Make a list of America’s favorite chocolate candy, and M&M’s will be near the top every time. No other bulk candy quite compares to their fun to eat, easy-to-share sweetness. The history of M&M’s is just as colorful as it’s crunchy candy shells.
Where It All Started
The sons of two famous candy company founders came together to make M&M’s a reality. Forrest Mars, whose father founded Mars Incorporated, met up with Bruce Murrie, son of the president of Hershey’s. Together they created a heat-resistant candy that could be shipped to soldiers overseas.
And that’s exactly what they did. In the early days, they sold exclusively to U.S. armed forces fighting World War II. The original candy was sold in cardboard tubes and was easy to transport, making M&Ms the perfect wartime snack. The troops loved it so much that demand skyrocketed.
It didn’t take long for Mars and Murrie to start selling their candy creation to the American public. To ward off impersonators, M&M started printing the letter “M” on every candy.
By 1954, M&M had introduced a new variation: Peanut M&M’s.
Launching Into Popularity
One secret of the candy’s success was the hard candy coating. Normally, chocolate sales took a nosedive during summer months. But with M&M’s, you could enjoy all the chocolaty goodness without the mess.
The original colors were yellow, green and red. In 1976, orange joined the mix. These were the colors M&M’s were wearing when they became the first candy in space.
They were launched on the Columbia space shuttle in 1981. Their ultra-portable, no-mess style let astronauts enjoy their favorite candy in space.
Just three years later, they were named the official snack of the 1984 Olympics. The 80’s were a big decade for M&M’s. That’s also the year Mars started selling them in Germany, Japan, Hong Kong and France.
So Many Options
M&M’s remained pretty much unchanged for the next 10 years. In 1995, America voted to add Blue M&M’s to the mix. Soon after, custom colors were introduced. Now you can get M&M’s in a rainbow of colors including: Black, Dark Pink, Light Purple, Aqua Green, Dark Blue, Brown, Cream, Gold, Teal, White, and Green.
Their popularity spurred the company to create even more options and now Peanut Butter M&M’s, Caramel M&M’s and Crispy M&M’s are available wherever great candy is sold.
The Perfect Candy For Every Occasion
Whatever you’re celebrating, M&M’s are the perfect candy for the occasion. Get the Red White and Blue mix for 4th of July. Mix red and green for Christmas, orange and brown for Halloween, or your favorite colors for whenever.
Sending the kids back to school? Make these M&M cookies to pack in their lunch boxes. Planning your sister’s bridal shower? Add cream and gold M&M’s to the candy buffet for a classy and tasty treat. M&M Mini Tubes also make perfect party favors for kid’s birthday parties.
Get M&M’s and other bulk candy favorites at our bulk candy store.
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