Nostalgia is a funny thing. It can be triggered instantaneously, such as when the news hit today that Hostess is asking to liquidate its assets and immediately the world explodes into a sugary outpouring of Twinkies-related sentiment. And in times of loss, what serves our nostalgic need better than buying up merchandise on eBay? It’s so retro!

To that end, a “Twinkie the Kid” lunch box just sold for $690 on eBay. It is in mint condition, though, notes CNNMoney.

And in case you’re tempted into thinking this is all just a bit of a frosting-filled coincidence, the box went up for sale on Nov. 9 with a price of $14.99 to start. Nothing happened for a week and then today, an onslaught of 58 bids pushed the price to $690.

But don’t worry, Hostess aficionados, there will likely be plenty more merchandise popping up and subsequently getting snapped up in the coming days and weeks, if the buzz on the Internets is any indication of our nation’s collective nostalgia for the brand. Already there’s another Twinkie the Kid box for sale that’s currently at $449 and it’s still got four days to go in its auction.

The supply of Twinkies is limited right now, as we’ve noted, so you can start stocking up if you really think you’re not ready to go without.

You can also check out the recipes we’ve mentioned below (some of which we’re hoping the Consumerist team will test for ourselves soon) or get the knock-off version at Walmart. And if you think you have a better or more interesting DIY Twinkie recipe, send it to us at tips@consumerist.com with the subject “TWINKIES RECIPE.”

Chow.com

The NY Times

The Today Show

Ebay bidders go crazy for Twinkies merch [CNNMoney]

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