# What were Oreo cookies originally called? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 7, 2013, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271 "2013-03-07T07:09:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![merle12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@merle12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merle12)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/1 "2013-03-07T07:09:21Z")
I want to know What were Oreo cookies originally called? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/2 "2013-03-07T07:12:14Z")
It’s always been called Oreo but was a rip-off of the preexisting Hydrox. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/3 "2013-03-07T07:13:35Z")
Reported for forum change. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/4 "2013-03-07T08:35:10Z")
I’ll move this to GQ since it fits there better. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/5 "2013-03-07T09:58:04Z")
According to Wikipedia - 1912 Oreo Biscuit / 1921 Oreo Sandwich / 1948 Oreo Creme Sandwich / 1974 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie. Wikipedia can be a wonderful source of information, you should look into it. What I found interesting in that article was that that the reasoning behind naming the cookie Oreo is unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/6 "2013-03-07T14:13:21Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > What I found interesting in that article was that that the reasoning behind naming the cookie Oreo is unknown. It’s round on both sides with a center of cream? Yeah I know it’s not cream. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/7 "2013-03-07T14:34:46Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > It’s always been called Oreo but was a rip-off of the preexisting Hydrox. I was wondering, too, whether the OP was thinking of Hydrox, which [still are being made](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Hydrox100_jeh.JPG/745px-Hydrox100_jeh.JPG), although I personally have never seen one in my life. I assume they must be very regional. ETA: [Actually, no they don’t seem to be in production anymore](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrox). Looks like they ceased production in the late 90s, but had a limited release in the late 2000s. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/8 "2013-03-07T14:47:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I was wondering, too, whether the OP was thinking of Hydrox, which [still are being made](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Hydrox100_jeh.JPG/745px-Hydrox100_jeh.JPG), although I personally have never seen one in my life. I assume they must be very regional. ETA: [Actually, no they don’t seem to be in production anymore](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrox). Looks like they ceased production in the late 90s, but had a limited release in the late 2000s. They weren’t regional, but they weren’t as popular, so a lot of stores didn’t carry them. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/9 "2013-03-07T14:57:21Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > They weren’t regional, but they weren’t as popular, so a lot of stores didn’t carry them. There used to be a hydrox factory in the next town over from where I grew up, but I never knew anyone who ate them. The name – HYDROX – sounded like it was some sort of highly toxic chemical product (which, coincidentally, they also made in the next town over from where I grew up). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/10 "2013-03-07T15:19:30Z")
> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#): > > What I found interesting in that article was that that the reasoning behind naming the cookie Oreo is unknown. It was round on the faces and (c)re(amy) in the middle? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/11 "2013-03-07T15:49:12Z")
I do recall seeing Hydrox in a store once. I thought, “Gee, Oreo knock-off cookies.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/12 "2013-03-07T15:58:19Z")
Harlan Ellison has [del]ranted[/del] written about the superiority of Hydrox over Oreos. [I hope this Google Books link works.](http://books.google.com/books?id=-1rWjHm47ZMC&pg=PT424&lpg=PT424&dq=harlan+ellison+hydrox&source=bl&ots=1cMdbfart0&sig=NtT2xegsXRGBveelhL6qjjG1_YI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ebc4Uc35IZT-2QXgxYHIBA&ved=0CGgQ6AEwCA) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/13 "2013-03-07T15:58:41Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There used to be a hydrox factory in the next town over from where I grew up, but I never knew anyone who ate them. I remember having them when I was a kid. As I recall, they weren’t as good as Oreos. ---
**Author:** ![Frumpy\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Frumpy\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frumpy_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/14 "2013-03-07T16:01:43Z")
I ate a LOT of Hydrox cookies in my time. Are we sure they no longer exist? _internet search commences_ Well, that didn’t take long: > **[The Hydrox Cookie Is Dead, and Fans Won't Get Over It - WSJ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120069573721101481)** > > Internet Campaigners Try Here’s the thing that makes Oreo the best: The cookies absorb milk SO WELL Dunk 'em for only 15-30 seconds and you got malleable gold in your hands good sir or madam! I’ve tried DOZENS of other oreo-esque cookies and nothing comes close. Including Hydrox (RIP). ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/15 "2013-03-07T16:02:35Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There used to be a hydrox factory in the next town over from where I grew up, but I never knew anyone who ate them. The name – HYDROX – sounded like it was some sort of highly toxic chemical product (which, coincidentally, they also made in the next town over from where I grew up). So does dihydrogen monoxide. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/16 "2013-03-07T16:06:46Z")
I always herd that [oreo is the greek word for a hill](http://www.thebakerynetwork.com/learning-center/blogs/history-oreo-cookies), which the original cookie looked like because of a bump in the center. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/17 "2013-03-07T16:07:32Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Harlan Ellison has [del]ranted[/del] written about the superiority of Hydrox over Oreos. [I hope this Google Books link works.](http://books.google.com/books?id=-1rWjHm47ZMC&pg=PT424&lpg=PT424&dq=harlan+ellison+hydrox&source=bl&ots=1cMdbfart0&sig=NtT2xegsXRGBveelhL6qjjG1_YI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ebc4Uc35IZT-2QXgxYHIBA&ved=0CGgQ6AEwCA) I preferred Hydrox. Very different taste than Oreo. As a kid in Chicago in the 60s, they were only slightly less visible than Oreos in stores, on TV, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/18 "2013-03-07T16:17:50Z")
I too grew up with Hydrox. Oreos were a treat, otherwise we got (what we thought) were the generic version. Wasn’t until recently (thanks Internet!) that I learned the truth. Funny thing, truth. Makes me appreciate them more, but doesn’t make me think they tasted any better–yet an item’s provenance is an intrinsic part of the psychological experience of taste. I always associated the name ‘Oreo’ with the chant from the Winkies of Oz. Not that I thought it was a direct translation, but Oreos are so good they must come from that technicolor wonderland. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/19 "2013-03-07T16:28:18Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I preferred Hydrox. Very different taste than Oreo. As a kid in Chicago in the 60s, they were only slightly less visible than Oreos in stores, on TV, etc. I preferred Hydrox, too, but I always think of them as Hydrox Sunshine for some reason. I grew up in the Chicago area, too. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271/20 "2013-03-07T16:35:09Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I always herd that [oreo is the greek word for a hill](http://www.thebakerynetwork.com/learning-center/blogs/history-oreo-cookies), which the original cookie looked like because of a bump in the center. Like the famous \*Oreopagus \* – The “Cookie of Ares” – on the Athenian Acropolis? > **[Areopagus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagus_council)** > > The Areopagus (/æriˈɒpəɡəs/) is a prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Its English name is the Late Latin composite form of the Greek name Areios Pagos, translated "Hill of Ares" (Ancient Greek: Ἄρειος Πάγος). The name Areopagus also referred, in classical times, to the Athenian governing council, later restricted to the Athenian judicial council or court that tried cases of deliberate homicide, wounding, and religious matters, as well as cases involvin... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-oreo-cookies-originally-called/652271.md?page=2)