Twisties
An Australian-origin brand of cheese-flavoured, corn-based extruded snacks.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Twisties is an Australian-origin snack brand best known for its irregularly shaped, cheese-flavoured corn curls. The product is primarily associated with Australia, where it became a long-running mass-market snack and a recognizable part of local popular culture. It is also sold in other Oceanian and international markets, sometimes under different names or through different local brand owners. In much of Europe, comparable Twisties products are marketed as Fonzies, while in France they have been associated with the Belin Croustilles name. The brand’s origins date to 1950, when Melbourne businessman Isador Magid imported a rotary-head extruder from the United States. The equipment initially failed to work as expected. With assistance from a technical specialist brought from the United States and advice from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Magid developed a workable production method. The resulting snack was made from an expanded cereal mixture and became known for its curled, knobbly form and savoury coating. Although the product attracted consumers, large-scale distribution presented difficulties. In 1955 Magid sold the machine and brand to Monty Lea of Darrell Lea for £12,000. Monty Lea and his brother Harris continued experimenting with the equipment, including the use of rice and different flavourings. They helped establish Twisties as a popular Australian product. Early promotion included appearances and advertising associated with the television program In Melbourne Tonight, hosted by Graham Kennedy and Bert Newton. The Lea brothers later attempted to enter the United Kingdom, but the launch was unsuccessful. Competition for Australian retail shelf space also contributed to their decision to sell the brand to The Smith’s Snackfood Company. Twisties was originally sold in a cheese flavour. Chicken subsequently became a standard flavour, and the range has periodically included special or regional varieties such as Wicked Cheddar Zig-Zag, Toffee, Tomato, Salmon Teriyaki and Peri Peri. The exact assortment differs by country and market. The snack is generally eaten directly from the packet, but Australian consumers have also used it in informal foods such as the “Twistie buttie” or “Twisties roll,” in which the crisps are placed between buttered bread or inside a bread roll. The ownership history reflects consolidation in the packaged-snack industry. The Smith’s Snackfood Company, once an Australian-owned business, was acquired by Frito-Lay in August 1998. Frito-Lay is part of PepsiCo, which therefore owns the Twisties brand in the principal Australian business. Ownership and licensing arrangements vary internationally. In Malaysia, Twisties became associated with Mondelēz International after earlier ownership links to Danone and Kraft Foods. In Thailand, the trademark is associated with Lay’s, another PepsiCo snack business. A late-1990s brand overhaul followed the Frito-Lay acquisition. Packaging adopted a more modern appearance and the current-style logo, while the texture of the snack was changed to create a smoother finish. Twisties has historically relied on playful, surreal advertising, collectible promotions and limited-edition flavours. Its best-known long-running advertising line in English-speaking Oceanian markets was “Life’s pretty straight without…”, contrasting ordinary life with the imaginative experience associated with eating the product. More recently, the brand has placed greater emphasis on product variations and periodic promotions than on the large-scale television advertising of earlier decades. Twisties has also been involved in several notable consumer and legal episodes. A 1997 batch was recalled after reports of fine wire in packets, with the company attributing the problem to a machinery malfunction and no reported injuries. In 2001, an Australian trademark dispute involving Aldi’s Chazoos cheese twists ended with Aldi prevailing on appeal. In 2009…
History
Twisties emerged from experiments with extrusion technology in Melbourne around 1950. Isador Magid imported a rotary-head extruder from the United States, but the machine initially did not operate successfully. Technical assistance from the United States and advice from CSIRO helped him develop a process for producing an expanded, curled cereal snack. The product’s base used cereal ingredients including corn and rice, with a savoury coating that gave the snack its characteristic cheese flavour. The early product gained consumer interest, but Magid found national distribution difficult. In 1955 he sold the machine and brand to Monty Lea of Darrell Lea for £12,000. Monty Lea and his brother Harris continued development work, testing rice and alternative flavourings and refining the extrusion process. Twisties gained wider recognition through Australian retail distribution and television promotion, including advertising associated with In Melbourne Tonight. The brand became part of the developing Australian packaged-snack market. An attempt to establish Twisties in the United Kingdom did not succeed. At home, competition for shelf space also placed pressure on the Lea business. The brothers eventually sold the brand to The Smith’s Snackfood Company, which had stronger manufacturing and distribution capabilities. Under Smith’s, Twisties became a durable national snack brand, initially centered on Cheese flavour and later expanded with Chicken and other varieties. Twisties advertising became an important part of its identity. The brand used surreal situations to present the snack as an escape from ordinary life, supported by the slogan “Life’s pretty straight without…”. A major 1982–1983 promotion featured actor Lillian Darrell as an older woman knitting a jumper from a sheep, with free knitting patterns and product included in the promotion. In 1986, a Viking-themed commercial generated hundreds of complaints alleging occult or harmful imagery. The advertisement was removed from television, with the available account attributing the decision to marketing considerations rather than direct pressure from the complainants. The brand also experimented with entertainment sponsorship and emerging digital media. In 1992, Natalie Imbruglia appeared in a Twisties commercial filmed at Taronga Zoo. In 1995, Twisties sponsored the Ten Network’s broadcasts of Melrose Place and was credited as an early packaged-goods brand to use an internet-based advertising campaign through its “Space Girls” promotion. A related 1997 campaign used alien-abduction imagery, a fictional newspaper and an online site. Consumers were offered a prize for finding one of a small number of straight-shaped Twisties in product packets; all five designated pieces were eventually found. The Smith’s Snackfood Company was acquired by Frito-Lay in August 1998. Frito-Lay is owned by PepsiCo, placing the Australian brand within one of the world’s largest snack businesses. Around the same period, Twisties underwent a substantial visual and product refresh. Its packaging and logo were modernized, and the texture was changed to produce a smoother surface. The ownership structure differed across markets: Malaysia had a separate history involving Danone, Kraft Foods and later Mondelēz International, while Thailand associated the trademark with Lay’s. Twisties continued to generate commercial and cultural attention in the 2000s and 2010s. A 2001 trademark case involving Aldi’s Chazoos cheese twists ended in Aldi’s favor. In 2009, the standard packet was reduced from 50 grams to 45 grams as the company sought to manage higher input costs without raising the displayed retail price. Choice described the change as an example of a product becoming smaller while retaining its price. The brand was also used in novelty food and entertainment contexts, including an “Aussie sushi” recipe involving Twisties at an Adelaide Fringe comedy cooking show in 2011 and an Adriano Zumbo macaron combining lime filling with a cheese-Twisties flavour profile. The product’s place in everyday Australian culture was illustrated by a 2014 incident in which three hikers lost overnight in Lerderderg State Park used half a bag of Twisties as food. After finishing the snack, one hiker tried to use the reflective inside of the packet as a signal for rescue aircraft. The attempt did not succeed, but the group was later found. Twisties remains principally associated with Australian retail and food culture, while regional formulations, names, flavours and ownership arrangements vary internationally.
- 2014
Products withdrawn in Malaysia
[1]Twisties was among products removed from Malaysian shops amid concerns involving possible pork contamination.
- 2009
Standard packet reduced in size
[1]The standard packet changed from 50 grams to 45 grams while the retail price was maintained.
- 2001
Aldi wins trademark appeal
[1]Aldi prevailed in a dispute involving its Chazoos cheese twists and the Twisties trademark.
- 1998
Frito-Lay acquires Smith's
[1]Twisties entered the PepsiCo group through Frito-Lay's acquisition of The Smith's Snackfood Company.
- 1997
Straight Twistie promotion and product recall
[1]The brand ran a campaign offering a prize for finding straight-shaped pieces, while a separate batch was recalled after reports of fine wire in packets.
- 1995
Space Girls internet campaign
[1]Twisties used an early internet advertising campaign built around a space-themed concept.
- 1982
Twisties jumper campaign begins
[1]A large promotion featured an old-woman character knitting a Twisties jumper and distributed patterns and product.
- 1955
Brand sold to Darrell Lea interests
[1]Magid sold the machine and Twisties brand to Monty Lea for £12,000.
- 1950
Twisties launched in Australia
[1]Isador Magid began producing Twisties after adapting an imported rotary-head extruder with technical and CSIRO assistance.
Products and positioning
An affordable, playful and distinctly Australian mass-market savoury snack, differentiated by its irregular extruded shape, cheese-forward flavour and nostalgic advertising.
Extruded corn snack · 1950
Cheese Twisties
The original and principal Twisties variety. It is made from an expanded cereal base containing corn and rice and is coated with vegetable oil, whey and cheese powders, salt, flavour enhancers and other seasoning ingredients. The product is recognized by its irregular, knobbly curl and strong savoury cheese profile.
Extruded corn snack
Chicken Twisties
A later standard flavour that extended the brand beyond its original cheese offering. Chicken Twisties are part of the core range in markets where the product is sold, although precise seasoning formulas and availability can vary by country.
Flavoured extruded snack
Wicked Cheddar Zig-Zag Twisties
A stronger cheddar-oriented variant associated with the Australian range. It illustrates the brand's use of intensified flavour profiles and differentiated shapes or pack presentations to refresh a mature snack line.
Regional snack products
International Twisties variants
Regional markets have offered flavours including Toffee, Tomato, Salmon Teriyaki and Peri Peri. The New Zealand product differs substantially from the Australian version in shape, texture, packaging and marketing, while European versions may be sold as Fonzies or under the Belin Croustilles name.
Controversies
2014
Malaysian withdrawal over possible pork contamination
Twisties was among products removed from Malaysian shops amid concerns about contamination involving pork products.
1997
Fine wire reported in Twisties packets
A batch was recalled after reports that consumers had found fine wire in packets. The company attributed the issue to machinery malfunction, and no injuries were reported.
Marketing campaigns
- 1997Space Girls Straighten Twisties
Australia
Television advertisements showed a teenage boy abducted by female aliens interested in his Twisties. The supporting website included fictional eyewitness reports, a mock newspaper, downloads and campaign clues. Consumers could win $10,000 by finding one of five straight Twisties in circulating packets.
Outcome. All five designated straight Twisties were found among approximately 13 million packs.
- 1995Space Girls
Australia
A space-themed campaign used internet content alongside conventional advertising and was credited as an early online initiative by a packaged-goods brand.
Outcome. The campaign helped establish Twisties as an adventurous, fantasy-oriented brand in Australian advertising.
- 1995Melrose Place sponsorship
Australia
Twisties sponsored the Ten Network's broadcasts of Melrose Place. Sponsorship messages placed actors in fantasy-oriented scenes involving the product.
Outcome. The sponsorship attracted mixed commentary, with some criticism that the executions were flat or gimmicky and some praise for their wit.
- 1982Twisties jumper
Australia
The campaign featured Lillian Darrell as an elderly woman knitting a jumper from a sheep. It offered consumers knitting patterns and free packets of Twisties and became one of the brand's most prominent promotions.
Outcome. It is described as Twisties' largest and most expensive campaign of its period, although later promotional efforts were less successful.
Brand decisions
2009
Packet downsizing instead of a displayed price increasePrice changeBackground
The company cited higher costs for raw materials.
Action taken
The standard packet was reduced from 50 grams to 45 grams while the retail price was retained.
Aftermath
Consumer group Choice publicly identified the product as having shrunk while retaining its price.
2001
Trademark challenge against Aldi productOtherBackground
Frito-Lay argued that Aldi's Chazoos cheese twists infringed Twisties' registered trademark.
Action taken
Aldi appealed and argued that “Cheezy Twists” described its product rather than serving as its registered trademark.
Aftermath
Aldi won the appeal; the competing product was not found to infringe on the cited grounds.
- Aldi — Aldi defended its product naming and successfully challenged the infringement claim on appeal.
1998
Integration into Frito-LayM&ABackground
The Smith's Snackfood Company owned the Australian Twisties brand before being acquired by Frito-Lay.
Action taken
Frito-Lay acquired Smith's, bringing Twisties into PepsiCo's snack-food portfolio.
Aftermath
The brand received a late-1990s visual overhaul and a revised product texture.
1998
Late-1990s packaging and texture refreshGeneration changeBackground
The brand was refreshed around the time of the Smith's acquisition by Frito-Lay.
Action taken
Packaging was modernized, the logo was updated and the snack texture was changed to create a smoother finish.
Aftermath
The refreshed presentation became the basis of the modern Australian brand identity.
Recent events
- 2014
Twisties products removed from Malaysian shops over contamination concerns[1]
Recall · Regulation
Twisties was among products withdrawn from Malaysian retail outlets because of concerns about possible contamination involving pork-derived material.
- 2009
Twisties packet size reduced from 50 grams to 45 grams[1]
Pricing
The company reduced the standard packet size while retaining the same retail price, citing increased raw-material costs. Consumer group Choice criticized the move as shrinkflation.
- 2001
Aldi prevails in Twisties trademark dispute[1]
Lawsuit
Frito-Lay lost an appeal concerning Aldi's Chazoos cheese twists. The court did not find infringement based on the competing product's packaging, manufacturing form or name, and accepted Aldi's argument that “Cheezy Twists” described the contents rather than functioning as its registered mark.
- 1998
Twisties brand acquired through Frito-Lay purchase of The Smith's Snackfood Company[1]
M&A
The Smith's Snackfood Company, owner of the Australian Twisties brand, was acquired by Frito-Lay, bringing the brand into PepsiCo's international snack-food group.
- 1997
1997 Twisties batch recalled after reports of fine wire[1]
Recall
A batch was recalled after consumers reported finding fine wire in packets. The company believed the issue was caused by a machinery malfunction, and no injuries were reported.
Sources1 sources
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