M&Ms were first released in 1941, and since then have had an oversized impact on American popular culture. From their beginnings as snacks for World War II soldiers, to their time aboard both the first and last NASA space missions, here are some of the highlights in their long history.
1. M&Ms were inspired by rations given to soldiers during the Spanish Civil War.
In 1932, after a falling out with his father and business partner, Forrest Mars Sr. of the Mars candy company moved to England, where he began manufacturing Mars bars for troops. It was during the Spanish Civil War that Mars purportedly encountered British volunteers eating small chocolate beads encased in a hard sugar shell, which prevented melting. In an age when sales of chocolate typically dropped off during summer months due to the lack of air conditioning,Marswas thrilled by the prospect of developing a product that would be able to resist melting in high temperatures.
2. M&Ms used to be made with Hershey's chocolate, now one of Mars' biggest competitors.
Upon Mars' return to the United States, he approached Bruce Murrie, the son of Hershey executive William Murrie, to join him in a new business venture. Anticipating a shortage of chocolate and sugar as World War II raged on in Europe, Mars sought a partnership that would ensure a steady supply of resources needed to produce his new candy. In return, Murrie received a 20 percent stake in the M&M product, which was named to represent ‘Mars’ and ‘Murrie.’
3. During World War II, M&Ms were exclusively sold to the U.S. military.
In March of 1941, Mars was granted a patent for his manufacturing process and production began in Newark, New Jersey. Originally sold in cardboard tubes, M&Ms were covered with a brown, red, orange, yellow, green or violet coating. After the U.S. entered the war, the candies were exclusively sold to the military, enabling the heat-resistant and easy-to-transport chocolate to be included in American soldiers’ rations. By the time the war was over and GIs returned home, they were hooked.
4. M&Ms didn't have their signature "M" stamp until 1950.
Shortly after wartime quotas ended and the candies were made available to the general public, Forrest Mars bought out Murrie’s shares in the company and took sole ownership of the M&M brand. The familiar brown bag package that remains in use today was introduced in 1948. Two years later, the candies began to be imprinted with a black “m” (which changed to white in 1954), and customers were encouraged to “Look for the M on every piece” to ensure they were getting the real thing.
In the early 1970s, a bombshell Russian study was released linking FD&C Red No. 2—then the most widely used commercial food dye in America—tocancer and fetal death. Following more studies, the Food and Drug Administration banned its use in 1976. Although the red food coloring in question was not actually used in M&Ms, Marsremoved red candiesfrom the color mix to avoid consumer confusion. Following public demand, they were re-introduced in 1987—by which timeRed Dye No. 2 was proven not to be carcinogenic, after all.
6. M&Ms were the first candy to go to space.
Astronaut Loren J. Shriver, Mission Commander of STS-46, eats floating M&M's on the flight deck of the shuttle Atlantis during its orbit of the earth in 1992.
The same qualities that made them durable wartime rations made them perfect for space travel. Soon request from the crew aboard NASA’s first space shuttle, Columbia, M&M’s became the first candy to rocket into space in 1981. To commemorate NASA's final space shuttle launch in 2011,Mars even made special-edition M&Ms just for the flight, decorated with images of the Atlantis shuttle, the phrase "3, 2, 1...Lift Off!" and date of the launch: July 8, 2011.
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What is the rarest M&M colour? The rarest M&M color is generally considered to be brown. In the past, brown M&M's were discontinued for a period of time but were reintroduced in 1987 due to popular demand.
Mars, copied the idea for the candy in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating British-made Smarties, chocolate pellets with a colored shell of what confectioners call hard panning (essentially hardened sugar syrup) surrounding the outside, preventing the sweets (candies) from melting.
Much to the public's dismay, the Mars and Murray Company stopped production of red M&Ms because of a health scare concerning Red Dye Number 2, which at the time was the most common red food dye in use.
The original milk chocolate M&M's, the brainchild of Forrest Mars, were created in 1941 exclusively for U.S. service members deployed overseas during World War II. Chocolate bars were already part of military rations, but the M&M's candy shell made them a standout.
Mars wanted to make a chocolate candy that wouldn't melt in your hand when you were holding it, so he came up with the idea for a hard candy shell on the outside of the chocolate. When M&M's first hit the market in 1941, the original colors were red, yellow, green, brown, and, guess what? PURPLE.
In 1976, Mars, the candy company that makes M&M's, eliminated the red version of the candies from their mix. This decision came as a result of public controversy surrounding a synthetic dye called FD&C Red No.2, also known as amaranth.
M&M stands for Mars and Murrie - named after Forrest E. Mars Sr. – the founder of Mars – and Bruce Murrie, the son of Hershey Chocolate's president William F. R. Murrie. The story behind how M&Ms came to be, begins after Mars had a fall-out with his father and travelled to Europe.
24, Mars, Incorporated — the company that owns the M&M's brand — told the world that their iconic mascots would be replaced by comedian Maya Rudolph. The company said it was due to criticism of the brand getting “too political,” thanks to their controversial makeovers of the mascots last year.
There Was Conservative Backlash Over Green And Brown M&M's New Footwear. For a time, the Green and Brown M&M's mascots were the only female-presenting characters in the lineup and their initial character designs included knee-high heeled boots for Green and tall high heels for Brown.
In 1995, the tan M&M's succumbed to the same fate that the purple M&M's did in 1949, and were replaced with blue M&M's, as reported by The Associated Press. This came after two months of voting by the American public, who voted in favor of a new color instead of the comeback of the purple.
The first candy was used by the Ancient Egyptians for cult purposes. In ancient times, Egyptians, Arabs, and Chinese made candies with fruits and nuts that caramelized with honey. The two oldest candy types are licorice and ginger. The historical roots of licorice are found in the early years of man's appearance.
Hershey's Field Ration D Bars: Sustaining Soldiers Since World War II. The Hershey's Field Ration D Bar holds a special place in the history of military candy. Invented during World War II, these bars were specifically designed to provide soldiers with a high-calorie, non-melting, and stable source of sustenance.
Despite odds of 274 million-to-one, 19-year-old Jason Rollman of Enfield, N.H., uncovered the gray imposter M&M;'s and produced the winning game piece to become the first million-dollar winner in the M&M;'s Chocolate Candies Imposter Search Game.
According to Mars there are not more brown than other colors. On average, our mix of colors for M&M'S CHOCOLATE CANDIES is: M&M'S MILK CHOCOLATE: 24% cyan blue, 20% orange, 16% green, 14% bright yellow, 13% red, 13% brown. M&M'S PEANUT: 23% cyan blue, 23% orange, 15% green, 15% bright yellow, 12% red, 12% brown.
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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