National M&M Day – October 13, 2022, history, significance
Kids love ’em, adults feel nostalgic eating them, and they won’t melt in your hand, just in your mouth — we’re talking M&M’s here. It’s National M&M Day, so get ready to celebrate. Created in 1941, this iconic candy has been a staple for over 75 years.
History of National M&M Day
Invented in 1941, these tiny little bits of candy coated chocolate have made a huge impact on American history throughout their more than 80 years of life!
The inspiration behind M&Ms started during the Spanish Civil War when Forrest Mars Sr. (of the Mars Candy Company), who lived in England at the time, began making small bits of chocolate with a candy shell coating that would keep them from melting as easily. Following this inspiration, M&Ms were created by the Mars Candy Company and these little candies have brought joy to millions of people over the years.
During World War II, M&Ms were made exclusively available to the United States military who provided them to their soldiers. Packed in cardboard tubes, these heat resistant and easily transported candies became part of the US soldiers’ rations during the war.
But it wasn’t until 1950, after the war, that M&Ms finally got their now iconic little “m” stamp. After copycat companies came about, M&Ms customers were encouraged with a marketing program to “look for the ‘m’ on every piece”.
In 1981, M&Ms became the first candy to ever go up into space! The very same reasons that these little candies were handy for wartime rations also made them perfect for travel into space. NASA’s first space shuttle, Columbia, took the little candies out of the earth’s orbit and into space.
Now, National M&M Day is here to pay honor to this candy that has been so much a part of American culture and is certainly beloved all over the world!
How to Celebrate National M&M Day
A myriad of fun ways can be found to enjoy and celebrate National M&M Day! Try out some of these ideas:
Enjoy M&Ms Candies
On this day, grab a bag of M&Ms to have as an afternoon pick-me-up or a snack after dinner. While they are perfectly delicious when eaten on their own, they can also make a great addition to trail mixes or even sprinkled on top of ice cream.
Don’t forget when eating M&Ms that many different options are available, including the plain M&Ms that come in the classic brown package or the peanut version that comes in the yellow bag. Other options that have been a hit over the years include peanut butter M&Ms (orange bag), Crispy M&Ms (blue bag) or mint M&Ms (green bag).
Share M&Ms Candies
The great thing about National M&M Day is that these little candies are perfect for sharing! Grab a huge bag and take it to the office to pass around to coworkers. Or get a large container of the mini bags to send to school with the kids in celebration of the day.
Bake with M&Ms
These little pieces of chocolatey rainbow goodness are excellent when used as an ingredient in baking. Try them out as a substitute for the chocolate chips in cookies or add them to granola and create some no-bake granola bars. M&Ms are also great when eaten with popcorn or added to a brownie recipe. The options are virtually endless for National M&M Day!
