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) |
|
61.9 g
|
|
| 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 snack food. They are made from corn and shaped like curly cheese puffs. You can find Twisties mainly in Australia and other countries in Oceania, like Papua New Guinea and Fiji. They are also sold in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia and Singapore. In Europe, a similar snack is called Fonzies.
Twisties were first launched in 1950. The brand is now owned by The Smith's Snackfood Company in Australia. This company is part of PepsiCo, a large American company. In Malaysia, Twisties are made by Mondelēz International.
Contents
The Story of Twisties
In the early 1950s, a businessman named Isador Magid brought a special machine to Melbourne, Australia. This machine, called a rotary head extruder, helps make snacks. After some help from experts, Magid started making Twisties.
The snack quickly became popular. In 1955, Magid sold the machine and the Twisties brand to Darrell Lea. The Lea brothers, Monty and Harris, experimented with new ingredients and flavors. Twisties became even more popular, partly because they were advertised on a famous TV show called In Melbourne Tonight.
Later, the Lea brothers sold the Twisties brand to The Smith's Snackfood Company. In the late 1990s, Twisties got a new look. The packaging changed to a more modern design, and the snack itself became smoother.
Twisties first came out in 'Cheese' flavor. Later, 'Chicken' and 'Wicked Cheddar Zig-Zag' flavors were added. Other countries have had unique flavors like 'Toffee' and 'Tomato'.
Some people enjoy Twisties in a sandwich, calling it a "Twistie buttie." They put the snack between two slices of buttered bread or in a roll.
In 1997, some Twisties packets had to be taken off shelves because small pieces of wire were found inside. The company believed this was due to a machine problem. In 2014, Twisties were removed from shops in Malaysia for a short time due to concerns about ingredients.
In 2009, Twisties packets became smaller, going from 50 grams to 45 grams. The company decided to reduce the size instead of raising prices.
Twisties have even been part of interesting stories! In 2014, three hikers who got lost in a park used half a bag of Twisties to keep going. One of them even tried to use the shiny inside of the empty bag to signal rescue helicopters.
A famous chef named Adriano Zumbo created a special dessert called a "zumbaron" that tasted like lime and cheese Twisties!
How Twisties Are Made
The main ingredients in Twisties are ground corn and rice. Other common ingredients include vegetable oil, salt, and a flavor enhancer called monosodium glutamate (MSG). The exact ingredients can change depending on the flavor.
The Twisties mixture is made by heating and pressing corn, rice, and water in a special machine. When the mixture comes out, it expands and cools, forming the squiggly, bumpy shapes we know as Twisties. A metal cutter then cuts them into pieces.
After they are shaped, the pieces are baked in an oven. Then, they are coated with vegetable oil and dusted with powdered cheese, salt, and other flavorings and colors.
Twisties Flavors
Twisties come in many flavors in different countries. The most common flavors are 'Cheese' and 'Chicken', which you can find almost everywhere Twisties are sold. Australia often gets special limited-edition flavors.
Australia
- Cheese - the original flavor.
- Chicken
Past Flavors (Australia)
- Bacon (early 1970s)
- Barbecue (late 1970s)
- Steak (late 1960s)
- Tangy Barbecue (1992)
- Tomato Tang (1993)
- Tangy Cheese Crunch (1998)
- Flamin' Hot (2001)
- Sweet Butter Toffee (2001)
- Cheese'O's (circular, 2003)
- Zig-Zag (zigzag shapes, 2003, re-released 2016)
- Wicked Cheddar (2004)
- Hawaiian Pizza O's & X's (2004)
- Bag O' Bones Spookily Seasoned (2005)
- Hot Dogs (2006)
- Cheeky Cheese (2006)
- BBQ Sauce
- Corn Puff (puffed ball shape)
- Melted Butter
- Chilli Cheese (2011, re-released 2015)
- Cheese Burger (2011, re-released multiple times)
- Spicy Burger (2012)
- Saucy BBQ (2012)
- Pizza (2012, re-released 2017)
- Turns Your Tongue Blue! (2012, re-released 2017)
- Peri Peri (2013, re-released 2017)
- Cheese & Mite Flavour (2013, like Vegemite)
- Cheese & Bacon (2013, re-released 2015)
- Flaming Hot (2014, re-released 2019)
- Hot Dog (2014)
- Bag of Ghosts! (Halloween, 2014)
- Taco (2015)
- Tangy Tomato (2015)
- SOUR (2015, 7-Eleven exclusive)
- Cheesy Popcorn (2016)
- Cheesy Chilli (2020)
- Nachos (2020)
- Cheesy Bacon (2020)
- Margherita Pizza (2020)
- Sticky BBQ Ribs (2021)
- Meatlovers Pizza (2021)
- Twisted Raspberry (2023)
- Cinnamon Donut (2023, with Donut King)
Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji
- Cheese (also Cheese Fromage)
- Chicken (also Chicken Poulet)
- Extra Cheese
- Cheese & Onion
- Mexicain
- Pizza
- Barbecue
- Red Tongue (like Australia's Turns Your Tongue Blue!)
- Hot N Spicy
- Tomato
Thailand
- Chicken (re-released 2018)
- Cheese
- Choco Banana (a chevron-shaped biscuit with chocolate banana filling)
Malaysia
- Cheeky Cheddar Cheese
- Roast Chicken Dance
- Kaboom! BBQ Curry"
- Cherry Tomato Bomb
- Sawadee Thai Sweet Chili
- Chilli Cheese on Fire
- Spicy Seaweed Splash (2021)
- Fizz (has an fizzy effect)
- Whoa! Spicy Garlic
- Lime Chilli
- Honey BBQ Wings
- Spicy Sausage
- Salmon Teriyaki (2006)
- Chicken Tandoori
- Double Kick (two flavors at once, 2010)
- Super Starz (2012 promotion)
- Bolognese & Cheese Onion
- Chicken Chorizo & Smokey Sausage
- Peppery Jalapeno & Pickle
- Coffee Bonanza
United Kingdom
Twisties were sold in the UK in 1994.
- Bondi Beach (1994)
- Outback Hot Spice (1994)
How Twisties Are Advertised
Since the late 1990s, Twisties have used the well-known slogan "Life's pretty straight without..." In some Pacific Islands, the slogan is "Life is fun with..." TV ads often show people in boring situations who become excited when they eat Twisties.
Twisties and other Smith's snack brands used to include collectible cards or discs in their packets, like Oddbodz cards or Simpsons-themed 'Pickers' discs.
In 1986, a Twisties TV commercial with a Viking theme caused some complaints. People thought it was "demonic" and might upset children. Even though it received many complaints, the commercial was removed for marketing reasons.
In 1992, famous singer Natalie Imbruglia appeared in a Twisties ad. She later said her mother still sends her packets of Twisties when she's in London.
In 1995, Twisties was one of the first snack brands to advertise on the internet. They had a 'Space Girls' campaign where alien girls were interested in a boy's Twisties. As part of this campaign, people could win money if they found a rare straight Twistie in their packet. All five straight Twisties were found!
Twisties Around the World
Twisties in New Zealand are quite different from the Australian ones. They are made by Bluebird Foods and only come in cheese flavor. The New Zealand packet has a penguin mascot, and their slogan is "It's a straight world without Twisties!" These Twisties are less dense and have a smoother, more tubular shape than the jagged Australian ones.
In Europe, Twisties are sold under the name 'Fonzies'. This name was inspired by the character 'Fonzie' from the TV show Happy Days.
Fonzies are lighter yellow because they don't use the bright orange coloring found in Australian Twisties. Their cheese flavor is similar but less likely to clump. Fonzies are also smaller and have a stronger smell. You can find Fonzies in flavors like 'Original', 'Hot Passion', and 'Bacon'.
Many Australians who travel or live overseas sometimes buy Fonzies because they taste more like the original cheese Twisties from Australia before the 2000s.
Images for kids
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The present Twisties logo
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Smith's Twisties snacks
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Smith's Twisties packet and some cheese-flavoured twisties (with centimetre ruler)
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A packet of Fonzies
