If your child ever asks how Snickers got their unusual name, we are here with the answer - it's actually really sweet and kids will find it totally relatable.
Adults love having fun facts for kids to hand to delight their children with, just as much as little ones love to hear them. Always wanting to be helpful, we've got quite a few to add to your arsenal, including what HARIBO stands for, and what the name 'Marmite' means (this one can also lead to a solid debate over who loves and who loathes the tarry spread.)
Now we've found out where the nutty and delicious Snickers bars got their name, and you'll want to dash straight off to tell your kids this one too. Not only is the way they got their name totally adorable, kids everywhere will approve and relate - the reason the name got changed in the UK will also give them a giggle.
How did Snickers get their name?
Frank and Ethel Mars, the founders of confectionary company Mars Incorporated, named the Snickers bar after their favourite horse, that had passed away. The couple began their foray into confectionary in 1911, when they opened their first factory. However, their ventures were largely unsuccessful until their Mar-O-Bar Company introduced the enduringly popular Milky Way bar.
By 1930, Frank and Ethel's success allowed them to buy a 3,000-acre horse breeding farm in Tennessee, which they named Milky Way Farm. Around this time, the couple were planning to launch a new chocolate bar, consisting of peanuts and caramel coated in chocolate. They hadn't planned to give the bar a name - it was to simply be a 'no name' bar.
Just prior to the launch, Ethel's favourite horse, Snickers, passed away. To honour the horse, the new chocolate bar was named Snickers, and history was made - it just took a little longer in the UK. Some might remember that Snickers once had a different name in the UK, being known as 'Marathon.' That's because when it was launched here in the 1967, UK executives were concerned that the name 'Snickers' would cause offence because it rhymed with knickers (insert giggles here.)
The name Snickers was kept in all other countries the bar launched - with the exception of the UK only. That's until 1990, when the Marathon name was dropped because Mars wanted the name to be the same around the world, and to differentiate from a totally unrelated product named Marathon that came out in the US. And that's the wonderful story of Snickers.
Snickers fun facts
- When they were introduced in 1930, a Snickers bar sold for 5 cents. Although this doesn't sound like much, it equates to around $1 dollar in today's money, making it actually on the expensive side for the time.
- Snickers fun size was launched in 1968.
- Snickers was the official sponsor of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
- Snickers ice cream was introduced in 1989.
- Mars makes 15 million Snickers bars every day.
- There is a limit of 16 peanuts per Snickers bar.
- There was once a caffeinated version of the bar which didn't take off and was soon discontinued.
- Snickers has a place in the Guinness World Records for the biggest bar ever made - weighing in at two tonnes.
For more fun facts to share with your kids, you can tell them how the pyramids were really built, and the incredible reason pirates wear an eye patch. Kids asking why we say 'white rabbits' on the first of every month? We've got you covered.
