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M&M's

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This article is about the candy. For other uses, see M&M (disambiguation).
M&M's
Milk Chocolate M&M's
Product typeCandy
OwnerMars, Incorporated
CountryUnited States
Introduced1941
Related brandsMinstrels, Revels, Skittles, Treets
MarketsWorldwide (over 100 countries)[1]
Websitehttp://www.mms.com/

M&M's (named after the surnames of the company founders Mars & Murrie[2]) are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies"[1] produced by Mars, Incorporated. The candy shells, each of which has the letter "m" printed in lower case on one side, surround a variety of fillings, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, crisped rice, mint chocolate, peanuts, almonds, orange chocolate, coconut, pretzel, wild cherry, and peanut butter. M&M's originated in the United States in 1941, and are now sold in over 100 countries.[1] They are produced in different colors, some of which have changed over the years. The difference between the different colored M&Ms is the dye added to the outer coating.

History

File:M&Ms-Wrapper-Small.jpg
Plain/Milk Chocolate M&M's

1930s to 1940s

Forrest Mars, Sr., founder of the Mars Company, got the idea for the confection in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating chocolate pellets with a hard shell of tempered chocolate surrounding the inside, preventing the candies from melting. Mars received a patent for his own process on March 3, 1941.[3] Production began in 1941 in a factory located at 285 Badger Avenue in Clinton Hill, Newark, New Jersey. One M was for Forrest E. Mars Sr., and one for Bruce Murrie, the son of Hershey's Chocolate president William F. R. Murrie.[4] Murrie had 20 percent interest in the product. The arrangement allowed the candies to be made with Hershey chocolate which had control of the rationed chocolate.[5] When operations were started, the hard-coated chocolates were made in five colors: red, yellow, brown, green, and violet. They were served in a cardboard tube (similar to Smarties).[6][7]

The practicality of the candies during World War II caused an increase in production and its factory moved to bigger quarters at 200 North 12th Street in Newark, New Jersey where they remained until 1958 when it moved to a bigger factory at Hackettstown, New Jersey. During the War the candies were exclusively sold to the military.[6]

In 1948, the cardboard packaging was replaced by the black cellophane packaging. In the same year Mars bought out Murrie's 20 percent stake.[citation needed]

File:Candy-Peanut-MMs-Wrapper-Small.jpg
Peanut M&M's, introduced in 1954.

1950s to 1960s

In 1950, a black "M" was imprinted on the candies. It was changed to white in 1954.[6]

In the early 1950s, the Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, working for M&M's, perfected a process whereby 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg) of chocolate centers could be coated every hour.[8] Peanut M&M's were introduced in 1954, but were only made in the tan color. In 1960, Peanut M&M's added the yellow, red, and green colors.

1970s and 1980s

Red candies were eliminated in 1976[9] due to health concerns over the dye amaranth (FD&C Red #2), which was a suspected carcinogen, and were replaced with orange-colored candies. This was done despite the fact that M&M's did not contain the dye; the action was purely to satisfy worried consumers. Red candies were reintroduced later, but they also kept the orange colored M&M's. They currently contain Allura Red AC (FD&C Red #40, E129). In Europe, Allura Red AC (E129) is not recommended for consumption by children. It is banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Norway.[10] Instead, Cochineal (E120) is used in the red shells.

In 1980, M&M's were introduced internationally to Australia, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.[11]

In 1982, M&M's were rocketed into space for the first time, and have since been a part of all missions.

Although they were marketed and then withdrawn in the 1960s, in 1988, Almond-centered M&M's hit stores again in limited release, with appearances only during Christmas and Easter times; it became a standard part of the product line in 1992.

1990s

In 1991, Peanut Butter M&M's were released. These candies have peanut butter inside the chocolate center and the same color scheme as the other brands.

In 1990, Mars Snackfood US signed up to be a sponsor for NASCAR, and then the M&M's team was created. Drivers for the M&M car through the years have included: Ernie Irvan, Ken Schrader, Eliott Sadler, and Kyle Busch.

In 1995, Mars ran a promotion in which consumers were invited to vote on which of blue, pink, or purple would replace the tan M&M's. Blue was the winner, replacing tan in early 1995. Consumers could vote by calling 1-800-FUN-COLOR. (The introduction of blue M&M's to Australia in 1997 was controversially promoted by the Carlton Football Club of the Australian Football League [AFL] who, for one game, swapped their trademark dark blue guernseys for pale blue guernseys—their first change since the early 20th century.[12])

File:M&M's spokecandies.jpg
Red and Yellow, two of M&M's "spokescandies"
File:Green M spokescandy.png
The Green "spokescandy"
File:Blue M spokecandy.jpg
The Blue "spokescandy"

Concurrent with the Blue M&M campaign, M&M's introduced computer animated "spokescandies" in their television commercials. These include the team of the cynical and sardonic "Red" (originally voiced by Jon Lovitz, thereafter Billy West), who is the mascot for milk chocolate M&M's, and the happy and gullible "Yellow" (originally John Goodman, thereafter J.K. Simmons), who is the mascot for peanut M&M's. Other mascots include the "cool one", Blue (originally Phil Hartman, thereafter Robb Pruitt) for almond; the seductive Green (Cree Summer) for peanut butter, mint, and dark chocolate (Green is the only female M&M's mascot); and the slightly neurotic Orange (Eric Kirchberger) for crispy and pretzel M&M's. Although brown M&Ms have been around since the beginning of the candy, no brown M&M "spokescandy" was included.

In 1996, Mars introduced "M&M's Minis", smaller candies usually sold in plastic tubes instead of bags.[citation needed] A video game, M&M's: The Lost Formulas, was also eventually released, based on this candy. It was released on September 28, 2000.

In 1998, M&M's became "The Official Candy of the New Millennium", since MM is the roman numeral for 2000. A year later, Crispy M&M's were released. They were slightly larger than the milk chocolate variety and featured a crispy rice center. They were discontinued in the United States in 2005, though they brought in more profit than any other M&M variety. As of 2011 Cripsy M&M'S are coming back in June 2011.[citation needed] They are still available in Europe, Australia, and southeast Asia.

In 1990, an M&Ms exhibit at New York's Erie County Fair, promoting the company's nutrition awareness campaign, became the precursor to Cow Parade, the whimsical phenomenon where municipalities and museums display decorated cattle at convenient traffic intersections. The M&Ms display was a life size fiberglass cow covered with 66,000 M&M candies, each adhered by hand with the "m" logo on each candy facing outward. Candy the Cow was the first-ever decorated bovine, and earned M&M Mars $1 million in free publicity. The chocolate marvel, created by designer Michael Adams, was reported on by Newsweek Magazine ("udderly amazing") as well as the New York Post, UPI and WABC-TV. Candy then appeared as a live "guest" on Live with Regis, where Regis Philbin "interviewed" her and affirmed the nutritional value of milk chocolate.[13]

One of the commercials for M&Ms released in the 1990s was a Christmas commercial where the spokes-candies (Red and Yellow) were trying to leave a bowl of red and green M&Ms out for Santa Claus.

2000–2005

In 2000, "Plain" M&M's (a name introduced in 1954 when Peanut M&M's were introduced) were renamed "Milk Chocolate" M&M's (presumably because "plain" sounded too negative), and pictures of the candy pieces were added to the traditional brown and white packaging.[14]

In July 2001, caramel-filled Dulce de Leche M&M's were introduced in five markets with large Hispanic populations: Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA, Miami, FL, Mcallen-Brownsville, TX, and San Antonio, TX.[15] The flavor never became popular with the Hispanic community, who preferred existing M&M's flavors, and it was discontinued in most areas by early 2003.[16] The flavor was widely panned for containing 36 grams of fat per serving.[17]

In 2002, Mars solicited votes to their first ever "M&M's Global Color Vote, to add a new color from three choices: aqua (turquoise), pink, and purple. This time, purple won and was featured for a limited time.[7]

Since 2005 M&M's have been available online in 17 colors, with personalized phrases on each candy on the opposite side from the "m".[18] Released around Christmas, these custom-printed M&M's were originally intended for holiday greetings, but are now available all year round.

In April 2005, M&M's ran the "mPire" promotion to tie in with the Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith movie release. M&M's were offered in dark chocolate varieties (Regular and Peanut) for the first time after a string of Addams Family M&M's commercials.

In May 2004, M&M's ran a Shrek 2 promotion to tie in with the movie's release. M&M's were offered "ogre-sized" (65% larger) in swamp/ogre colors. They were sold at many stores displayed in huge cardboard cutout ogre displays.

In the summer of 2005, Mars added "Mega M&M's" to the lineup.[19] These candies, at 55% larger than the traditional M&M's, were a little smaller than the ogre-sized version. They were available in milk chocolate and peanut varieties. The colors for Mega M&M's were changed to less-bright colors — teal (replacing green), beige (orange), maroon (red), gold (yellow), blue-gray (blue), and brown to appeal to a more adult consumer.

In the fall of 2005, the mPire promotion ran again to coincide with the DVD release of the Star Wars movie.

2006–present

Outside of the M&M store in Times Square, New York City.

In July 2006, Dark Chocolate M&M's reappeared in a purple package, followed in 2007 by Dark Chocolate Peanut M&M's. Also in 2006, the company piloted White Chocolate M&M's as a tie-in with their Pirates of the Caribbean promotion. The company also offered eight new flavors of M&M's via online sales, as well as at M&M's World locations: "All That Razz"; "Eat, Drink, & Be Cherry"; "A Day at the Peach"; "Orange-U-Glad"; "Mint Condition"; "AlmonDeeLicious"; "Nut What You Think" and "Cookie Minster". Mars also released a "Crispy Mint" variety in Australia that year.[citation needed]

Also in 2006, M&M's became the official chocolate of NASCAR.

In 2007, M&M's introduced a limited-edition raspberry flavor called "M&M's Razzberry Chocolate Candies."[citation needed]

Also in 2007, M&M's produced a 50-foot, smiling Lady Liberty M&M statue to kick off a campaign encouraging Americans to create their own M&M characters at mms.com. The website allows for people to log in and create their own character from scratch. They choose everything from the color and shape to hair and accessories.

During the 2008 Valentine's Day season Mars introduced bags of all-green M&M's. This was due to common urban folklore that holds green M&M's to be an aphrodisiac.[20] They were brought back for Valentine's Day 2009 alongside the "Ms. Green Heats Up Valentine's Day" contest.

In 2008, two new limited-edition varieties of the candy were introduced — "Wildly Cherry" M&M's, and, as a marketing tie-in with the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, "Mint Crisp" M&M's.[citation needed]

M&M's also introduced another new product called "M&M's Premiums" in 2008. They come in five flavors — chocolate almond, mint chocolate, mocha, raspberry almond and triple chocolate (milk, dark, and white chocolate), which are sold in small upright cartons with a plastic bag inside. M&M's Premiums do not have a candy shell, but are coated with carnauba wax and color. Dark Cock was added in 2009, replacing Mocha.[citation needed]

During summer of 2008, My M&M's launched 'Faces,' which allows consumers to print the faces of loved ones on M&M's chocolate candies.[citation needed]

In January 2009, three new "shimmering" colors were added to the list of custom printable colors. The colors in this collection have a pearlescent finish.[21] In February 2009, M&M's launched "M&M’S Color Break-Up" Promotion in Australia where colors were sold in separate packs (one for each color): the packs included a code to win prizes.[22]

In Summer 2009, M&M's launched a limited-edition "Strawberried Peanut Butter" variant to tie in with the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. In addition, M&M's launched a limited edition "Coconut M&M's."

In July 2009, a study showed that a dye similar to that in blue M&M's showed benefits in helping paralyzed rats to walk again.[23]

In April 2010, M&M's launched a new "pretzel variety." Pretzel M&M's do not have any yellow M&M's.[24]

In early 2010, M&M's Bare All were released as part of a competition in Australia and New Zealand.[25] M&M's Bare All winning packs were ordinary M&M's, but without shells (and hence had no colours). An official website, http://m-msbareall.com.au/, was launched, along with television advertisements.[26]

About the time pretzel M&M'S came out, the M&M'S wrapper designs in the U.S. were redone, from the old design, used from 2004-early 2010. Almond, Dark chocolate, and Dark chocolate peanut are currently only available in larger sizes.

Color changes in chocolate M&M's

The following is a summary of the changes to the colors of the flagship (milk chocolate) flavor of M&M's, the only filling manufactured since the beginning of the brand. From 1941 until 1987, each package contained M&M's in five different colors; when red M&M's were reintroduced in 1987, they were added as a sixth color instead of replacing any of the existing colors.

M&M's World on the Las Vegas Strip.

Related candy brands from Mars include Minstrels, Revels, Skittles, and Treets; similar products from other companies include Smarties, Pebbles and several products from The Hershey Company: Hershey's Drops, Reese's Pieces, Hershey's Dark Chocolate Pieces, York Pieces, Almond Joy Pieces and the long-discontinued Hershey-ets. Similar candies are used as an ingredient in some brands of trail mix.

M&M's World specialty shops have been established in some locations. Several M&Ms-themed video games have been created.

References

  1. ^ a b c M&M's candy fades to black and white, a December 30, 2003 Reuters article via USA Today
  2. ^ Inventor of the Week Archive
  3. ^ "Inventor of the Week: Archive". Web.mit.edu. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  4. ^ Murrie, William F.R.; 1873–1950 - hersheyarchives.com - Retrieved January 22, 2011
  5. ^ "Inventor of the Week: Archive". Web.mit.edu. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  6. ^ a b c "Looking Back at Newark Origins of World-Famous M&M Chocolates - virtualnewarknj.com - Retrieved August 28, 2008". virtualnewarknj.com. 1981-04-12. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  7. ^ a b "M&M lovers pick purple". CNNMoney.com. Time Warner. 2002-06-20. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  8. ^ "MRI Breakthroughs". Mriresearch.org. 2001-09-11. Archived from the original on July 2, 2008. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  9. ^ "The Story of M&M'S Brand". mms.com. Mars, Incorporated. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  10. ^ "E129 Allura Red AC, FD&C Red 40". Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  11. ^ http://www.mms.com/us/about/mmshistory/
  12. ^ "The Clubs". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  13. ^ "Events - M&M Candy Cow". Behindthescenesmarketing.com. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  14. ^ http://www.collectorcafe.com/article_archive.asp?article=10&id=1877
  15. ^ "M&M/MARS Woos Latinos With New ``M&M's'' Dulce de Leche-Caramel Chocolate Candies; New Flavor to Premiere in Markets With Highest Concentration of Latinos. | Food & Beverage > Food Industry from". AllBusiness.com. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  16. ^ http://www.nuintelligence.net/Manager/anmviewer.asp?a=9[dead link]
  17. ^ "Dulce de Leche M&M's | New York". DailyCandy.com. 2002-02-13. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  18. ^ "Custom Printed MY M&M'S". mms.com. Mars, Incorporated. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  19. ^ "M&M's get mega-sized". CNNMoney.com. Time Warner. 2005-08-04. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  20. ^ "M&M'S Chocolate Candies go green just in time for Valentine's Day". PRNewswire. 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  21. ^ "My M&M's -25 Custom Chocolate Candy Colors". Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  22. ^ "M&M'S Color Break Up". Mars. 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  23. ^ "Julie's Health Club: Dye found in blue M&Ms may improve spinal injuries". Featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com. 2009-07-28. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
  24. ^ "About M&MS®: Products: Pretzel". Retrieved 2011-03-16.
  25. ^ http://m-msbareall.com.au/index.html
  26. ^ M&M's Bare All TV commercial from YouTube
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