Twisties facts for kids
The present Twisties logo
|
|
| Type | Cheese curl |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Smith's Snackfood Company |
| Introduced | 1950 |
| Markets | Oceania Southeast Asia |
| Previous owners | Australia: Twistie Corporation Darrell Lea General Foods Corporation Malaysia: Danone Kraft Foods |
| Registered as a trademark in | The Smith's Snackfood Company (Australia) Twisties Mondelēz International (Malaysia) Twisties Lay's (Thailand) Twisty ('ทวิสตี้' in Thai) Frito-Lay PepsiCo |
| Tagline | Life's pretty straight without... (Australia) Life is fun with... (Pacific Islands) |
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 2,050 kJ (490 kcal) |
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61.9 g
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| Sugars | 5.8 g |
| Dietary fibre | 1.5 g |
|
23.5 g
|
|
| Saturated | 11.4 g |
|
Protein
|
7.1 g
|
| Minerals | Quantity
%DV†
|
| Potassium |
17%
504 mg |
| Sodium |
61%
908 mg |
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults. | |
Twisties are a popular corn-based snack food that looks like a cheese curl. You can find them mostly in Australia and other countries in Oceania. In Europe, they are known as Fonzies, and in France, they are called "Belin Croustilles".
Twisties first came out in 1950, created by the General Foods Corporation. Today, the brand is owned by The Smith's Snackfood Company. This company is part of Frito-Lay, which is owned by a big American company called PepsiCo. In Malaysia, Twisties are made by Mondelēz International. In Thailand, the brand is owned by Lay's, which is also part of PepsiCo.
Contents
The Story of Twisties
How Twisties Began
In the early 1950s, a businessman from Melbourne, Australia, named Isador Magid, brought a special machine from the United States. This machine, called a rotary head extruder, helps make snacks by pushing ingredients through a small hole. At first, the machine didn't work.
After getting help from an expert from the US and advice from CSIRO (a science organization), Magid finally started making Twisties. The snack quickly became popular. However, it was hard to get them to everyone across the country. So, in 1955, Magid sold the machine and the Twisties brand to Monty Lea from Darrell Lea for £12,000.
Growing Popularity
Monty Lea and his brother Harris tried new things with the machine, using rice and different flavors. Twisties became very popular in Australia. Part of their early success came from being advertised on famous TV shows like In Melbourne Tonight, hosted by Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton. This made Twisties one of the first products advertised on that show.
Later, the Lea brothers tried to sell Twisties in the UK, but it didn't work out. They also faced tough competition in Australia. Because of this, they decided to sell the Twisties brand to the Smith's Snackfood Company.
Changes Over Time
In the late 1990s, the Twisties brand got a fresh new look. This happened around the same time that Frito-Lay bought The Smith's Snackfood Company. The snack packets were redesigned to look more modern, and they got their current logo. The texture of the Twisties themselves also changed, becoming smoother.
Twisties were first only available in 'Cheese' flavor. Later, 'Chicken' and 'Wicked Cheddar Zig-Zag' flavors were added and became regular options. In other countries, you might find unique flavors like 'Toffee', 'Tomato', 'Salmon Teriyaki', and 'Peri Peri', which are made to suit local tastes.
People enjoy Twisties as a snack on their own. Some even put them in a sandwich, calling it a "Twistie buttie" or "Twisties roll." This means putting the crunchy snacks between two slices of buttered bread or in a bread roll.
In 2009, Twisties packets became smaller, going from 50 grams to 45 grams. The company decided to reduce the size instead of raising prices because the ingredients cost more. A consumer group later pointed out that Twisties packets had shrunk but still cost the same, even though they looked shinier and redesigned.
Fun Facts and Uses
In 2011, a comedian named Danny McGinlay made a funny cooking show where he created "Aussie sushi" using beetroot and Twisties.
In 2014, three hikers got lost overnight in Lerderderg State Park. They survived by sharing half a bag of Twisties. After they finished the snack, one of the hikers, Kirrilee Ord, turned the empty Twisties packet inside out. She tried to use its shiny, reflective side to signal rescue helicopters, but it didn't work. Luckily, a search party found the group later.
Even famous chefs use Twisties! Chef Adriano Zumbo created a special dessert called a lime and cheese Twisties zumbaron. It's a macaron that tastes like cheesy Twisties with a lime filling.
How Twisties are Made
Ingredients Used
Since Twisties were first made, their main ingredients have been ground corn, rice, and agar. Other common ingredients in every flavor include vegetable oil, whey protein, salt, and monosodium glutamate (E621), which helps make the flavor stronger. The exact ingredients can be different depending on the Twisties flavor.
One review of packaged foods mentioned that Twisties are a bit better than some other snacks because their cheese flavor comes from real milk ingredients, not just chemicals.
For the Cheese flavor, the ingredients are: corn and rice cereal, vegetable oil, whey powder, cheese powder, monosodium glutamate (E621), salt, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, flavor, yeast extract, potassium chloride, cream powder, milk powder, natural coloring (paprika extract and carotene), and lactic acid.
The Manufacturing Process
The Twisties mixture is made by heating, pressing, and shaping corn, semolina, rice grits, and water in a special machine called a rotary head or random extruder. This machine is also known as the 'Twisties Press'.
When the liquid mixture is pushed through a small opening between a spinning plate and a fixed plate, it expands, cools down, and becomes solid. This process creates the unique bumpy, squiggly shape of Twisties. A metal blade then cuts the mixture into snack-sized pieces. After they are shaped, the pieces are baked in an oven. Finally, they are coated with vegetable oil and dusted with a mix of powdered whey, cheese powder, salt, monosodium glutamate, lactic acid, and two types of food coloring. Sometimes, any pieces that aren't perfect are given to farm animals.
Different Flavors of Twisties
Twisties come in many different flavors, especially in Australia and on various islands. The main flavors, 'Cheese' and 'Chicken', are sold in every country where Twisties are available. The islands often have a wider range of flavors available all the time. However, Australia gets more limited-edition flavors. This is because The Smith's Snackfood Company wants to keep people excited about the Twisties brand.
How Twisties are Advertised
Catchy Slogans
Since its last big change in the late 1990s, Twisties has used the famous slogan "Life's pretty straight without..." In English-speaking countries in Oceania where this saying might not be as well understood, the slogan is "Life is fun with..."
TV commercials often play on the slogan. They show people in boring situations who suddenly find themselves in exciting, dream-like places when they eat Twisties. Smith's claims that Twisties is the "number one extruded snack brand," meaning it's the most popular snack made using the special extrusion process.
Collectibles and Promotions
Twisties, along with other snack brands from The Smith's Snackfood Company, used to include collectible cards called Oddbodz (and later Space Oddbodz) in specially marked packets. In late 1996, these were replaced by Hypa Heads cards. In 2002, 'Pickers' discs, which were like pogs and featured characters from The Simpsons, were included in Twisties packets. These discs had a velcro backing and could be picked up with a special Bungee Ball. Other promotions included items related to popular franchises like Yu-Gi-Oh!.
Past Campaigns
Advertising for Twisties has slowed down a lot in recent years compared to its past. Twisties' biggest and most expensive advertising campaign ever was between 1982 and 1983. It was called the "Twisties jumper" campaign. An actress named Lillian Darrell played an old woman knitting a Twisties jumper directly from a sheep. This promotion offered free knitting patterns and free bags of Twisties. Other promotions were tried later, but they weren't as successful. Now, Twisties often relies on releasing limited-edition flavors to keep people interested.
In 1992, the singer and actress Natalie Imbruglia appeared in a Twisties ad. She played a waitress at Taronga Zoo. Years later, while living in London, she mentioned that her mother still sends her packets of Twisties.
In 1995, Twisties was the only sponsor for the Ten Network's showing of the TV show Melrose Place. The company felt that Twisties and Melrose Place worked well together because the show was about fantasy, and Twisties were like "fantasy in a pack." Special messages were shown at the beginning, middle, and end of each episode. These messages showed Melrose Place actors Laura Leighton and Grant Show eating Twisties at home, and Jodie Bissett being served Twisties on a silver platter.
Twisties was also one of the first packaged food brands to launch on the internet in 1995 with its 'Space Girls' advertising campaign. A later promotion was called the 'Space Girls Straighten Twisties' campaign. TV ads for this campaign came out in February 1997. The commercials showed a teenage boy being taken by female space aliens who were interested in his packet of Twisties. The website for the campaign included fake "eyewitness reports" of the abduction and hid clues in a made-up newspaper called the 'Twisted Examiner'. People could download a Twisties screensaver and a video. As part of this campaign, from August to October 1997, customers could win $10,000 if they found a straight Twistie in their packet. Out of 13 million packs, all five straight Twisties were found!
Twisties Around the World
Twisties in New Zealand are quite different from the Australian ones. The packet design, advertising, and even the shape of the cheese curl itself are not the same. In New Zealand, they are called 'twisties' and are made by Bluebird Foods. They are only available in cheese flavor. The packet has a penguin mascot about to throw a cheese curl like a ball. Their slogan is "It's a straight world without Twisties!" New Zealand Twisties are less dense than Australian ones. Their shape is also more smooth and tubular, without the jagged details of Australian Twisties. The Australian version is not widely sold in New Zealand.
Twisties are also sold in Europe under the name 'Fonzies'. This name was inspired by the character Arthur Fonzarelli (nicknamed 'Fonzie') from the popular TV show Happy Days.
