Modesto inventor’s label has Disney tie-in

Chubby Checker, get ready for some competition.

Modesto inventor Stephen Key is hoping the country will be doing the twist again, this time with the labels he created for the new Disney Twist 'N' Chill drinks.

The beverage brand was launched late last year and has a tie-in to the "Hannah Montana" movie, based on the popular tween series starring Disney darling Miley Cyrus.

Key, who has licensed more than 20 products over the last 25 years, first invented his Spinformation label technology about six years ago. The design has already been used on more than 300 million labels for a slew of national and international brands including Nescafé instant coffee, Dekuyper Pucker Schnapps and Lawry's Perfect Blend Seasonings.

The label features a dual-ply design that spins to reveal additional information through a window, which creates 75 percent more information space.

But after that initial wave of products, Key said the relatively high production cost for each label at first (about 10 cents) caused interest to cool off, and he started to focus on other projects instead.

Then three years ago Key became a Disney licensee, when he teamed up with the mouse to create a line of specialized guitar picks. He also showed them his Spinformation labels. Over the years he was able to bring the production cost down to under a penny each.

Disney said it was interested in putting the labels on a new line of health-conscious juice drinks aimed at kids and tweens. So together, Key, Disney and American Beverage Co. brought Twist 'N' Chill to life.

"What is really satisfying is that even though you come up with an idea, there is still a lot of work to be done," Key said. "A lot of ideas come and go. Some

projects last a little bit longer. This was one that was a little frustrating. It came out, did well, but then went away. But now that we've got the cost down, the phone is ringing off the hook again."

Twist 'N' Chill is in the midst of its national launch, which started in December. The brand hasn't made its way to store shelves in California yet, but Disney representatives said it should be across the country by the summer.

The 50 percent juice drinks come in several flavors and different sizes. The smaller size is aimed at ages 3 to 8 while the larger size targets ages 8 to 12. The Disney characters and designs differ from bottle to bottle.

The smaller size features characters from the movie "Cars"; the larger size first launched with "High School Musical," but without the spin labels. In April, the large size switched to feature "Hannah Montana" with Key's spin label.

"It's exciting to see something like this," said John King, director of U.S. Food and Pets for Disney Consumer Products. "The product itself is great. It's unlike any other product in the market. It can be challenging at times with food to bring something fun and exciting. In something like this, it's as simple as a double label. It's very cool."

Each label spins to reveal more information, from trivia to quizzes and pictures. Some of the cutouts mimic a hologram, with the image changing with each turn.

The Disney characters on the labels will change over time, too. Next up for the drink line will be labels featuring Disney Princesses, Tinkerbell and Disney-Pixar's "Toy Story" characters to promote its upcoming "Toy Story 3" in 3D release.

"It's a good partnership and good technology at a good time," Key said. "We're keeping our fingers crossed that this will do big business. It's teamwork."

Key, who holds 12 patents on his Spinformation labels, is talking with other groups to bring his concept to even more products. He said the labels work on everything from vitamins to food and drinks.

"There are a lot of containers out there," Key said. "It is a new day and it's exciting for me to be able to stick with it long enough. It's a lot of work but it has been fun."

Bee staff writer Marijke Rowland can be reached at mrowland@modbee.com or 578-2284.