Although many have long believed the initials of M&M's simply stand for 'Mmm', as in the noise of pleasure you make when you eat them, this isn't actually the case. The popular chocolate has in fact got a pretty interesting history behind it, and was created thanks to family rows.
First invented in the US back in 1941 as a small, easily transportable snack for soldiers, inspiration struck in the 1930s when co-founder Forrest Mars Sr. reportedly encountered British volunteers eating small chocolate beads with hard sugar shell casings to stop them from melting.
The son of Mars Incorporated founder Frank C. Mars, Forrest had been expected to take over the family firm but moved out to England after a row with his father. After moving back to the US to take up his position in his father’s company, Forrest secured a patent for the production of his chocolates, and, displeased with his father's way of doing business, sought a like-minded partner to bring his delicious idea to life.
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As previously reported by History.com, Forrest found a kindred spirit in fellow confectionary businessman Bruce Murrie, the son of Hershey president William Murrie. Much like Forrest, Bruce had differing ideas from his father when it came to business and wanted to be more innovative.
Both wanting to strike out on their own terms, Forrest offered Bruce a 20 percent stake in the product, in return for an all-important steady supply of necessary resources. The pair named their product after themselves, with 'Mars' and 'Murrie' making up the two Ms in M&M's.
By the 1950s, M&M'S had become so hugely popular, each candy was stamped with an 'M' to distinguish it from any imitators, thus resulting in the slogan "Look for the M on every piece".
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