The melts in your mouths and not in your hands
M&M’s are among the most loved candies in the world. The colorful hard-shell chocolates can be found in every place from shopping malls to White House and space. Here are some delicious facts that you might not be aware of regarding the two Ms including where the concept came from, the reason why the characters were redesigned and the story of two workers falling into a chocolate vat.
A chocolate-related accident occurred at the M&M’s plant
In a sequence of events which could’ve been directly from Seventies famous movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Two workers discovered themselves stuck in the middle after falling into a chocolate vat in the Mars M&M factory in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. It was waist high (Augustus) chocolate had a thickness so high that getting them out of the same way they entered was not possible. The fire department needed to make an opening through the tank’s side to save the two who were then taken to the hospital for examinations.
M&M’s stand to represent Mars and Murrie
Have you ever wondered what M&M’s stand for? It’s Mars and Murrie which refers to Forrest Mars (the son of the creator of Mars, Frank Mars) and Bruce Murrie (the son of the long-time Hershey Chairman William Murrie). The unlikely couple entered business together in the early days in the Second World War in 1939. Today, the two brands have become arch-rivals.
M&M’s are used to hold Hershey chocolate
The first sweets were made from Hershey chocolate. Murrie was able promise Mars the supply of cocoa even during wartime rationing, and they agreed to work together. But, after the war, Mars purchased back Murrie’s 20% stake and then discontinued using Hershey chocolate.
The concept for M&M’s originated from Spain
To comprehend where the concept originated, we need look back. Dissatisfied with his father’s death, Forrest Mars moved to Europe to start his own company. During the course of this during a trip across Southern Spain (possibly accompanied by Rowntree who was the one to launch Smarties) He saw soldiers eating chocolate. In the era of Smarties, hot temperatures could be a challenge for the chocolate industry however these sweets came with sugar shells to prevent melts from occurring. This is how Mars came up with the brilliant concept and advertising slogan “melts into your mouth but not your hands”.
They first came in cardboard tubes
While you’re used seeing M&M’s in plastic packaging but they were packaged in a cardboard box when they first came out. The lid was opened and they easily poured onto your fingers. The lid can also be put back on when you want to use just some. The brown bags first came into use in 1948.
At first, only the military could use them.
Another interesting fact about this candy is that in the beginning, it was available only to military personnel. The chocolate tubs were part of soldiers diets and were extremely useful because they weren’t melting and were able to be sealed. It wasn’t until the latter part of the decade that people were able to access the chocolate tubes.
The color selection that was made at the beginning included violet
The first M&Ms were available in six shades including yellow, brown, orange red, green, red and violet. In 1949, the color violet was changed to the color tan. In the following year, the company requested customers to vote on the colour they would like to see in the pack . The winning colour was blue. Today, you can discover yellow, brown and orange as well as red blue, green and brown. However, as those who love the candy know they all taste exactly similar and the shells don’t indicate the flavor.
M&M’s are marked with an “m” to ensure that they’re genuine
In the beginning M&M’s shells were empty and undistinguishable from similar candy. In 1950, it was only when they were given their trademark “m” mark and motto “Look to see the letter m in every single piece” was created. Actually, every one of Mars chocolates have the ability to identify them with no wrapper. Have you seen the ripple that appears on the top of the top of a Mars bar?
