• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, June 30, 2008

As part of its reintroduction in late August of the Hydrox cookie, Kellogg today launches a contest at hydroxcookies.com, where fans of the iconic brand can share stories and photos showing why they are its biggest fans.

Three Hydrox cookie enthusiasts will each win a grand prize including a six-month supply of the cookies and a trip for two to New York City. Winners will be the special guests at an exclusive 100th anniversary celebration, and will be among the first to taste the newly released cookies. They will also win the chance to attend a closing bell-ringing ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.

Contest entries will be accepted until July 14.

Hydrox cookies, the first crème-filled chocolate sandwich cookie originally introduced in 1908 by the Sunshine Biscuit Company, are returning to retailers nationwide for a limited time this summer. This unique reintroduction by Kellogg Company, the brand's current owner, is in response to impassioned consumer demand and in honor of the cookie's centennial.

The cookies will follow the original recipe, except they will have no trans fats. The suggested retail price is $3.14 for a 14-ounce package.

Kellogg quietly killed off the Hydrox-cum-Droxies cookie five years ago, ceding to the ubiquitous Oreo, which is marketed by Kraft. This year's limited-time offering by Kellogg is believed to be a market test for the possibility of bringing the cookie back. Oreo is very similar to the Hydrox, which was introduced in 1908, leading to speculation that Oreo, which came out in 1912, got the idea from Sunshine.

Sunshine Biscuits was purchased by Keebler in 1996, and in 1999, Keebler replaced Hydrox with a similar but reformulated product named Droxies. Keebler was later acquired by Kellogg in 2001. Kellogg removed Droxies from the market in 2003.