Who doesn't know the famous M&M's, these chocolate candies coated in a colored sugar shell? This little chocolate has been around since 1941 and has been part of popular culture for many generations since its creation.
And for good reason, this candy that melts in the mouth, not in the hand, can be taken anywhere, from the cinema to hiking to snacks in the sun. But then, do you know why they are called M&M's?
The origin of the name M&M's
The answer is quite simple. As you might guess, M&M's corresponds to two initials, those of its two founders: Forrest Mars and Bruce Murrie; M and M!
But who are these two characters and how did they come to create this famous candy?
In the 1930s, Forrest Mars, son of Frank Mars, founder of the Mars confectionery (Milky Way, Snickers, Mars, etc.), moved to Great Britain after a falling out with his father. There, he made Mars bars for the British troops. While the Spanish Civil War was raging, he met British volunteers who introduced him to small chocolate candies enclosed in a hard sugar shell: Smarties.
And that's the trigger. These little candies withstand summer heat and are easy to transport!
Armed with his new idea and the practical knowledge of how to make the candy—acquired from the British firm Rowntree & Company, creators of Smarties—he returns to the United States to take over his father's business. He obtains a patent for the production of chocolates and, unhappy with the way his father runs the company, he begins looking for a partner for his new and improved candy project. You see the second M coming, huh?
Much like Forrest Mars, Bruce Murrie is the son of candy giant William Murrie, president of Hershey's Chocolate Company. And much like Forrest, he's looking to partner with someone.
And as the story goes, Mars and Murrie eventually meet. Mars brings the idea and the patent for the candy, Murrie comes with a source of chocolate (Hershey's), a resource that was hard to come by with wartime shortages. In 1941, the newly formed Mars & Murrie company begins production of its chocolate-coated candy in a New Jersey factory.
The first major customer of M&M's was the American army, which found this candy very practical and included it in its rations. The American army would also be the exclusive customer of M&M's throughout the Second World War... thus creating a first fan base of the new candy who would want to find some again when they returned home!
By 1949, the Mars/Murrie partnership was failing and Mars eventually bought out Murrie's 20% interest in the company and brought M&M's back into the Mars Incorporated fold.
3 anecdotes about M&M's
The "m" printed on M&M's didn't arrive until 1950.
A trademark and true signature proving the authenticity of the candy, the lowercase "m" printed on the sugary coating of M&M's arrived in 1950. First printed in black, this "m" became white in 1954. Customers were encouraged to "look for the M on each piece" to ensure they were getting the real thing!
The brown paper package that still exists today for classic M&M's arrived in 1948.
Between 1976 and 1987 there were no red M&M's
In the early 1970s, a Russian study caused a sensation by establishing a link between the dye Allura Red AC, cancers and fetal deaths. This dye then became one of the most widely used.
Following further studies (we shouldn't trust the Russians too much), the FDA banned its use in 1976. Although the red food coloring in question is not actually used in M&M's, Mars removed the red candies from the color mix to avoid consumer confusion.
By public demand, they were reintroduced in 1987!
M&M's were the first candy to go into space
The same qualities that made them durable war rations made them perfect for space travel. So, at the request of the crew of NASA's first space shuttle, Columbia, M&M's became the first candy to go into space in 1981.
