People have been learning about exactly why M&M's are called M&M's and the whole story behind one of the most popular sweets in the world.
By the way, did you know there's a Guinness World Record for the number of M&M's a person can stack? A couple of years ago it used to be five but in April 2022 someone managed to make a tower of seven.
If you want a Guinness World Record to your name, then perhaps stacking M&M's could be your thing. Give it a try next time you've got some and see if you are secretly the world's greatest M&M's stacker.
Advert
Anyhow, onto how they got their name, TikToker @condimentclaire has laid out the whole story for those who are interested in learning why M&M's are called M&M's, and why they ended up becoming so popular.
This one's got everything: a family feud, a couple of wars and the guy who established the Uncle Ben's rice brand.
M&M's were invented by a guy called Forrest Edward Mars Sr. who was the son of the founder of the Mars company.
Advert
Working for his dad, Franklin Clarence Mars, Forrest invented iconic chocolate bars like Milky Way, Snickers and the Mars Bar itself, while he's also the inventor of Maltesers.
However, Forrest fell out with his father as he wanted to expand their confectionery empire abroad while Franklin preferred to keep Mars operating in the US only.
Forrest had been in Europe during the Spanish Civil War where he saw loads of people eating chocolate encased in a sugar shell and thought he'd bring the idea back to the US.
During his time in Europe, he'd also met a chemist named Erich Huzenlaub who'd worked out how to keep nutrient levels in rice higher while making it quicker to cook and resistant to weevils, this would go on to become Uncle Ben's rice - which is now called Ben's Original.
Advert
Back on the subject of creating M&M's, Forrest took the idea of the shell-encased chocolate back to the US, but Mars didn't have enough chocolate to make what would become M&M's.
He teamed up with main rival Hershey to ensure a steady supply of chocolate with Bruce Murrie, son of Hersey president William Murrie, on board for developing the sweet treat.
That's what the name M&M's stands for, Mars and Murrie, and they were launched in 1941, with the sweets soon finding their first big customer in the US army during World War Two.
Advert
With the sugar shell in place, M&M's were easy for soldiers to carry round without the worry of the chocolate being melted away.
By 1950, M&M's were having a big 'M' imprinted on each one to distinguish it from imitators and it's been one of the most popular chocolates in the world ever since.
If you enjoyed learning about how M&M's got their name you might also like to know how sportswear giant Adidas ended up getting that name.
Featured Image Credit: condimentclaire/TikTok/Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg 10+ / Alamy Stock PhotoTopics: Food And Drink, Weird, News