Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
McAfee Secure sites help keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams
Stacy Conradt
Sweet Talk, Day Four: M&M’s
by Stacy Conradt - October 29, 2007 - 1:24 PM

sweet.jpg

Every weekday until Halloween, I’ll be offering up trivia treats about sweets you’re likely to encounter on October 31st. Today we’re giving away facts about M&M’s.

mms.jpg 1) M&M’s stands for Mars & Murrie’s, after founders Forrest Mars, Sr., and Bruce Murrie – son of Hershey executive William Murrie. (The younger Murrie would eventually quit the company in frustration; it would seem Mars only needed Bruce for his family connections.)

2) Company legend goes like this: During the Spanish Civil War, Forrest Mars, Sr., encountered soldiers who were keeping their energy up by eating bits of chocolate encased in sugar. The sugar casing stopped it from melting (melts in your mouth, not in your hand, you know).

MMsPlushRed.jpg3) Red M&M’s were taken out of the lineup in 1976 when red dye #2 was suspected to be a carcinogen source. Red was quietly re-added in 1987 using a different type of red dye.

4) It could have been M&M’s instead of Reese’s Pieces in E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial. However, Mars turned down Steven Spielberg’s offer, so he approached Hershey instead. Too bad for Mars – Reese’s Pieces sales increased 80 percent after the movie came out.

5) Types of M&M’s have included milk chocolate (plain), peanut, peanut butter, almond, Dulce de leche caramel, mint, white chocolate, crispy, Razzberry, dark chocolate, cherry, peach and orange.

Friday: Candy Apples. Thursday: Tootsie Rolls. Wednedsay: Snickers. Tomorrow: Popcorn Balls.

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Comments (9)

  1. If anyone is going to Vegas- you MUST check out the 3 or 4 story M&M’s world there! It was one of my favorite things in Vegas. They have funny movie posters that change movie names and feature M&M’s… like “The M-father” and “Super-M”. They also have some cute personalized (and some affordable!) gifts. Plus the escalator walls show the M&M’s candy spokespeople through history.

    posted by Kelly on 10-29-2007 at 1:41 pm

  2. I remember when the red M&M’s were banned. They used to use a light brown (caramel color) instead, so you got 2 shades of brown M&M’s in every bag.

    posted by Ken on 10-29-2007 at 1:46 pm

  3. Right now I’m reading “Candy Freak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America” by Steve Almond (really!) It’s hilarious and very well researched – tho I’m 2/3 through the book and hadn’t yet learned that little factoid about M&Ms until I read it here. The book’s a fun and easy read, but it will make you want candy (tho not as desperately as the author)

    posted by bettycat on 10-29-2007 at 2:57 pm

  4. I recently found the Razzberry M&M’s. They are a very limited edition and are supposed to be gone in October. They are very, very good! I hope that Mars brings these back on a yearly basis!

    posted by Linda on 10-29-2007 at 3:19 pm

  5. When I was in college, I told a friend that green M&M’s made you horny…right after that, everyone was saying it…while I know it probably wasn’t because of me, I like to think I had something to do with spreading the rumour about Green M’s…awesome…

    posted by donner on 10-29-2007 at 4:35 pm

  6. Just as Kelly previously noted, the M&M store in Las Vegas on the strip is a must see! The four floors take you through the complete history of the cherished candy. I even took a pic with the green m&m (aka the diva m&m).

    posted by Pegah on 10-29-2007 at 5:28 pm

  7. Another M&M fact…Battelle, a research company in Columbus, Ohio, created the candy shell on M&M’s.

    posted by Del on 10-30-2007 at 5:54 am

  8. Another interesting fact – M&Ms are put in MREs (Meal Ready to Eat) which is the airtight, packaged food that the military gives you when you’re out in the field. MREs are said to have a shelf life of up to 10 years, maybe even more.

    posted by caitlen315 on 10-30-2007 at 7:06 am

  9. bettycat,
    Candyfreak is about the chocolate UNDERBELLY of America, so M&M’s are not featured in Almond’s book.

    Ken,
    The tan M&M’s were still around when they reintroduced red M&M’s in 1987; they were then replaced by blue M&M’s in 1995.

    Yes, I really love candy!

    posted by Michelle on 10-31-2007 at 1:15 pm

Comment

commenting policy