I promised a review of new Chocodiles, so here it is.

Are they the same as the old Chocodiles? No, they aren’t. The cake is still the same, but the chocolate coating is less waxy. It also melts very fast. I feel like they taste a little better now. They’re also about 35% smaller then before. Hostess has labeled them as “fun sized”. I don’t know what’s fun about 35% less Chocodile though.

Packaging: The box is the same size as current Hostess Twinkies. I only mention this because I still have a few of the old Chocodile boxes around that I store odds and ends crap in, and I noticed the difference. The box art has changed pretty noticeably though. As far as I can tell Chocodiles aren’t available individually. You either buy a box or none at all. My diabetes doesn’t approve.

Mascot: Chauncy the Chocodile is gone, replaced by Twinkie the Kid (who is a cowboy. I somehow never noticed that) as the mascot. Which would be weird, except…

They changed the name: The product is now called “Chocodile Twinkies”. Yes, really. This is like if Coke bought Pepsi and started calling it “Pepsi Coke.” Or really, it’s more like if DC discontinued Superman and then reintroduced hi as part of the Batman comics in and called him “Superman Batman”. I don’t think Hostess realizes that the best thing about Chocodiles is the name. Conversely, the worst thing about Twinkies is the name. And on the box, the word “Twinkie” is 3 times the size as “Chocodile”. Way to bury the lead, Hostess.

Verdict: Chocodiles are back, and they do taste better, so that’s something. But changing the name to Chocodile Twinkies is pretty disappointing, and makes the whole thing feel like when your parents say they’re taking you to Disneyland, and then they just bring you to the park instead. Actually, I was going to say it’s like your parents say they’re buying you a Transformer, but you get a Go Bot. Except Go Bots were pretty great.

My Chocodile recipe: Freeze, slice like sushi and serve with blackberry sauce and whipped creme.