Photos by David Allen
Mars Chocolate North America began celebrating the 75th anniversary of M&M’S candy on March 3 with a special birthday reception at the Altman Building in New York.
“For 75 years, our fans have made M&M’S the iconic and beloved chocolate brand it is today,” said Berta de Pablos-Barbier, vice president of marketing for Mars Chocolate North America. “We aren’t satisfied with solely looking back on our history as America’s favorite chocolate candies. We are looking to the next 75 years of innovation and transformation to engage, entice and excite consumers of today and tomorrow.”
M&M’s first arrived on the scene in 1941 and, according to The History Channel, they are named for their inventors; Forrest Mars Sr.,his family owned the Mars candy company; and Bruce Murrie; whose father started Hershey chocolate. When World War II broke out, M&M’s were only made available to the military. They were great because they were easy to carry and they didn’t melt like other chocolate did. When the war was over, the demand for these candies grew and grew.
The brown packaging we know today, first hit store shelves in 1948. Peanut M&M’s were introduced in 1954 and now you can choose from the original milk chocolate, peanut, dark chocolate, crispy, peanut butter, pretzel, almond, dark mint, dark chocolate peanut.
The icing on the cake? A remake of the 1970’s classic song The Candy Man featuring the collaborative talents of Grammy Award-winning EDM artist Zedd and Billboard chart-topping musician Aloe Blacc. Introduced in the original 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, the song became a No. 1 hit for Sammy Davis Jr. in 1972.
