The Colorful Military History Of M&Ms

by Kevin Burton

   Let’s all salute innovation and progress today and tomorrow by knocking down a couple of packs of M&Ms.

   Let’s do so under the heading, “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand, stays on your waistline.”

   M&Ms are 83 years old as of tomorrow. Forrest Mars secured a patent for the treat on March 3, 1941.

   Maybe you’ve had an argument or two in your family over who ate the last of the M&Ms. According to allrecipies.com, it was a family argument that led to the creation of M&Ms.

   “Forrest E. Mars, Sr. is the son of the candy giant, Frank C. Mars, creator of the Milky Way and 3 Musketeers candy bars. After a riff in their father and son relationship, Forrest left his father’s company to start his own,” All Recipes reported.

   “After traveling overseas to Europe and working under another food giant, Nestle, he learned more about the candy and food business to aid in his quest to start his own. It’s said that during his travels, he came across soldiers during the Spanish Civil War eating small pellets of candy-coated chocolate and that’s what gave him the idea to start his own.”

   “During the start of World War II, sugar was in short supply in the USA and was therefore rationed. However, there was one company that got away with endless supplies of sugar: Hershey. Hershey was able to lobby the government to allow them to have access to sugar for production. In turn, The Hershey Corporation would provide chocolate for the troops (a delicacy and moral booster for them while they were out in the field).

   “Mars knew this and used this upper hand to make his new candy creation happen. He struck an 80-20 deal with the son of Hershey executive William Murrie, allowing Hershey to supply chocolate, capital, and technology to make the new candy that will be named “M&M’s” from both of their last names. Yep! M&M’s are made with Hershey’s chocolate.”

   “But that’s not the only reason M&Ms were brought to life,” All Recipes writes. “Since Hershey’s was supplying chocolate to soldiers, it needed a way to keep it from melting in tropical climates during the war. The solution: M&M’s patented candy coating. The candy became a hit with soldiers for their convenience and mobility.”

   “At first they were sold in cardboard tubes and marketed to the military as a snack that could travel well in different climates,” reads a story on the Website of the Museum of Modern Art. “Many soldiers in World War II ate these candies. By the late 1940s, M&Ms were widely available to the public. The popular slogan, ‘It melts in your mouth, not in your hands’ was trademarked in 1954. In 1981, M&Ms went to outer space when space-shuttle astronauts brought M&Ms with them on their flight.”

   Don’t know about you, but my household is fine with just M&Ms and Peanut M&Ms. Male and female we used to say.  This is the way the world worked when I was young, The Big Red machine was at the height of its power and so was I. 

   My wife Jeannette is in charge of the Peanut M&M consumption, me, the plain M&Ms.  This division of household labor is profitable and satisfying for both of us.

   But the marketplace has exploded, so there is a ton of shelf space in stores for items such as Peanut Butter M&Ms, which I mistakenly bought for Jeannette once, and Caramel Cold Brew M&Ms.  I don’t often try these variant forms when they come out, but Caramel Cold Brew, I did.

   So I mentioned M&Ms are 83 years old. These Caramel Cold Brew delights are not that old but a partial bag is getting kind of old in a little container I carry around on trips. I like them, but I don’t love them. If we were in my school lunchbox days I would trade them for a mini milky way, or a handful of grapes or whatever I could get.

   But this of course, is all marketing

   At mms.com you can buy M&Ms in various souvenir containers. You can design your own color mix. The site lists as a best seller a candy dispenser with custom packaging. The container would have a message that you pick, such as “Happy 12^th Anniversary K&J.” The candies inside have either a smiley face or some other tiny, cheery message and not the M which usually appears. 

   That one sells for $60. Chocolate Cha-ching!

   For $60 the Burtons can produce a mighty mountain of taco salad, and lemon pepper chicken and noodles, so we’re going to pass on the $60 M&Ms bauble.

   But the actual M&Ms, male and female as God intended, you gotta love those, any color, any time. Bring that on!