In the DC area, they were always Ding Dongs.
They’ve always been Ding Dongs in California (at least where I grew up in southern CA and where I live now in the SF Bay Area). Never heard King Dons until I got on the net years ago.
I was going to mention that Weird Al uses “yo, Ding Dong–Ding Dong, yo!” in his video for “Fat”–and then I looked at the bottom of the page and saw the Google ad for Weird Al. That amused me. 
I’ve only seen them as King Dons in Western Canada. I suspected they were the same as Ding Dongs. I don’t know if I’ve ever eaten one; I tried a Hostess Fruit Pie once, and that was some nasty shit. Turned me off the whole line of Hostess snack “foods” - I’m sure I tried a Twinkie once, but I don’t recall being impressed.
I think they should’ve compromised and called them King Dongs.
Seconded. Then again, I was born in 1986. Never heard of King Dons until now.
I remember seeing the King Dons name in the 7-11 and UniMart stores and wondering WTF happened to Ding Dongs? Eastern PA, growing up in the 60’s for reference sake.
Huh. I grew up in the 70s - early 80s if it makes a difference. For a long while they were wrapped in foil, and we’d always store them in the freezer. So good.
I’d heard people call them Ding Dongs, and just figured they were pronouncing them wrong or mixing them up with Ring Dings.
And while I have a certain love for Cup Cakes and Devil Dogs, nothing Hostess or Drake’s makes can touch a Peanut Butter KandyKake or a Butterscotch Krimpet. 
I have known them as Ding Dongs all my life. I grew up on the Eastern part of PA.
Really? In the elementary school of the little Ohio River town where I grew up, Hostess Fruit Pies were the gold standard for trading food at lunchtime. You could get anything for a Hostess Fruit Pie - it was like crack for fourth graders. I still have one now and then, when I notice them at the supermarket, although I’ll admit I don’t like them as much as I used to.
And incidentally, we had Ding Dongs too. Never heard of King Dons until this thread.
They were King Dons, then Ding Dongs, then King Dons, then Ding Dongs in Florida.
Me too. And if I recall correctly from a previous NJ thread, you grew up in the town next to mine. Mine town is affectionately known as “Potswood.” Remember the Brown Bag? I’m pretty sure they sold Ding Dongs. In any case, I’m positive they sold Devil Dogs!
I can’t tolerate that kind of thing anymore. My adult palate craves salty things.
Cultural difference, I suspect. I’m sure there are plenty of Canadians who eat Ding Dongs, Twinkies, and Hostess Fruit Pies, but I don’t actually know any of them. These snacks don’t play a very large role in our snacking lives here.
I am just slightly older than the OP, I grew up in the Midwest, and I swear, I have never ever heard of King Dons before this moment.
If I had seen the picture in that first link without context, I would have assumed some Don King fan had been Photoshopping.
I do remember the King Ding Dong mascot (along with Twinkie The Kid and Fruit Pie the Magician), and I remember Ding Dongs that came wrapped in foil and tasted much better (chocolateyer, lexx waxy) than the ones they sell today.
Maybe so, but what other snack foods can defeat supervillains? Seriously, just give Luthor a Hostess fruit pie and he’s ready to go to jail.
They were Ding Dongs when I was a kid—Chicago area in the 70’s. I never heard the term “King Dons” until the 80’s, in the South.
So what’s the explanation for all the name variation? “Ding Dongs” sounds too phallic? I know who Don King is, but who in god’s name is King Don?
I don’t quite get what you mean by the last sentence there.
Perhaps he meant “Note,” not “Not”? Or not.
Hee. I sure do remember the Brown Bag. I used to love going in after school and buying a dollars worth of penny and nickel candies.
My mother rented the building 2 doors down (she tried her hand at a consignment [junk] shop) for a couple of years when I was in elementary school (Woodland) and I’d walk there after school.
I don’t think we ever bought Hostess items from an actual store. We always went to the outlet store/bakery in East Brunswick. Same with Drake’s.
I don’t much care for the processed sugary stuff anymore either, but I can still enjoy a krimpet every couple of years or whenever I head back home. (Although I did have some over the summer, a thoughtful co-worker bought me a box online for my birthday.)
Born in '70 in the DC area. I remember Ding Dongs and King Dons. Up til now I thought that the King Dons were just larger, deluxe versions of Ding Dongs. Go figure.
I remember Woodland elementary and hanging out in the playground. I have no idea what I was doing there, since it was not my school. I guess we thought it was better and more exotic than our own school playground. There were those cagey/crawlie things there that we liked.
Altough I haven’t been to that area in years, now that I’m thinking about it, I miss the Brown Bag. Even though it was kind of dirty and it smelled funny.
Aaaand, back on to the topic of the Ding Dong.