The candy that “melts in your mouth, not in your hand.” We all recognize that iconic tagline for M&M’s, but there’s a lot more to these colorful chocolates than meets the eye. Here are 10 fascinating facts about M&M’s that will surprise even the most devoted candy lovers.
10 Fascinating Facts About M&M’s
10 E.T. Phone Home
When Steven Spielberg was shaping the early script for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, he reached out to Mars, the parent company of M&M’s, seeking permission to showcase the candy in his movie. The request was turned down, prompting Spielberg to turn to Reese’s Pieces instead.
Following the film’s debut, sales of Reese’s Pieces surged, tripling within just two weeks. Mars later defended its decision by claiming they believed “E.T. was ugly and would scare children.”
It’s astonishing to realize how close Mars came to securing a lasting spot in 1980s pop culture. The choice remains puzzling, especially given Spielberg’s already impressive résumé, which included hits like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Jaws. How could Mars have doubted such a cinematic powerhouse?
9 Blue M&M’s
The blue M&M made its debut in 1995, replacing the tan variety. The public was invited to vote on the new hue, choosing between purple, blue, and pink. Blue won with 54 percent of the vote, out of more than 10 million participants over a two‑month period.
To celebrate the victory, the Empire State Building was illuminated in blue. The iconic skyscraper frequently lights up in different colors for holidays—red for Valentine’s Day and yellow and white for Easter, for example.
M&M’s have long been linked to American patriotism, so seeing the candy associated with a landmark in one of the nation’s greatest cities felt perfectly fitting.
8 Van Halen
During a 1982 tour, Van Halen asked for a bowl of M&M’s in their dressing room—but they insisted on “absolutely no brown ones.” While it may sound like rock‑star diva behavior, the request was actually a clever test to see if venues were reading every clause of their contracts.
Given the complex safety and logistical requirements of a concert, frontman David Lee Roth wanted a simple way to verify that promoters were following the fine print. Hiding the “no brown M&M’s” clause gave him an easy litmus test for compliance.
It’s widely believed that if the clause were ignored, Van Halen would have been within their legal rights to cancel the show on short notice. Imagine traveling to an arena, securing tickets and accommodations, only to be told the concert was canceled because a stray brown M&M was found at the bottom of a snack bowl.
7 The Creators
Most people don’t realize that “M&M” actually stands for “Mars and Murrie.” The name honors Forrest Mars Sr., son of the Mars Company founder, and Bruce Murrie, the son of Hershey executive William Murrie, who owned a 20 percent stake in the product.
It’s fascinating how the sons of two high‑ranking chocolate industry families joined forces to leave their own imprint on confectionery history. The partnership began after Forrest fell out with his father and left the family firm.
During the Spanish Civil War, Forrest observed soldiers eating chocolate in the sweltering summer heat. The lack of air conditioning caused chocolate to melt quickly, hurting sales.
Spotting this market gap, Forrest replicated the idea of a hard sugar shell around a chocolate core, preventing melting. Upon returning to the United States, he teamed up with Bruce Murrie to launch the candy that would become a global icon.
6 Seinfeld
E.T. wasn’t the only missed opportunity for Mars to place M&M’s in pop culture. A Season 4 episode of Seinfeld showed Jerry and Kramer watching a heart operation. Kramer, munching on Junior Mints, accidentally drops one into the patient’s open chest cavity, and the team stays silent as the procedure ends.
The scene gave Junior Mints a massive publicity boost, and the episode even ends with a quasi‑commercial. When Kramer offers a Junior Mint to the doctor, the physician remarks it’s “very refreshing.” This missed chance for Mars to feature M&M’s is another example of the company’s cautious stance toward product placement.
“What are you eating?” Jerry asks in the episode. Kramer replies, “Junior Mints. You want one?”
That could have been M&M’s! Interestingly, the episode’s closing stand‑up bit has Jerry riffing on how the colors of M&M’s might differ when you’re younger, showing that Seinfeld ultimately stole the spotlight.
5 World War II
After Forrest Mars Sr. and Bruce Murrie created M&M’s, the chocolate was sold exclusively to the U.S. military. The candy’s hard shell made it a convenient, non‑melting snack for soldiers in harsh conditions, and its compact size simplified transport.
Two key factors drove this exclusive supply: patriotism—America had just entered the war—and wartime rationing of sugar and chocolate. To keep production viable, Mars and Murrie approached the military, securing a dedicated market.
When the war ended, veterans returned home with a newfound love for the candy. M&M’s then entered the civilian market, quickly climbing to become one of America’s top chocolate treats. The company continues to support the troops, donating $750,000 in 2016 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Mars‑Murrie partnership.
4 The White House
M&M’s serve as the official presidential candy in the United States. Before President Ronald Reagan, the White House typically handed out matchboxes and cigarettes to guests on Air Force One or during visits.
Reagan, a known sweet‑tooth, requested that the traditional items be swapped for M&M’s, effectively replacing cigarettes with chocolate. The tradition endures today, with each administration’s signature printed beneath the presidential seal on the candy box.
3 Yellow M&M’s
You’ve probably heard the oversized red and yellow M&M’s bantering in TV spots for decades. The voice behind the yellow candy is none other than Academy‑Award‑winning actor J.K. Simmons, famous for roles such as J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider‑Man trilogy and the intense drummer in Whiplash.
Simmons has voiced the yellow M&M since 1996, taking over from Golden Globe winner John Goodman, who originally gave the character its distinctive tone.
What draws such star power to a candy? It’s not just the yellow; the red M&M is currently voiced by Billy West, the voice actor behind Fry in Futurama, showing that Mars enjoys pairing its characters with celebrated talent.
2 Honey, Honey
When a group of honeybees in northeastern France fed on a plant that had processed discarded M&M bags, they began producing honey that mirrored the candy’s vivid colors, resulting in striking blue and green honey jars.
Regulations prevented the honey from being sold commercially, but the unusual hue made for a captivating art piece.
This wasn’t the first time bees turned artificial flavorings into colorful honey. In 2010, Brooklyn beekeepers discovered that bees foraging at Dell’s Maraschino Cherry Company generated bright red honey.
The New York City Beekeepers Association explained that bees will collect any sweet liquid within roughly five kilometres (three miles) of their hive, making them prone to such colorful experiments.
1 The Scream
When Edvard Munch’s masterpiece The Scream was stolen from the Munch Museum in 2004, Mars stepped in with a unique reward: two million M&M’s in exchange for the painting’s safe return.
At the time, Mars had just launched a campaign for its dark‑chocolate M&M’s, which they offered as the bounty. The offer succeeded, but the chocolate reward was not handed to the thief who disclosed the painting’s location.
Instead, Mars donated the cash equivalent of two million M&M’s—about $26,000—to the Munch Museum, stating, “We’d never give a reward to a convicted criminal.”
Mark, a popular‑culture aficionado, would certainly appreciate this quirky chapter in art‑theft history.