The brand was replaced by the multi-national Lay's banner in 1996 as part of its major re-branding exercise.

In 1992, PepsiCo acquired full ownership of Hostess by buying out General Foods' remaining interest.

This change presented no small amount of difficulty, as the product was already on sale in Canada via a third party.

An aggressive advertising campaign by BBDO Canada featuring famous hockey players such as Mark Messier and Eric Lindros launched the "new" brand in 1997, and within eighteen months Lay's was selling twice the volume of products that it had been under the Hostess moniker.

In 2021, Frito-Lay reintroduced the salt and vinegar variety of Hickory Sticks in an unusually shaped bag for chips, being wider than it is tall.