96: Snack Attack: Oreo vs. Hydrox

Prepare for battle – a cookie battle, that is! Back in the early 1900s, two brothers invented a game changing cookie. It consisted of two crisp chocolate wafers, stuck together with a vanilla cream filling. It was delicious! It was fancy! They called it… Hydrox.

Years later, Nabisco created their own knockoff version of Hydrox. They called it the Oreo. For decades, Hydrox was the undisputed king of chocolate sandwich cookies. But in time, the tables turned.

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from:

Business 2.0. “Oreos to Hydrox: Resistance Is Futile.” February 20, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020220054213/http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,4537,FF.html.

Cahn, William. Out of the Cracker Barrel: The Nabisco Story From Animal Crackers to Zuzus. Simon & Schuster, 1969.

CBC Radio. “The Best-Selling Cookie in the World Is a Copycat Brand.” January 11, 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/undertheinfluence/the-best-selling-cookie-in-the-world-is-a-copycat-brand-1.7080582.

CBS, dir. Hydrox Cookies Turn 100. 2008. 03:16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbFiS-1fhiM.

Chenab Gourmet. “Crackers Through the Ages.” November 18, 2024. https://www.chenabgourmet.com/crackers-through-the-ages-discover-the-gourmet-secrets-that-will-transform-your-snack-game/.

Elmwood Cemetery. “Jacob Loose.” https://elmwoodcemeterykc.org/resident/jacob-loose/.

Jewish Action. “Paving the Way for Women’s Leadership: The OU Women’s Branch.” June 12, 2018. https://jewishaction.com/religion/women/paving-way-womens-leadership-ou-womens-branch/.

Kansas City Journal. “JL Loose Dies in Summer Home.” September 19, 1923.

Kansas City Journal. “Loose-Wiles New Brands Now Ready For Delivery.” November 9, 1902.

Kansas City Star. “Death of Joseph S. Loose.” n.d.

Kansas City Star. “The Cracker Trust Buys Another Kansas City Plant - An Independent Combine?” May 20, 1902.

Kansas City Star. “Who’s Who in Kansas City.” December 24, 1922.

Kansas City Times. “Lock Horns With a Trust.” May 1, 1902.

Loose Mansion. “History of Loose Mansion.” https://loosemansion.com/history/.

Los Angeles Times. “Granny Goose Parent Thinks Chips Go Well With Sunshine Biscuits.” February 10, 1988. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-10-fi-28222-story.html.

Martin, Mackenzie. “Remember Hydrox? Kansas City Created the Original Oreo Cookie.” KCUR - Kansas City News and NPR, March 6, 2024. https://www.kcur.org/history/2024-03-06/remember-hydrox-kansas-city-created-the-original-oreo-cookie.

News-Press NOW. “Soggy Cracker House Needs Some Help.” April 15, 2008. https://www.newspressnow.com/news/soggy-cracker-house-needs-some-help/article_df129ed7-c42d-5179-b43b-7de4822332b6.html.

NPR. “Episode 652: The Hydrox Resurrection.” September 18, 2015. https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/09/18/441546748/episode-652-the-hydrox-resurrection.

NYC EATS. “Adolphus Green.” https://www.newyorkcity-eats.com/adolphus-green.

Serious Eats. “How Oreos Got Their Name: The Rise of an American Icon.” https://www.seriouseats.com/history-of-oreos-bravetart-cookbook.

The Pendergast Years. “Jacob L. and Ella C. Loose.” https://pendergastkc.org/articles/jacob-l-and-ella-c-loose.

The Springfield Daily News (The Republican). “Hydrox Advertisement.” February 2, 1926.

The Topeka Daily Capital. “Home of Sunshine Biscuit All That Name Suggests.” October 24, 1917.

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