Bizzare Facts
Bizarre Fact:
The 'M' in 'M&M's' stands for 'Mars' and the other 'M' stands for 'Murrie'.
Quick Explanation:
The candy was named after Forrest Mars, Sr., and Bruce Murrie, the two businessmen who partnered to make the product a reality.
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The Full Story:
The colorful, shell-encased chocolate candy with the famous slogan 'melts in your mouth, not in your hand' is a product of necessity and an unlikely partnership. The two 'M's in **M&M's** stand for the last names of its creators: **Forrest Mars, Sr.** (the son of the founder of the Mars candy empire) and **Bruce Murrie**.
Mars got the idea for a hard-shelled chocolate that wouldn't melt in summer heat during the Spanish Civil War. He needed a way to produce the candy quickly and scale up production in anticipation of sugar and chocolate rationing during World War II. To secure a steady supply of chocolate, he partnered with Murrie, whose father was the president of the rival company, Hershey Chocolate.
Murrie was given a 20% stake in the newly formed company, M&M Limited, securing the necessary raw materials. The partnership was brief; Mars eventually bought out Murrie’s share, but the name stuck. This piece of candy history reveals the high-stakes, sometimes rivalrous, collaborations that underpin even the sweetest of American success stories.
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