10 Things You May Not Know About M&Ms

Here are 10 things you want to know about M&Ms.

M&Ms aren’t just a crunchy yet creamy chocolate treat, they’re a national treasure.
Here are 10 things you may want to know about the iconic candies.
Number 10. Their inspiration came from Spanish soldiers. During the Spanish Civil War, M&M founder Forrest Mars saw military men eating chocolate that had been coated with hardened sugar. He noticed that the shell kept the candy from melting, even under the sun’s glare. In 1941 he patented a process for their manufacture.
Number 9. The red ones were once thought to cause cancer. Therefore, in the mid 1970s they were discontinued and stayed that way for about a decade. The kicker is that the candies never contained Red Number 2, the dye thought to contribute the disease. M&M just pulled them because of the public’s perception of artificially red foods at the time.
Number 8. They’ve been to space more than 130 times. The first trip was upon request by crewmembers of the 1981 Columbia mission. After that, they just became a regular feature. For NASA’s final satellite launch in 2011, the company presented astronauts and team members with custom printed red, blue, and silver ones.
Number 7. The Obamas handed out very special ones for Halloween. The White House is typically well stocked with M&Ms, only the ones there are in custom boxes bearing the president’s signature. Last year, the fancy chocolates were given to the thousands of little ghosts and goblins who showed up on the doorstep of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Number 6. M&M’s turned down a chance to star in E.T. They were the first candy approached to play the role of the extra-terrestrial’s favorite sweet. When Universal wouldn’t provide them with a final script for review, they declined.
Number 5. Crispy M&Ms are making a triumphant return. They were discontinued in the mid 2000s, but some people never accepted that decision and have been campaigning for their rerelease ever since. No doubt, there will much celebrating in January of 2015 when the crispy ones will once again grace candy aisles everywhere.
Number 4. Remembering tan M&Ms may be an indicator of age. The company kicked the light brown ones to the curb in 1995. Ever since, and by popular vote, blue ones have taken their place in the mix. Thus, talk of the tan coated candies would likely bewilder many a Millennial, and probably make them think you’re old.
Number 3. The green ones aren’t really an aphrodisiac. Not specifically, anyway. While there’s no substantiated evidence that the green coating makes a person more amorous, there’s science that confirms chocolate does.
Number 2. It’s possible to eat M&Ms with chopsticks. There’s even a world’s record for it. The number to beat is 115, and they have to be consumed within 3 minutes. That’s been the pinnacle of achievement since 2003.
Number 1. The color mix isn’t random. According to M&M, the content of each package is comprised mostly of blue orange and green, at 24, 20, and 16 percent respectively. Yellow and brown are tied at 14 percent each. Bringing up the rear is red at 13 percent.