The company that gave meaning to the names Ho Hos, Ding Dongs and, of course, Twinkies, appears to have again found itself in financial trouble.

Hostess Brands Inc. is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection, according to The Wall Street Journal, which it also did last decade. And though that news may be gloomy for the company, its signature 150-calorie, lady finger-shaped, cream-filled treat has been the subject of much joy and wonder.

Some things to know about the Twinkie:

•It was invented in 1930 right here in Chicagoland by James Dewar — now known as Grandpa Twinkie — at Hostess' Schiller Park bakery. An advertisement for Twinkle Toes shoes inspired its name.

•While the Twinkie is among the most well-known snack treats, the honor of being Hostess' top seller is actually shared with the Hostess CupCake. The chocolaty classic was invented in 1919 — well before the Twinkie — but its signature white, squiggly icing and cream filling weren't added until more than 30 years later.

•Hostess reports 21 million Twinkies were sold last year.

•Former President Bill Clinton included a Twinkie as "an object of enduring American symbolism" when compiling the National Millennium Time Capsule.

•In 1995, students at Rice University in Houston conducted a series of experiments on the Twinkie during finals week. Dubbed The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S Project, the tests looked at how a Twinkie holds up in extreme situations. Their tests included drowning a Twinkie in a glass of water, electrocuting one and dropping one from a sixth-floor window. Results can be viewed at twinkiesproject.com.

•Despite a contention by some that Twinkies and cockroaches alone would survive nuclear destruction, Hostess recommends a 26-day shelf life for Twinkies.

•Twinkies originally were filled with banana cream, but the filling was switched to vanilla when bananas were rationed during World War II. The new flavor was so popular, Hostess kept it.

•During a 10-week period in 2010, Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, claimed to have lost 27 pounds while eating only Twinkies and other similar foods. The key to his "Twinkie Diet" he said, was to limit daily calories to 1,800 while demonstrating that in successful weight loss, caloric intake trumps nutritional value.

Sources: Hostess Brands Inc., Tribune archives, Rice University.

kthayer@tribune.com