I felt like we could be cheating future generations.

No more Twinkies?

You kidding me?

It was a passing thought one morning as I ate McDonald's oatmeal and wished it was a pack of mini, white-powdered doughnuts.

I felt better when Hostess announced another company ultimately will buy the Hostess brand, which includes Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos, along with Dolly Madison, which includes Zingers and Coffee Cakes.

For the record, I've always felt like a three pack of Zingers is a vastly under-rated bargain.

Ding Dongs. As kids, we giggled every time we said the words.

Truth is, growing up, I went fairly easy on the Twinkies and Ho Hos. But if I had a nickel for every MoonPie I ate, I could probably afford Blues season tickets today.

I spent a lot of time at my grandparents' home in Alorton. They always had a box of MoonPies in the cabinet. MoonPies --a tasty blend of marshmallow, graham cracker and chocolate -- are still being made today in Chattanooga, Tenn.

I travel there occasionally and I often buy a MoonPie at the airport, for sentimental sake. They taste the same today as 40 years ago.

I probably should not be writing about my childhood snacking habits.

There is a lot of attention on healthy eating and increased exercisefor kids today. It's important. There are more chubby kids today than when I was a chubby kid. It was a different world then. A chubby kid would walk a mile to and from the local confectionery to get his pack of Twinkies and bottle of YooHoo.

I'm traditional, which really means I hang onto the past. The possibility of losing Twinkies made me think about some other snacks that have disappeared from the shelves. I wish those snacks were still around today, to enjoy in moderation, of course, followed by brisk exercise:

Gator Gum. In the late 1970s, it was billed as "the thirst-quenching gum for the sports minded" and originally claimed to be a dry-mouth cure for athletes. We quickly found out we could chew all the gum we wanted and still be thirsty.

Runner-up:

Dr Pepper Gum. The syrup inside the gum actually tasted like Dr. Pepper.

JELL-O Pudding Pops.These sweet treats had "all the goodness of pudding, frozen on a stick," according to Bill Cosby. But the world still loves its pudding, mostly in a cup, unfrozen.

Keebler's Tato Skins. I thought the Keebler elves had it right with these "skin on" potato chips that tasted like a baked potato. Wrong. I think even the elves preferred Doritos.

Hydrox (cookie). The inspiration for Oreos, the first Hydrox were sold in 1908 and were billed as "America's first cr(*143*)me-filled chocolate cookie."

Dunk them in milk. Good. But not an Oreo.

PB Max. This snack bar was a big hit in the Mackin household. Peanut butter and oats on top of a whole- grain cookie encased in milk chocolate.

Anything with peanut butter and chocolate was big in our house, which was why we handed out Reese's Peanut Butter Cups every Halloween for several decades.

Reggie Bar. When Reggie Jackson was with the New York Yankees in the late 1970s, he believed the Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Babe Ruth and he wondered why there was not a candy bar named after him. The Reggie Bar has been retired. The Reggie hot dog may have been more appropriate.

Mars Marathon (Candy Bar). In the early 1970s, no candy bar measured up to the Mars Marathon bar, measuring a whopping eight inches. Later, a 15-inch "limited version" was sold. The wrapper even included a ruler, just for skeptics.

Mr. T Cereal. It was a much cooler version ofCap'n Crunch named after actor Mr. T, who starred in TV's "The A-Team" and as boxer Clubber Lang in "Rocky III." "We pity the fool who doesn't get this daily allowance of fortified B vitamins."

Runner-ups: Oreo Os cereal, which was available in the late 1990s. I mean, what kid (or adult like me) could resist cookies for breakfast? Same for Ice Cream Cones cereal, available in the late 1980s. Each piece was shaped like a real ice-cream cone. They were promoted by a cartoon mascot named Ice-Cream Jones, who was fairly annoying.

Sweet memories, indeed.

But I think future generations will be just fine without Gator Gum, Pudding Pops and Mr. T cereal, as long as there are Twinkies, Zingers and MoonPies.