic @ 03/04/2004 5:02 PM EST
…the kind of throat-tickling whipped creme that sent chills all the way down to your testicles…a swollen baton of chocolate wonder…ended up looking like they tried to give oral to a shitting bear’s ass. You gotta love this site. Kudos Matt, you have once again outdone yourself in the quest to describe obscure 80’s shit in a unique and entertaining manner. Mmmmm Kudos
Posted by
King A @ 03/04/2004 9:51 PM EST
Auctually Choco-Bliss is being sold in a Walmart near me…. out on Long Island. I had no idea they were virtually gone…
Posted by
EBK @ 03/06/2004 2:42 PM EST
Walmart!
We have to go there?
XO = short for Excellent
These came out about 1987, they WERE available in NJ, and I’d sell my firstborn for just one Choco Bliss, once a month. Washed down w/YooHoo.
Posted by
stricken_detective @ 03/16/2004 6:36 AM EST
They still have them, but under the name Suzy Qs.
Posted by
Homepie @ 03/24/2004 8:19 PM EST
Like listening to the audio version of "ChocoBliss" isn’t the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my life! Hahaha! Happy Easter!
Posted by
Goonie4Life @ 04/11/2004 9:20 AM EDT
No way, dude. Suzy Q’s have white cream in the middle, not chocolate. And no frosting.
Where on Long Island is this WalMart?
Posted by
stricken_detective @ 04/24/2004 4:05 PM EDT
We did have these in Canada!!!!!! I would stop at 7-11 on the way from school everyday (1989) and pick one up. Man I miss the Choco-Bliss
Posted by
jay @ 05/04/2004 10:56 AM EDT
I swear that dark haired kid is the antagonist in the 2000 movie gladiator.
The incestual guy, cant remember his name
Posted by
Tang @ 05/13/2004 8:50 AM EDT
Never heard of the Choco Bliss and anything else but the Chocolicious was the most amazing hostess snack ever for chocolate eaters. it was a chocolate cake with a chocolate layer in between, chocolate icing on top with chocolate sprinkles. There is nothing left to put on this snack cake….it was the ultimate. But I only saw them around for a few months, im not sure they even lasted a year. WHY IS THIS?!
Posted by
Leslie383 @ 07/03/2004 3:28 AM EDT
Fred Savage is already evil, so would it still be possible for him to have an evil twin? Aren’t evil twins required to come in tandem with a good counterpart?
Posted by
Count Jorga @ 07/13/2004 5:05 AM EDT
Do you know anything about bubble gum flavored gummy bears? Yes,it sounds disgusting, but yet they are so tasty. I haven’t seen them since I was 10, probably because I ate the last of them. You seem to have had pretty good luck locating a variety of disgusting old goodies. Do you have any suggestions?
Posted by
Victoria @ 09/15/2004 1:32 PM EDT
I am just glad to see that someone besides me remembers that Choco-Bliss exsisted. They were my favorite as a kid. I really wish Hostess would bring them back. Thanks for doing the tribute!
Posted by
Cassie @ 11/02/2004 12:39 PM EST
Choco Bliss sounds awesome! If someone finds them being re-made please post here. For those of you that need a fix, you can get Chocodiles fast at Fresh Chocodiles
Thanks so much for posting this article and commercial. I remember when this commercial first aired, I was in second grade. Just the name …’Choco-Bliss’..made me want it. I mean, I would think about this shit during school I wanted it so bad. I only had this snack one time in my life but I remember it in detail. It was a giant chocolatey indulgent mess that made me so hyper I think I broke one of the dining table chairs. Thank you, x-entertainment, for bringing this memory back into my life.
Posted by
David @ 08/27/2006 10:00 PM EDT
Yay! I’ve been meaning to see if anyone out there remembers these things besides me! I toured the Hostess factory on a first grade field trip (not too educational, but a student in our class had a father who delivered Hostess products.) I remember the even more short-lived Choco-Bliss mint. Mmmmm…
Posted by
Angelee @ 10/25/2006 8:53 PM EDT
Choco Bliss was the BOMB!! My younger friends think I lived in a fairytale land where we ate Choco Bliss, and watched the Great Space Coaster, or the Last Unicorn. Why don’t they believe me??!!! See Rex & Darlene!! I TOLD YOU these existed. In effort to stop this 10 year long craving, I’ve decided I want a GIANT Choco Bliss cake for my 30th, and Darlene, It’s up to YOU to replicate it, so READ UP BEBE!
Posted by
Heidi @ 11/17/2006 7:10 PM EST
I do remember Choco Bliss, and I loved them as a kid. Don’t know why they discontinued them, it was a chocolate lovers dream. Would really enjoy one right now!!
Posted by
Empress @ 03/25/2007 2:16 PM EST
Dude, I can’t believe I finally found out what the hell those things were. I used to get em all the time on my paper route when I was like 8 years old. They were so fu#@in good! I’ve been looking for them for years, but I didn’t remember what they were called. I found the Choco-Diles a couple years ago, and thought that since they were still in production maybe these were too. I’m so depressed to find out that they’re long gone. We need to start a petition to get Hostess to bring em back. They were the fu@#in best!
Posted by
Dave @ 11/10/2008 12:57 AM EST
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