Fans of M&Ms are just now discovering the meaning behind the iconic initials of the beloved candy.
M&Ms, the small, multicolored button-shaped chocolates, have been a household name for over 80 years. The candy was created in 1941 by Forrest Edward Mars Snr. and Bruce Murrie. While the treat is widely recognized today, many people have never known what the letters “M&M” stand for.
The creation of M&Ms can be traced back to Forrest Mars, who was involved in manufacturing sweets for soldiers during the Spanish Civil War. It was there that Mars encountered the British candy Smarties, small chocolate beads coated with a hard sugar shell that prevented them from melting. Inspired by this discovery, Mars sought to create a similar product in America.
Mars teamed up with Bruce Murrie, the son of Hershey Chocolate’s founder, and together, they developed M&Ms, which were initially sold in cardboard tubes and coated in colors such as brown, red, orange, yellow, green, and violet. The candy’s heat-resistant shell made it ideal for soldiers’ rations during World War II, and M&Ms were exclusively sold to the military during that time.
M&Ms are inspired by the British chocolate Smarties. Credit: Adobe Stock
Interestingly, M&Ms became the first candy to be taken into space when they were included in the NASA space mission aboard the Columbia in 1981. After the war, the partnership between Mars and Murrie ended in 1945, with Mars buying out Murrie and becoming the sole owner of the brand.
M&Ms stands for Mars and Murrie, the surnames of the brand’s two founders. Credit: Adobe Stock
So, what do the initials “M&M” stand for? They represent the surnames of the two founders—Mars and Murrie. Many people have recently realized this, with some humorous reactions on social media. One person admitted, “I always thought it just stood for ‘MMMMMM!’” while another commented, “I assumed M&M stood for Military Munchies. When you assume…”
Did you know the origin of the M&M name?