Recognizable on the grocery shelves for their bright, colorful packaging and dozens of flavors and varieties to satisfy every type of chocolate lover, M&Ms hold a special place in my heart as well as in those both in the country and around the world. The iconic candy turns 75 years old this year, so read on to find out more about this iconic treat and celebrate the M imprinted candy.
1. M&Ms were invented by Forrest Mars, inspired by a lentil-shaped candy he saw soldiers eating during a visit behind the lines in the Spanish Civil War.
2. M&Ms are named after the Mars and Murrie families
3. Before Hershey and Mars became rivals, William F. R. Murrie's company Hershey supplied the chocolate Mars needed to make the candy.
4. The movie E.T., almost used M&Ms but Mars' insecurity led to the choosing of Reese's peanut butter candies instead.
5. M&Ms Peanut Chocolate Candies were introduced In 1954.
7. The letter “M” was printed on the candy in black ink until 1954; now it's printed in white.
8. The famous slogan "The milk chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hand" and the M&Ms brand characters were trademarked in 1954.
9. M&Ms happen to be the most common eaten chocolate in NASA's space program
10. In 1972, the colorful characters first appeared on packaging, helping with M&Ms brand awareness.
11. Green's shoe-wear, her Go-Go boots, was chosen due to early drawings of the character showing her with less than flattering ankles.
12. She joined the M&Ms pack as a character in 1997, while Red, Blue, and Yellow had been introduced back in 1995
13. Ms. Brown joined in 2012, and is voiced by Vanessa Williams