People are only just realising what M&M stands for and they're losing their minds
It's a sweet treat that's been around for longer than you might think - and its name reflects its history.
They’ve been in our treat cupboards for so long that they’ve become a movie night staple.
Perhaps so much so that you’ve never even stopped to consider why they’re called what they’re called before scoffing them down.
But now the meaning behind their name has been revealed - and it’s perhaps not what you might have been expecting.
Despite only appearing in UK stores in the 1980s, the chocolate candy coloured treat has actually been around for much longer.
The multi-coloured shelled chocolates have tiny letter Ms printed on the button-shaped sweets.
M&M's are actually the flagship product of the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars, Incorporated and originated in America in 1941.
The concept was reportedly inspired by the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) to enable soldiers to carry chocolate in warm climates without it melting - which inspired its famous slogan “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand,” reports the Daily Star.
But what does M&M's actually stand for?
M&M's are made by Mars, Inc. - and so it’s perhaps quite obvious at least one of the Ms should stand for Mars.
And the other one?
Well, it actually stands for Murrie - meaning that the full name of M&Ms means Mars and Murrie.
Murrie is the man who helped develop the iconic candy-coated chocolate pieces with Mars.
In this case - the Mars was not Frank Mars, but his son Forrest Mars.
After a period of estrangement, father and son came back together and called their company Mars, Inc.
Forrest enlisted the help of competitor Hershey for help with M&Ms.
He went to the office of William Murrie, who had taken over the day-to-day operations of the company from Milton Hershey and pitched the idea of sweets.
Forest ended up entering into a partnership with Murrie’s son, which resulted in the origin of the M&M's name.
The first 'M' stands for Mars, and the second 'M' stands for Murrie, meaning Bruce Murrie.
So after that history of one of the world’s most famous treats, we think you deserve a snack...
