The third paragraph appears verbatim in the about.com article linked at the bottom.

Does anyone know what the M's in M&M stand for?

Since they were developed by Forrest Mars and his son, I assume they stand for Mars and Mars. But I can't find this on the official site. Acegikmo1 6 July 2005 00:51 (UTC)

It says right in the article for "Mars & Murrie", Mars' business partner. I found this information in a book on the history of various pop-cultural American food products. I will have to find the book again, if you want a reference. --[[User:JonMoore|—JonMoore 20:24, 29 May 2006 (UTC)]] 6 July 2005 14:00 (UTC)[reply]

This article says blue M&Ms were introduced in 1994 in one paragraph and 1995 in another. - Ace of Sevens

The official site says 1995. I've fixed the article. Thanks for pointing this out. Acegikmo1 22:42, 11 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Anyone have any info on why purple was voted as the most popular new color, but never became one of the colors found in a standard bag? I remember the big deal they made about the voting, bigger than the one in 1995, and then... zilch. Sure, you can find purple ones in special bags, like Sith Lord M&M's, or at Easter time, but they weren't fully integrated like the blue ones were. Anyone know why? Not complaining, just curious (I thought all the choices were pretty terrible - I'd rather have the tan ones back).Kafziel

Hey. I know this might sound stupid, but it's as good an idea as any other, so here goes.

Maybe they were afraid people would make too big a deal of it. Purple would be coming in at a time when there is a color character for all the primary colors and primary color combinations (except, of course, Purple). On top of the contest and "selection", they might be expected to come out with a brand new character and a sixth flavor for the purple M&M to represent. Ace Class Shadow 21:57, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

is there any point to mention the odd colors released this year in relation to the Star Wars film - off whites, pale yellows, very light tans and earthy colors, etc...

Also, the M&M's website allows you to order them in a whole rainbow of colors from white to black and in between... worth mentioning?

lastly, should the main body be changed to more properly integrate the second mention of the elimination of purple from the original mix, to where it is first metioned?

EDIT - The reasoning behind the pale colors of M&M's was representing the Light Side (or good side) of the Force relating to Star Wars. Since Anakin (and Luke) were both from desert planets, the colors were mainly a reflection of their background, I guess you could say. And in general, the pale colors have more of a passive or positive feel to them, whereas the Dark Chocolate (Dark Side) M&M's were all bold colors, representing strength, aggression, etc. of the Sith.

Sounds kind of fanboy-ish, but that's basically the reasoning behind the colors.

Hope this helps...

I updated the article to reflect red's comeback properly in the year 1987.

Source: http://us.mms.com/us/about/history/story/#red

Thank you, I remember when they came back I was in the 2nd grade lol

Me and my five friends worship brown M&Ms, does that qualify for us to be listed as a cult on Wiki?

I would think so, mate. Gorovich

Starting out the article about M&Ms, a candy that has been made since 1940, with a detailed description of the candy's current ad campaign is just plain dumb. It's not likely what somebody wants to know about first on this topic, nor is it timeless, since M&Ms commercials change all the time. Somebody needs to do some major cleaning on this article, and it's not gonna be me.

Anyone else remember Blue being marketed as the "new M&M" when in fact it was the silent replacment for tan?

I don't recall tan being a standard color. Are you sure about that?

The second paragraph says that the tan ones weren't as popular as the violet ones. So why did the violet ones last only 9 years while the tan ones lasted 46 years? Doesn't make much sense. I'd say it's POV, but that would imply that it's in someone's interest to discredit the color tan, which is a little absurd. Still, I think the statement should be removed, since it seems to have no basis in reality. Anyone have some kind of reliable source for it? Kafziel 19:10, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This happened a few years ago. If someone knows more specifics, perhaps it should be placed in the main article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.75.180.31 (talk • contribs)

It's mentioned in the trivia section. There's really nothing to tell. "Milk Chocolate" probably sounds more...I don't know...fancy? ACS (Wikipedian) 19:20, 11 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I say it was to allow for different kinds of chocolate in the future, which eventually did happen. There were dark chocolate "plain" candies in the Star Wars promotion, and there are plain white chocolate candies as of May 2006. Both are limited editions, though.

I remember back in the late 1970's there were mint chocolate M&M's. They were sold for about a year and then phased out. And I've read that a few years back, M&M's with a caramel center were test marketed in some area, although apparently not too successfully as I've never seen them. Anyone have information on these, or any other, variant flavors? MK2 04:54, 8 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The mint candies you are thinking of are probably what were known as "M&M Royals". They came only in dark green and dark brown colors, and had a crown instead of an "m" on the shell. These were gone in the late 1980s. While mint M&M's were availablein the US in the early 1990s in a green bag, today they are only sold for the X-mas holidays.

The 1990s mint M&Ms, which came in standard colors, don't seem to be mentioned anywhere in the article. Jibberuski 10:45, 27 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The inside story is that "plain" doesn't sound very interesting, and they wanted to move away from the name. Don't know where to source it as "official" though. Usually marketing stuff like this isn't officially anounced, defeats the purpose. -Ls

What happened to the Crispy M&M's? Why are they no longer sold to citizens of the US? (Bulbafreak9000 20:25, 2 August 2006 (UTC))[reply]

There are probably too many people like me who don't particularly care for them ;-) Jaksmata 15:59, 25 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I liked them... ;_; (Bulbafreak9000 20:25, 2 August 2006 (UTC))[reply]

Try the pharmacy chains, that's where I get mine! Brasseye 00:25, 27 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As much as I myself like crispy and wish I could find it, I take this time to remind y'all that Wikipedia is not a forum. ACS (Wikipedian); Talk to the Ace. See what I've edited. 07:57, 27 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

At the end of the second intro paragraph, it says "In 1995, tan was replaced by blue." However, this is right after the short discussion on the removal and reintroduction of red M&M's, and there is no prior mention in the paragraph of having tan M&M's introduced. Basically, it says that we started with red, orange, yellow, green, brown, and violet. Then violet is replaced by chartreuse. There's the whole mess with the red M&M's, and suddenly blue M&M's are replacing tan M&M's that were never said to exist. Also, we obviously don't have chartreuse anymore, and its removal isn't mentioned. Perhaps someone who knows the specifics on when these colors were swapped about should add that in. Goriya 08:09, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

In the intro to this article it says "The candies were originally made in six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, brown, and violet." Later, in the Trivia section, it says "The original M&M's colors are red, orange, yellow, forest green, kelly green, tan and brown." Which is correct? Given that the intro lists violet as being replaced by tan in 1949, I am inclined to believe that it is correct, but I'm not sure enough to make the change.

I thought that the "m" on the candies are paint. You left that out unless you didn't want to put it there to scare everyone. Call of duty 23:35, 11 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yo. Ace here. I hate to be a downer, but guys, this isn't an image dumping ground. We have one clear image of Milk chocolate M.&M.'s. Why don't need two, much less two with the exact same caption. Now, I'm personally for reverting the addition of the new image—which I consider to be on lower quality—but I'm willing to read all sides on this. However, without a comment by tuesday I'll just revert it myself. ACS (Wikipedian); Talk to the Ace. See what I've edited. 20:49, 4 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was reading the article about M&M candy-coated chocolates, and I was sore-tempted to remove the following paragraph:

M&M/Mars Company, which wanted to improve the process of coating the candies, let four MIT students give it a try as a research project. The four students involved with the project were Joseph J. Berghammer of Elm Grove, Wisconsin, Neelan Choksi of Corpus Christi, Texas, Jeffrey Falkowsky of Brooklyn, New York, and Ashley K. Shih of Wichita Falls, Texas.

What is the relevancy of this paragraph? It's charming, of course, to know that big companies ask young college students to help improve production; but numerous companies ask for assistance from numerous students attending numerous schools almost every day of every year. What makes these four students so special?

The paragraph provides no information about how Berghammer, Choksi, Falkowsky and Shih improved the production of M&M's. How did they improve the process of coating the candies? For all we know, these four students did not accomplish a blessed thing. But if the opposite is true, then is their group accomplishment so worthy of merit that it should be mentioned in the Wikipedia article, while the contributions of other long-time company employees are completely ignored?

It seems as if someone(s) is name-dropping here.

"Hey! Look at me! I'm important! I'm mentioned in Wikipedia!"

It seems in addition to worrying about vandalism to articles at Wikipedia, that readers must now contend with irrelevant information provided by egomaniacs and desperate job-seekers wanting to glorify themselves.

Vstar3000 06:08, 15 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. Ace here. There seems to be a minor dispute as to whether or not this article should be included in the categories Chocolate industry and Confectionery. I believe they due, despite the fact that that "Category:Mars brands" is already in both categories. Further, Wikipedia states that this is okay. Ace Class Shadow; My talk. 00:31, 1 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is there any proof of the david lee roth story? "The hard rock band Van Halen's now infamous contract rider called for, among other things, a bowl of M&M's backstage, but with provision that all the brown candies must be removed. In one rumored incident, someone had not removed the brown M&M's, and David Lee Roth trashed the dressing room. The M&M's provision was included in Van Halen's contracts not because the band disliked the candy, but because it served a practical purpose: if brown M&Ms were found backstage, then it was probable that other much more important technical aspects of the rider had also not been fulfilled properly."

Because this story is told in a number of version, some include blue m&m's but not david lee roth So is there a link to another source for this story?

Ddt3 13:41, 6 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/vanhalen.htm

Explains the Van Halen story. 198.181.156.132 00:28, 10 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The article says

Several variations exist, but are harder to find: mint chocolate, dulce de leche, toffee, crispy, almond, peanut butter, white chocolate (with and without peanuts), and dark chocolate.

. Are almond and peanut butter M&Ms that hard to find? I see these all the time, although it may be a regional thing. (I'm munching on some almond M&Ms right now) I agree with the rest of them. Prometheus^-X303- 08:29, 2 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There is a contradiction in the article. At one point early on we are told that they started out in assorted colors, though the colors have changed over the years. Under Trivia it says that they were originally all brown. Maybe I'm just confusing my childhood memories, but it seems to me that at least through the 1960s the Plain all had brown, milk-chocolate-colored coating.

I have tried to verify this by looking for old ads and TV commercials, but they have disappeared from the archives in recent years. One of the first M&M's commercials, from '55 or '56, was a mix of live-action (little girl with chocolate-smeared face) and animation. I believe the Peanut M&M spoke in a southern drawl--"Ah'm an M&M's Peanut, fresh roasted to a golden tayan, thayan drayanched in creameh milk choc'lit..."--while diving into a swimming pool of milk chocolate. (From the accent it was unclear whether the Peanut was supposed to be a southern belle or a colored person, neither one of whom would be likely to seek a golden tan. Could this ambiguity be the reason for the blackout on this vintage TV spot? We can only wonder.)

Although the commercial is in black-and-white the visuals should clearly show whether M&M's were single-hued.Sallieparker 19:30, 17 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have removed the following content from the trivia section because it is unsourced. Please cite sources if adding any of it back, and also consider whether it is a useful addition to the article.

• The Orange M&M character seen in the U.S. was first introduced through a commercial featuring him as a Boy Scout to promote the new Peanut Butter M&Ms. He was then later changed to be the official Crispy M&M and female Green M&M was put as the official Peanut Butter M&M.
• Mars changed the name of the "Plain" brand M&M's to "Milk Chocolate" M&M's in 2000, but there was no change in the candies themselves.
• The distinctive white "m" which appears on each candy was introduced in 1950 and was originally black.
• In the United States, several different seasonal and promotional M&M colors are available:
  • Black and orange are sold for Halloween
  • Red and green candies are sold the month before Christmas
  • Yellow, orange, and tan used to be sold a month or two before Thanksgiving as "autumn colors." These have been replaced by the Halloween colors, followed immediately by the Christmas colors.
  • Candies in shades of pink are sold for Valentine's day (there are also special packages of green-only M&M's)
  • Pastel colored candies (light pink, green, and blue) are sold for Easter
  • Red, white, and blue candies are sometimes sold for American Independence Day or certain promotions
  • Pink and white M&M's have been released in limited supply in connection with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
  • The 2004 animated movie Shrek 2 inspired M&M's that were green with brown speckles.
  • White chocolate M&M's were released in white, yellow, pastel skin, and blue candies in late spring 2006 as a Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest movie tie-in.
• In the early 1980s, mint M&M's were sold under the Royals name, with light green and black colors and a white crown replacing the "m" on the candies.
• In the mid 1980's, Christmas M&M's were sold under the HOLIDAYS name, with Christmas symbols replacing the "m" on the candies.
• M&M's with a packaging bearing the United States Presidential Seal are sometimes given to visitors of the White House. It is illegal in the United States to sell these or any other item bearing the seal.
• M&M's played a part in the 1997 Rowan Atkinson comedy movie Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie. In return, a Mr Bean promotion was run with the product, including a commercial and a competition to win a Mr Bean mini replica.
• Despite the common usage, official Mars Incorporated literature never refers to a single piece of candy as an "M&M." Not only is it grammatically incorrect (as the name refers to the possessive of the candy's creators instead of the plural), but the company doesn't want its product referred to generically, possibly creating a genericized trademark. Within the advertising industry, an individual M&M's candy is referred to using the manufacturer's term for its shape, "a lentil".

Also, the following don't seem relevant/necessary for inclusion in the article:

• On Allan Sherman's album My Son, the Nut, at the end of the song I See Bones (a parody of "C'est si bon"), Sherman speaks about one item found in the X-ray..."You see those little round things? ...You know what those are? ... Those are M&M's! [audience laughs] Those people are right--they don't melt!"
• The American punk rock band blink-182 released a song entitled "M&M's" on the album Cheshire Cat.
• In Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Peggy Sue, in 1960, warns her sister about eating red M&Ms. Red M&Ms were reintroduced in 1987.

There are other sections of the article that also need sources. I was just particularly bothered by the trivia section. -SCEhardT 23:23, 6 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I know I'm not a citable source for the Halloween varieties, but I definitely bought some when visiting the US in October 2001 - black and orange M&Ms, possibly with pumpkins printed on them. I may still have an empty packet that I kept.

As for the Presidential Seal variety, there's a pack currently for sale on ebay, but this is the most official reference I found to them. sjwk 12:48, 28 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Hey guys, the very first line of the History section... forgive me if im wrong, but that Korean Kid line seems somewhat unlikely... Its een there for 4 days now and a few edits have corrected it... --Ferdia O'Brien 17:22, 11 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It is unreferenced and doesn't sound believable so I removed it. Any other questionable content should also be deleted or moved to this talk page. -SCEhardT 18:14, 11 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Your own M&M's hey you know that there is a website were you can design your own M&M's. --Abubblegum824 14:12, 9 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I didnt see any mention of these, aka Caramel m&m's. These were targeted towards a hispanic buyer but they werent successful at all and if I remember correctly, they were taken off of the market in 2004.

• They're mentioned. "Several other variations exist, including mint chocolate (available primarily during the Christmas season), dulce de leche, toffee, crispy, almond, peanut butter, white chocolate (with and without peanuts), and dark chocolate." Cheers, Afluent Rider 06:34, 24 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]