M&M

1. In what year was the M&M candy first made? M&M candies debuted in 1941. They were originally packaged in cardboard tubes and sold only to the military. They became a popular treat amongst soldiers who later clamored for more after the war ended.
2. What does M&M stand for? Forrest Mars, Sr. was the founder of Mars candy. He had a little help from an investor, William F.R. Murrie who was the president of Hershey’s Chocolate at the time. With a 20 percent interest and greater control over chocolate which was rationed during the war, Murrie’s initial became the second “m” in M&Ms.
3. Where did the name M&Ms come from? Forrest Mars, Sr., the founder of Mars, was inspired to create a candy-coated, bite-sized chocolate candy after observing soldiers in the Spanish Civil War enjoying such a treat. He noticed that the hard candy shell prevented meltage. By 1941, Mars had patented and begun production of the now-famous M&M candy.
4. How are M&Ms made? M&Ms begin as liquid chocolate which is squirted into tiny button-shaped molds. Once cooled, these buttons of chocolate are then tumbled so that they become the rounded chocolate centers that we know and love. From there, the button centers then travel down a conveyor belt where they go through a panning process that involves rotating the centers in a drum while liquid candy is sprayed onto them, creating a hard candy coating. Several coats of candy are added with color and finishing coats added last. Once the candy shell hardens, it’s off to the printing press where the “m” is printed on each M&M.
5. Why was the hard candy coating invented for the M&M candies? Mars wanted a candy coating to prevent the chocolate from melting.
6. Does E.T. prefer M&M’s or Reese’s Pieces? While many M&M candy facts date back seven decades, this one is from the 1980s: ET prefers Reese’s Pieces. The Mars candy company had the opportunity to showcase M&Ms during this film, but declined because its executives felt ET was too scary.

Impress your friends by sharing these sweet M&M candy facts and a bowlful of your favorite candies.