Oatmeal Creme Pies, Swiss Rolls, and Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars, and Cosmic Brownies are some of most iconic snacks from Little DebbiePhotography by Tim Robison For generations of kids, few lunchbox staples inspire more envy than a Little Debbie dessert. Today, the brand still ranks among America’s mo st popular treats, with more than 75 tempting products on shelves. But its story starts in 1928, when founder O.D. McKee began selling snack cakes for a nickel from his car in the Chattanooga area. The enterprise later expanded into a family bakery, then moved its base to Collegedale, Tennessee, in 1960 to open a full production plant. McKee settled on a familiar face for the logo: that of his four-year-old granddaughter, Debbie McKee-Fowler. Her beaming portrait has appeared on every box since, and she now serves as the company’s executive vice president. Little Debbie’s top-selling varieties are Oatmeal Creme Pies, Swiss Rolls, and Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars. McKee Foods, Little Debbie’s parent company, sells more than 200 million cartons of these three products annually. It should come as no surprise that Little Debbie lays claim to making the world’s largest oatmeal cream pie. In 2023, hundreds of visitors at the Hamilton County Fair in Tennessee got to partake of the mammoth, nearly 200-pound, three-foot-wide dessert, which was devoured in an hour. Fans can visit the 10- acre Little Debbie Park in Collegedale that has a walking path that threads past giant, fiberglass snack cake sculptures (such as a seven-foot-tall Christmas Tree Cake), information panels detailing the brand’s different eras, and a life-size bronze statue of Little Debbie herself. Stock up on your favorite treats at Little Debbie Bakery stores in Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas, where packs are sold at discounted rates. Say yes to souvenirs such as a Zebra Cake bucket hat, and check out lore-laden memorabilia from the company’s history. In 2014, the company’s baked goods reached new heights. With help from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Little Debbie launched a bobblehead and its newest confection at the time, Cosmic Cupcakes, 18 miles into space aboard a weather balloon. This article appears in the Spring 2026 issue of Southbound. The post How Little Debbie became one of America’s sweetest success stories appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less