In the late 1930’s, during the Spanish Civil War, an American man named Forrest Mars Sr., who was the son of Mars Company founder Frank C. Mars, was inspired by a chocolate carrying method he saw, in which British troops would carry chocolate pellets, which were coated with a colorful candy shell, preventing the chocolate from melting. A few years later, in 1941, he decided to patent his own version of this candy, which would end up being called “M&M’s”. The candy was originally sold exclusively to the U.S. Army, but after World War 2, M&M’s were sold to the public, and production of them was increased. In 1949, the tagline “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand” was introduced.
Since then, many colors and types of M&M’s were introduced, including (but not limited to) peanut, peanut butter, mini, pretzel, caramel, and more. Along with these colors and flavors, an ever-expanding group of cartoon personifications of the candies were created in 1954, and they were later named “spokescandies”, starting in 1995. The main cast of these cartoon commercials starred Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Orange, and later Brown. All of these and more helped build and expand the M&M’s brand, and they also helped the brand rise in popularity and cultural impact.
Examples of their cultural impact include a Christmas commercial (which has aired since 1996 and still airs today), marketing campaigns, sports sponsorships, movie promotions, and even a big retail store, known as “M&M’s World” (which sells, you guessed it, M&M’s products). Although they weren’t without competition (a prime example being Reese’s Pieces), M&M’s are still one of the leading national candy and chocolate brands, with their market spanning over 100 countries worldwide.
With this cultural impact that they’ve built, it’s no surprise that M&M’s have been going strong for over 80 years now. Next time you open a pack of M&M’s, thank the soldiers, and the British candymakers, that inspired the product we know and love today.
Also, did you know that February is Humpback Whale Awareness Month?
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