M&M’s, which famously melt in your mouth and not in your hands, are the second most popular candy in America. However, M&M’s have evolved since the candy coated chocolate pellets debuted almost eight decades ago.
Named after Forrest E. Mars Sr. and Bruce Murrie (the original M and M) and inspired by rations eaten by soldiers during the Spanish American War, M&M’s were originally sold in cardboard tubes. And, while they were produced in five colors (brown, green, red, violet and yellow), there was just one flavor when M&M’s hit the market during World War II. Back then, the candy wasn’t yet stamped with the letter ‘m’ either – that came later.
Fun Fact
Smarties, a similar candy with a slightly thicker shell, beat M&M’s to the market by four years. Not to be confused with tart tablet candies sold in the US, candy coated chocolate Smarties are one of the most popular candies in the UK.

Today, modern day M&M’s are primarily sold in bags and come in a variety of flavors and sizes. Also, the color blue has joined the M&M rainbow.
Fun Fact
Although all M&Ms colors taste the same, some stand out from the mix. Green M&M’s are rumored to have special romantic powers. Red M&M’s were banned from 1976 to 1987 due to fears about red dye causing cancer. Meanwhile, the band Van Halen had a concert rider that required all brown M&Ms be removed in order to gauge whether concert promoters were actually following the band’s instructions.