# Do you know what whoopee pies are?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 28, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891 "2011-09-28T15:39:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/1 "2011-09-28T15:39:26Z")
And where are you from?
---
### Author:  [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/2 "2011-09-28T15:45:28Z")
> [@tdn](#):
>
> And where are you from?
Is it anything like a moon pie, i.e alternating layers of marshmallow and softish graham cracker dipped in chocolate- or banana-flavored coating?
ETA: Wiki informs me that I am incorrect. I know what it is, but have only heard them called “gobs”. Pittsburgh, PA.
---
### Author:  [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/3 "2011-09-28T15:49:27Z")
Yes, I do, and I love 'em.
I’m from New Jersey originally, have lived in California for 10 years, but I spent 3 years in Central Pennsylvania, where half of the people I knew called them gobs and the other half called them whoopie pies. I called them yummy. 🙂 (Actually, they remind me most of a home baked and round instead of oblong Devil Dog.)
---
### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/4 "2011-09-28T15:54:28Z")
Yes I do. Born and raised in SoCal, but I’ve traveled a lot.
---
### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/5 "2011-09-28T15:54:46Z")
> [@psycat90](#):
>
> I spent 3 years in Central Pennsylvania, where half of the people I knew called them gobs and the other half called them whoopie pies.
Interesting. I was inspired to create this thread by a friend from that area. The only people in her office that never heard of them are from VA.
A few years ago I was in a friend’s car and we were playing 20 questions about what she was bringing to her parents’ for dessert. When I finally said that I’d never heard of them, she literally brought the car to a screeching halt and made this face: :eek:
Raised in upstate NY, been living in eastern MA for about 28 years.
---
### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/6 "2011-09-28T15:54:48Z")
Never heard of it (Canadian). It looks kind of like an uncoated [Jos. Louis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos._Louis).
---
### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/7 "2011-09-28T16:01:12Z")
From MA, but have lived in NH almost twice as long. Yes, of course. I **love** them. And I’m very sad that they average 700 calories apiece.
---
### Author:  [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/8 "2011-09-28T16:11:52Z")
> [@tdn](#):
>
> And where are you from?
Yes. Originally Ithaca NY, right now Boston.
---
### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/9 "2011-09-28T16:20:47Z")
Like some other respondents, I grew up within the Pittsburgh sphere of influence (Altoona), and we called them “gobs” there. When I moved to Lancaster, I found out they were called “whoopee pies” here. Like **psycat** notes, they’re like round Devil Dogs. But way better, because most of the time they’re not made up of vile pieces of dessicated, chocolate-flavored sponge. Every whoopee pie I’ve ever had was much moister than any Devil Dog I’ve ever had.
---
### Author:  [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/10 "2011-09-28T16:22:30Z")
No–but I like whoopee, and I like pies, so they’ve \*got \*to be good, right?
---
### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/11 "2011-09-28T16:23:40Z")
I’m from the Cleveland area and I know of them tangentially but I can’t say I’ve ever eaten one. Hmm maybe I have but didn’t know the name. They seem awfully familiar.
So yes I’ve heard of them but no I’ve never made one, known anyone that’s made one, or really remember eating one.
---
### Author:  [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/12 "2011-09-28T16:24:40Z")
Yes. I moved to PA when I was 14.
---
### Author:  [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/13 "2011-09-28T16:27:07Z")
No. Upstate NY (Rochester area).
---
### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/14 "2011-09-28T16:27:20Z")
I don’t know what a whoopee pie is (from Western Canada). I also don’t know what gobs or devil dogs are.
---
### Author:  [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/15 "2011-09-28T16:28:37Z")
West central Indiana all my life, and I love the things! You can easily find them here, too.
---
### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/16 "2011-09-28T16:30:32Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#):
>
> Yes. Originally Ithaca NY, right now Boston.
Did you know about them when you were in Ithaca?
---
### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/17 "2011-09-28T16:37:19Z")
> [@nonacetone](#):
>
> West central Indiana all my life, and I love the things! You can easily find them here, too.
That fits the idea that they’re PA Dutch/Amish/Mennonite in origin. Isn’t that part of Indiana another Amish concentration area, like southeast PA and parts of Ohio?
---
### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/18 "2011-09-28T16:38:40Z")
Is that like a whoopee cushion?
---
### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/19 "2011-09-28T16:46:26Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> That fits the idea that they’re PA Dutch/Amish/Mennonite in origin.
Hmm, I’m in Puritan country. But I’m not sure how big they are here.
---
### Author:  [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891/20 "2011-09-28T16:52:16Z")
Only because I recently received a catalog that was offering specialty pans for making them. They looked like very wide, very shallow muffin pans. There was also a picture of an actual whoopee pie next to the pans. Until then, I had never heard of them (or gobs.) I’m 51, raised in the NYC suburbs.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-whoopee-pies-are/597891.md?page=2)