Food - Drink
The Reason Hydrox Cookies Fell Out Of Favor
By LAUREN CAHN
Oreos are an American icon, and there’s no one today who remembers when Oreos didn't even exist and Hydrox cookies were the number one sandwich cookie. Hydrox's product was released in 1908 as the original chocolate cookies with a creamy filling, and Oreos are actually an imitator or sort of knockoff released in 1912.
Oreo ultimately triumphed over Hydrox due to the latter's unfortunate marketing history. Firstly, the name "Hydrox" was patented by the Hydrox Chemical Company in 1912 and used to name an industrial-strength cleaning product; it's not hard to imagine why no one wanted to eat a cookie named Hydrox afterward.
Overall, Oreo has always had a better marketing budget than Hydrox, and Hydrox was also forced to abandon its mascot, "Drox," after Pillsbury argued that Drox was a Doughboy rip-off. The actions of other companies led to Hydrox's sharp decline in popularity, but you can still buy these cookies and they happen to be dairy-free.