A New York bankruptcy judge this week approved the Hostess company's request to begin winding down its operations.

The judge gave Hostess permission to fire 18,000 workers and sell off its brands.

Hostess will shut down 33 bakery plants, more than 500 distribution centers and nearly 600 outlet stores.

However, there may still be hope for the Twinkie.

The company's CEO says there is a lot of interest from other companies looking to buy up some of the most popular Hostess brands.