When people look back on their childhoods, they often have items that define certain periods of their lives. For many people, certain foods can fill this role. People will often recall food products such as Lunchables or Fruit Roll-ups as staples of their childhood diets, possibly even buying them again on occasion in order to feel a hint of childhood bliss once more. However, as time goes on, some of the foods beloved by children seemingly vanish from the shelves as newer products take their place and new information becomes available showing the products as highly unhealthy. That’s exactly what happened to Oreo Cakesters – a staple food of my childhood. These snack cakes are what I would bring to school as a snack in first grade. After a brief break from them, my seven year old self disappointedly learned they had been discontinued. As I grew older, I continued to mourn this lost relic of my childhood.

Oreo Cakesters were originally released in 2007 to stores nationwide. Mimicking the classic black and white cookie, Oreo Cakesters were essentially snack cakes featuring chocolate cake on either side of a white creme/frosting filling. Later on, the selection eventually grew to include the golden Oreo flavor as well. No matter the flavor, Oreo Cakesters tasted like absolute heaven wrapped in a blue wrapper. That’s why when they disappeared from the shelves of grocery stores everywhere in 2012, fans of these adored snack cakes, such as myself, were left confused and upset. Consequently, we signed petition after petition to bring back our favorite childhood snack. For years, it seemed as though there was no hope of the snack cakes’ return and that they would just have to live on in the minds of those who had loved them while they were on shelves, but on Sept. 30, 2021, everything changed. 

After dropping some suspicious hints on their Twitter account the previous day, that fateful September morning brought great joy as Oreo announced they would be bringing back the classic Cakesters in 2022 alongside a new Nutter Butter flavor. On Jan. 6, 2022, the company hinted at a partnership with Blockbuster on Twitter, later revealing they would be working with the company to promote the re-release of Oreo Cakesters to certain areas on Jan. 7. Immediately following the announcement, fans who could raced to their nearest store to find the snack cakes. For the rest of us Cakester fans, we were now forced to wait until the snack cakes were released to a larger selection of stores on Jan. 13 or for them to become available nationwide in mid-February. However, they were back, and that’s all that mattered.

The love for these snack cakes can be seen as an extension of nostalgia. The majority of people excited for their return continually make remarks on social media about their memories of eating the snack cake back in its original run. For instance, I have fond memories of bringing them to school for snack time in first grade. When I realized they had been discontinued I was devastated. Though this level of nostalgia brings overwhelming positivity to the situation, it brings some downsides as well. With so many people trying to buy the new variation of the Oreo Cakesters, it became increasingly difficult to find them in stores, marking them as coveted to those who were able to actually find them at their local grocery store. Once the bright blue box entered the hands of the buyer, there was a wave of excitement and anticipation to retaste the flavor you have been craving for so long. There was a wave of nervousness too as fear started to creep in. As happy as it may make people, nostalgia can often cause people to become blindsided from reality. 

The quintessential question continued to linger, “What if they’re not as good as I remember?”

As I opened up the familiar blue package for the first time in nearly a decade, I was immediately hit with the evocative smell of artificial chocolate and the sweet filling, bringing to mind memories of sitting on the carpet during snack time in elementary school. The excitement and nerves washed over my body as I took that first bite, flavors of chocolate and frosting filling my mouth. Was it exactly as I remembered? Not really, but it was still incredible. 

And with that one, singular taste, the decade of waiting for their return has been worth it.