Offbeat Enough

WWII and M&M’s
After Forrest Mars, Sr. witnessed soldiers eating bite-sized chocolates covered in a sugar coating during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s, he brought the idea back to the United States and started manufacturing his own version, called M&M’s.

In 1941, M&M’s were included in U.S. soldiers’ rations during World War II because they “melt in your mouth, not in your hands” (the tagline didn’t actually appear until 1954). Good in nearly any environment, including hot summers, M&M’s became very popular. The little candies were sold in tubes until 1948, when the packaging changed to the brown bag that we still see today. The imprint of an “M” on the candies first occurred in 1950.

Continue Reading