# RIP Twinkie



## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

So have you all heard about Hostess? The workers went on strike and now Hostess is supposedly shutting down.

Better grab the last of your nuclear holocaust food while you can!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Yes, it's true....

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Twinkies-Maker-Hostess-Going-Out-of-Business-CEO-Blames-Union-Strike-179670091.html

Love me some Twinkies....

Betsy


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Definitely the beginning of the end....


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

They are already talking about people making Hostess runs on the markets and hoarding.. TWINKIES.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The report I heard on the news is that, contrary to popular opinion, the shelf life is only about 4 weeks.

I call BS. . . .  

I also heard that recipes and such were likely to be sold to some other snack food producer, so they may not go away altogether.

Personally, it's HoHo's that do it for me. . . . . I like to peel the hard 'chocolate' off and then unwrap the 'cake' licking up the 'cream' as I go.  I should put some on the store list!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

T.L. Haddix said:


> I hate Twinkies. Always have. But it makes me very sad to think that going forward, there are going to be generations of Americans who don't know what a Twinkie is. I'm not sure why that makes me so sad; maybe because of what the company's going under represents.


Well, I've not glued myself to the news reports but, as I understand it, this strike is just the last straw. They've been through some sort of bankruptcy/reorganization at least once before -- and I thought I heard it was twice in the last 10 years or so. Point is: the company hasn't been in good shape for a while. My _guess_ is, fond childhood memories notwithstanding, I'm not sure too many parents are regularly buying up their products to give to their own kids.  And they've apparently not tried to develop new options, or the ones they did didn't work.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Personally, it's HoHo's that do it for me. . . . . I like to peel the hard 'chocolate' off and then unwrap the 'cake' licking up the 'cream' as I go. I should put some on the store list!


I like Ho-Hos, too....though I didn't disect them. 

Betsy


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## cork_dork_mom (Mar 24, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Personally, it's HoHo's that do it for me. . . . . I like to peel the hard 'chocolate' off and then unwrap the 'cake' licking up the 'cream' as I go. I should put some on the store list!


We didn't have HoHo's where I grew up but we did have Hostess Cupcakes. I used to do the same thing, peel the top layer of frosting with those ever-so-perfect little white swirls, set that aside, eat the cake part then feast on the frosting. Oh, the joy of middle school lunch!

I'm not much into sweets but I may have to buy a remembrance box of Twinkies and have a farewell party to the brand.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

no more 99 cent deep fried twinkies on Freemont street......likely going to pick up a box of ding dongs when I head over to the dog park today.

sadly that is 18000 plus jobs lost across the country and 200+ jobs here in las vegas alone


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I like Ho-Hos, too....though I didn't disect them.
> 
> Betsy


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Its a sad day in my life...  Twinkies,  The chocolate cupcakes... those sno-balls, sigh.... I'm hoping someone else starts making them..


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

What makes me the most upset over this is that these unions put all of these people out of a job when the job market is already bad enough for people legitimately looking for work.  These people had, what I have to imagine were decently paying, jobs and put themselves out of them by going on strike.  The cakes will be fine... other companies will buy the rights and we'll still have them, but the greed of the unions kind of irks me.


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## Anita (Jan 3, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> What makes me the most upset over this is that these unions put all of these people out of a job when the job market is already bad enough for people legitimately looking for work. These people had, what I have to imagine were decently paying, jobs and put themselves out of them by going on strike. The cakes will be fine... other companies will buy the rights and we'll still have them, but the greed of the unions kind of irks me.


http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/07/26/hostess-twinkies-bankrupt/


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Interesting. Huge drops in market share, six different CEOs in ten years, and the company alienated the workers by arranging for raises of up to 80% for upper management at the same time it was calling for shared sacrifice with pay cuts and benefits loss for workers. On the other hand, nobody did anything about restrictive work rules that the union should have agreed to jettison. What a mess! 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## readingril (Oct 29, 2010)

My BIL worked for them until about 2 years ago when they started having problems. He worked for A&P before that until they started having problems. I'm waiting for the Ma & Pa type grocery store he's working for to go out of business next...


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

OK, folks....this was intended, as indicated by the initial post, to be a light-hearted remembrance of our favorite (for at least some of us) snack food.

Let's keep it to that...

Betsy
KB Moderator


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I like this from Anita's link:

Despite that convoluted history, Twinkies have not much changed since James Alexander Dewar invented them as a Depression-era treat while managing the Continental plant in suburban Chicago. Through the caloric ages, Twinkies developed their own lore and legend. Tens of millions were sold each year. In the 1950s they were a sponsor of Howdy Doody. More recently students at Rice University dropped one from the top of a six-story building, and despite emitting a distinct splurt, the Twinkie barely had a dent. A Twinkie TV commercial became a cult classic: It featured the bandanna-wearing, lasso-twirling mascot Twinkie the Kid, who proclaimed, "You get a big delight in every bite" (plus, of course, a dosage of dextrose, calcium caseinate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, and sodium acid pyrophosphate). There was also the notorious (and unsuccessful) "Twinkie defense" -- the idea that eating too much sugar might cause sufficient "diminished capacity" to get an accused murderer off.

Betsy


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Personally, it's HoHo's that do it for me. . . . . I like to peel the hard 'chocolate' off and then unwrap the 'cake' licking up the 'cream' as I go. I should put some on the store list!


I thought I was the only one that ate HoHo's like that. I'll really miss my HoHo's, Little Debbie's just don't taste the same.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

sebat said:


> I thought I was the only one that ate HoHo's like that. I'll really miss my HoHo's, Little Debbie's just don't taste the same.


No they don't. Just like Hydrox are NOT Oreos. 

The only Little Debbies that I like are ones that are their own thing. . . like the Star Crunch and there's also some oatmeal thing that's pretty good.

They had a thing on the news this afternoon about people buying them by dozens. . .some said they were going to keep them as a collector's item!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I never found Twinkies appealing at all.  On the other hand, I ate more than my share of Hostess Fruit Pies, mainly apple, back in the day.  Of course. Lots of other companies make equivalent fried pies, so those won't be missed.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Scheherazade said:


> What makes me the most upset over this is that these unions put all of these people out of a job when the job market is already bad enough for people legitimately looking for work. These people had, what I have to imagine were decently paying, jobs and put themselves out of them by going on strike. The cakes will be fine... other companies will buy the rights and we'll still have them, but the greed of the unions kind of irks me.


Thank you for saying that. My sentiments exactly.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I never found Twinkies appealing at all. On the other hand, I ate more than my share of Hostess Fruit Pies, mainly apple, back in the day. Of course. Lots of other companies make equivalent fried pies, so those won't be missed.


Which companies HC? I love me some Hostess Fruit Pies but can't find them or equivalent in stores around here.


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## kindlequeen (Sep 3, 2010)

I'm with Hooded Claw and mom133d; I have never found twinkies, hoho's, cupcakes or any of those with the cream filling to be appealing.  Something about the cream!  However, I will miss the pies.  My dad used to eat the apple ones, I would always have berry, and we'd fight over the chocolate!

Might have to pick one (or ten) up tonight for old time's sake.  

I am a bit sad for my brother, he's losing his beloved twinkies.... poor kid


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

mom133d (aka Liz) said:


> Which companies HC? I love me some Hostess Fruit Pies but can't find them or equivalent in stores around here.


My advice is to look for local bakeries like this one.
http://www.okgourmet.com/ok/arbuckleokc.html

Back in the day, Dolly Madison made fruit pies Similar to, but not as good as the Hostess ones.


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## Nova_Implosion (Jul 20, 2012)

Maybe this is what the Mayans were predicting.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I have never had a Twinkie.  Hmmm.  Guess I shouldn't start now. 
deb


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

All of this reminds me of...

http://www.twinkiesproject.com/

Enjoy!


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

I grew up not far from that l.a. factory and when I was in 4th grade we went on tour of the factory. It seemed much farther away than it actually was. We all got a package of Twinkies at the end... best field trip ever!


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)




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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I was never one to enjoy Twinkies, but the "Twinkie Defense" must be one of the coolest ways to beat a murder rap.

And will someone think of the poor CEO and executives who are losing their pay. Rumors were:



> as the company was preparing to file for bankruptcy earlier this year, the then CEO of Hostess was awarded a 300 percent raise (from approximately $750,000 to $2,550,000) and at least nine other top executives of the company received massive pay raises. One such executive received a pay increase from $500,000 to $900,000 and another received one taking his salary from $375,000 to $656,256.


Other sites are issuing a correction that says he only made measly $100,000 per month and he is now cutting pay to $1 or whenever Hostess came out of bankruptcy. Who really knows. My best guess is it was a money grab at the top knowing full well the company was going under. Maybe they'll use the "Twinkie Defense" to cover fiscal misconduct.


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## 908tracy (Dec 15, 2009)

SNO-Balls!!!!!    

Never been a fan of any other Hostess products, but oh those Sno-balls.....hoping someone keeps those going!!!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Did you know the original Twinkies had banana filling?

*Homemade Twinkies*

Adapted from leitesculinaria.com

Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

FOR THE CAKES:
Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil
60 grams ( 1/2 cup) cake flour
30 grams ( 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs at room temperature, separated
12 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

FOR THE FILLING:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
165 grams (1 1/2 cups) confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff
2 tablespoons heavy cream.

1. For the cakes: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position.

2. To make single-use Twinkie molds, cut 12 pieces of aluminum foil 12 inches wide by 14 inches long. Fold each piece of foil in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again to create a rectangle that's about 6 inches long and 7 inches wide. Repeat to make a dozen rectangles.

3. Place one sheet of folded foil on a work surface with a standard-size spice jar on its side in the center of the foil. Bring the long sides of the foil up around the jar, folding the sides and ends as necessary to make a tight trough-shape from which the jar can be removed. Repeat to make 12 foil molds. Spray generously with nonstick spray or coat with vegetable oil. Place the molds on a baking sheet.

4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and butter until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Cover to keep warm.

5. Using a standing mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the whites reach soft peaks.

6. Transfer the beaten egg whites to a large bowl and add the egg yolks to the standing mixer bowl (there's no need to clean the bowl). Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is very thick and a pale lemon color, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten egg whites to the yolks, but do not mix.

7. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg whites and then mix everything on low speed for just 10 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer, make a well in one side of the batter, and pour the melted butter mixture into the bowl. Fold gently with a large rubber spatula until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and yolks are evenly mixed, about 8 strokes.

8. Immediately scrape the batter into the prepared molds, filling each with about

3/4 inch of batter. Bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pan containing the molds to a wire rack and allow the cakes to cool in the molds.

9. For the filling: Using a mixer, beat together the butter, confectioners' sugar and Marshmallow Fluff. Add the cream and beat just until smooth.

10. Just before filling the cakes, remove them from the foil. Using the end of a chopstick, poke three holes in the bottom of each cake. Wiggle the tip of the chopstick to make room for the filling. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe frosting into the holes in each cake, taking care not to overfill, until it gently expands. Unlike real Twinkies, these won't last indefinitely. They're best served still slightly warm.

Yield: 12 homemade Twinkies.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I think that means the zombie apocalypse is truly coming.  Wasn't the pursuit of an elusive Twinkie a key part of that movie Zombieland?  I think so...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Leslie said:


> *Homemade Twinkies*
> 
> .......
> 
> Yield: 12 homemade Twinkies.


That's just too hard. . . . . .


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

balaspa said:


> I think that means the zombie apocalypse is truly coming. Wasn't the pursuit of an elusive Twinkie a key part of that movie Zombieland? I think so...


Yeah, but he didn't look for twinkies like he shoulda









and it means poor Wall-e's pet may not get his twinkie after all


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Poor Max










That was probably the last taste of a real Twinkie he'll ever have...


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

It's time to graduate from Twinkies to Europe's tastier and more dignified oblong, cream-filled dessert...


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## geniebeanie (Apr 23, 2009)

Not a fan of twinkies but no more Suzie Q's!  Not to mention ding dongs and funny bones,my heart is sad.  No more wonder bread or Drakes cakes it is sickening people are selling twinkies for up to almost fiftiy dollars a box.  Thank God we still have Tasty Cakes.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Apparently Grupo Bimbo bakery is interested in Hostess.They are the largest bakery I think anywhere? They are based in Mexico and have a USA bimbo too. They own part of Sara Lee and also Orowheat among others. 

I have never eaten a Twinkie, not really familiar with them.


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## KTaylor-Green (Aug 24, 2011)

Twinkies used to be one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Loved the creamy filling!


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I used to live off of Ding Dongs, of all things.  My brother, meanwhile, loved Ho Hos.  I mean, really, they are the same thing, but somehow we loved them differently and would not eat each others stuff.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Pretty sure Bimbo owns Mrs Baird's too.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

There was a hostess thrift store a couple miles from home.
My mother would go there and load up on the fruit pies, Twinkies, HoHos (which I also licked apart) etc. and they would be our school snacks.  I loved the HoHos, hated the Snoballs. Apple n Blueberry pies were the best...hated the others.

Guess I will be making a trip to the Hostess place n seeing what they got.

My X Husband LOVED Twinkies...maybe I will buy some and stuff my kids faces so they can brag that they had them at Mom's


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

I think this is the sign that the apocalypse is upon us!!!


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## Guest (Nov 19, 2012)

Couldn't they just have hired new workers (plenty of unemployed people willing to take any job nowadays right?) and dumped the uncooperative union folks altogether... but I'm guessing there's a law against that?


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

News now is that they've been ordered into mediation...so there's hope for our Ding Dongs after all!


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

I'm more of a HO HO guy not so much Ding Dongs.


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## J H Bogran (Jul 19, 2011)

MalloryMoutinho said:


> Better grab the last of your nuclear holocaust food while you can!


It's a good thing they´ll last a long, long, long time. 

Heard on separate news that the product may survive if sold. The Grupo Bimbo from Mexico seems to be interested. They already make a Twinkie-like product named "Gansito" Yep, that means little goose.


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## Guest (Nov 19, 2012)

I'm also surprised Bakers union members don't revolt against their leadership and break strike when at risk of actually losing their jobs.


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## Lee44 (Sep 9, 2012)

I ate Twinkies and some of the others when I was a child.  Have not had any since, but am really sad to hear that (despite the fact that they are not really good for you) a company as iconic as that would fold.  It's just sad.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Thumper said:


> News now is that they've been ordered into mediation...so there's hope for our Ding Dongs after all!


I'll be first in that line...lol.


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## Nova_Implosion (Jul 20, 2012)

gljones said:


> I'm more of a HO HO guy not so much Ding Dongs.


I get it now...


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## JamescCamp (Oct 18, 2012)

One gets the feeling this was just a clever PR move by Hostess to get everyone mourning Twinkies, when they knew all along they weren't really going to shut down.

Think of how high the sales must be right now.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I read last night that the mediation failed and they are in bankruptcy court today.


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## Guest (Nov 21, 2012)

After reading more about the story I have to switch sides to the employees. Greedy as hell 'executives'/'upper management', what the heck do they even do that's so hard to justify raising already enormous salaries by so much... I bet there are people who could do what they do as well for $50,000.

Firefighters, cops and other people who risks their lives, and people who experience seeing traumatic situations all the time eg. EMTs and emergency room doctors>'executives' in terms of deserving high pay. And don't talk about 'stress' executives endure because small business owners take more stress for sure... after all if they fail they are quite possibly in real danger, while highly paid 'executives' could retire after working for 1-5 years and live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

*rant over*


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

Sounds like the company just folded up today.  I suspect pieces will get bought up by foreign entities. 
Don't worry about me, my underground bunker is well supplied so I will be OK when the zombies attack.

Excuse that, been watching too much Walking Dead lately.


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## MalloryMoutinho (Aug 24, 2012)

DOH!

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=twinkies&_sop=16


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## Lee44 (Sep 9, 2012)

MalloryMoutinho said:


> DOH!
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=twinkies&_sop=16


Now that is crazy!


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Wouldn't want to accidentally hit the buy button!!
RIDICULOUS!!


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