12 Popular Candies You Never Knew Mars Owned

The story of Mars, Inc. goes back more than a century, to a man named Frank C. Mars, who in 1920 made the fateful decision to relocate to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and start his candy business. Within a couple of years, he would introduce the early version of the Mars candy bar. While the candy had strong potential, it ran into an issue common with chocolate snacks: it didn't do too well when shipped long distances during warm weather months. Nevertheless, Mars' company persisted, and by the 1930s, it had introduced a range of candy bar products that continue to be sold today.

Mars, Inc. would later go on to acquire a range of snacks and foods that would surprise the average shopper, who might not know their favorite candy is actually owned by Mars. Below is a list of popular sweet treats that you might not realize are actually owned by Mars, Inc.

Unless you read the small print on your Snickers label, there's a chance you might not be aware that this very popular candy bar is one of the crown jewels of the Mars, Inc. portfolio. It's also one of the oldest chocolate treats associated with the brand, having been released in 1930.

According to the official website, the candy bar's name was inspired by a racing horse much beloved by inventor Frank C. Mars and his wife, Ethel. The animal's name was Snickers, and he reportedly passed away about two months before the launch of the new chocolate bar. So, Mars gave the candy his name to honor his memory. Despite the warmth of the gesture, Mars decided to rename the chocolate "Marathon" not long after its release in the United Kingdom due to concern that the name was a little too close to "knickers," a British slang term meaning underwear.

Upon its release, Snickers bars sold for just five cents each. As of 2013, the bar surpassed $1 billion in annual sales in the US alone. It was during the 2010s that Snickers launched the award-winning "you're not you when you're hungry" ad campaign, a bit of marketing genius that has helped this Mars-owned candy maintain its position as one of the most popular chocolate snacks in the world. 

This bright pink bubble gum might, at first glance, seem a world away from Mars Inc., a company best known for its chocolate candy. However, Hubba Bubba's story initially begins with the Mars subsidiary, Wrigley's, which first launched the chewy treat in 1979. As Hubba Bubba's official website revealed, the gum's name is directly borrowed from World War II soldier slang, where "Hubba Bubba" was used to express excitement toward or approval of something.

While you can certainly buy and enjoy sticks of Hubba Bubba gum, many kids or adults who remain children at heart may prefer the iconic dispenser that lets you unravel the gum like tape, letting you enjoy as little or as much of the bubble gum as you'd like. This unique gum dispenser was first introduced in Australia in 1981 and proved an immediate hit when it was released in the United States in the late 1980s. Wrigley's brought the Hubba Bubba brand with it when the company was acquired by Mars Inc. in 2008.

From memorable mascots to a popular rap artist, other things stand out about M&Ms well before you get to the conglomerate behind it, Mars. Inc. Yet, for as influential and recognizable as the M&M's brand is, it might not exist today had inventor Frank C. Mars not decided to travel across the war-torn battlefields of Spain in the 1930s. Mars reportedly came across British soldiers who were enjoying Smarties — small, round chocolates covered in thin candy shells. The nature of the treats let the soldiers satisfy their chocolate craving without worrying about sticky hands or ruined uniforms. 

Inspired, Mars would release his own version of the candy in 1941 as M&Ms. What many don't know is that the brand takes its name from Mars himself and a man named Bruce Murie, the son of Hershey's owner William F.R. Murrie. While M&Ms exist under the Mars company name, this treat was created using Hershey's signature chocolate recipe. The famously colorful candy was originally available in red, orange, yellow, violet, brown, and green. Violet M&Ms were replaced with tan-colored candies in 1949, which were then replaced by blue M&Ms in 1995. It's also hard to mention M&Ms without noting the iconic "M" stamped on each one, a decision Mars made to help his candy buttons stand out from competitors. Today, M&Ms are among Mars' most enduringly successful brands. Some estimate that as many as 400 million of the candies are produced daily.

The story of this "curiously strong" candy goes all the way back to London, when, in 1780, Smith Kendon, inventor and founder of Smith & Co., first introduced these mints to the world. And yet, Altoids mints would not find their way to the American market until 1918. Even then, the candy was not introduced as a way to freshen your breath. As the official website revealed, Altoids were originally sold as a remedy for digestive issues, or as it was then advertised, "antidotes for poisons in the stomach." Fortunately, the company eventually realized that selling the candy as breath mints would ensure a more enduring legacy for the brand. As for flavors, Altoids leaned on its signature taste until the late 1990s, which saw the introduction of spearmint and cinnamon flavor options. 

Altoid's path to becoming a brand under Mars was a little unusual. The brand was acquired by Wrigley's from its previous parent company, Kraft, in 2004. Then, in 2008, Altoids joined Mars Inc. when the chocolate conglomerate purchased Wrigley's.

The fact that Orbit gum endured long enough to even join the Mars family is nothing short of miraculous. After all, when a candy is released and fails to catch on, that's often the end of the story. Yet, Orbit was launched and went away multiple times in the span of nearly a century before a smart campaign and a memorable phrase helped the sweet treat stick around. Wrigley's first released Orbit in the U.K. market in 1899 before it was eventually shelved. The company tried again in 1944, releasing Orbit in place of other gum products that were no longer available due to WWII-related rationing. What could have been a second chance at success ultimately failed as Wrigley's opted instead to prioritize its more popular Spearmint and Juicy Fruit gums.

Orbit would get another chance at life in 1976, when the now sugar-free gum was sold to markets across Europe. Most notably, this version of Orbit was sugar-free. With its popularity booming internationally, now seemed like a great opportunity to, once again, get Orbit going in the United States. However, a rumor that Orbit's sugar-free recipe included cancer-causing ingredients caused the candy to be pulled from shelves across the country. 

Finally, in 2001, Orbit made a memorable return to America with the memorable phrase, "Orbit cleans another dirty mouth." Orbit is now among the most popular gum brands, and it joined Mars Inc. when it acquired Wrigley's in 2008.

Twix is one of Mars' most popular chocolate snacks, though it might not be immediately obvious who owns the brand. The name itself doesn't immediately cause one to think of Mars, and even today, many wonder what "Twix" actually means. The closest guess seems to be that Twix is actually short for "twin sticks," which makes sense considering it's among the only chocolate bars sold in pairs. The name certainly makes more sense than Raider, which was what these candy bars were originally called when released in the U.K. in the late 1960s. Perhaps wanting something more memorable and catchy, Mars changed the name to Twix when the candy debuted in America in 1979. The combination of cookie, chocolate, and caramel is deliciously distinct, although there have been other popular flavor offerings over the years, such as peanut butter and cookies and cream.

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about Twix was a successful ad campaign in the 2010s based around an alleged difference between "right" Twix and "left" Twix bars, where customers were encouraged to pick a side. There was a level of intrigue to the marketing that had some customers wondering if there really was a flavor difference between the two Twix bars. In a 2022 article for America's Test Kitchen, writer Paul Adams revealed that he'd performed a blind taste test that determined that there was likely no real difference between the two Twix bars. Even so, it was a campaign that caused some fun deliberation and helped Mars sell a lot of chocolate.

You'll be hard-pressed to find someone unfamiliar with Skittles' famous "taste the rainbow" slogan. As for how the colorful candy came to be, Skittles' official website offers a rather irreverent take on its origin story, referencing the formation of Pangea and "the Great Rainbow of BOOM" that allegedly wiped out the dinosaurs and changed the course of evolution. The real origin is a little less colorful, beginning when Wrigley's released Skittles to its U.K. customers in 1974. Skittles candies didn't make their way to the United States until 1982, but when they did, they became an instant sensation. 

If you've only eaten the American version of this candy, you may not know that the purple or "grape" flavored candy isn't available in Britain; instead, the purple candy has a blackcurrant flavoring. Skittles swapped out its lime flavor for green apple in 2013, but this attempt proved massively unpopular, and the candy maker eventually brought back the original lime flavor.

Skittles' famous slogan was first introduced in 1994, and though there were variations in ad campaigns, the saying has endured. Overall, Skittles remain incredibly popular. One factory in Illinois is responsible for producing the candies, of which it creates a whopping 70 billion pieces each year.

While you might assume that Mars Inc.'s Milky Way candy bar is inspired by the name of the galaxy itself, the true origin of the candy and name is criminally surprising. The story begins in the early 1920s, when Frank Mars' estranged son Forrest called him from Chicago. The young man had gotten into trouble and found himself needing to be bailed out of jail. Mars hurried to town to help his son out, and soon after the two men hashed things out in a local soda shop over a pair of malt-flavored milkshakes. Apparently, they even joked about finding a way to incorporate the flavor of the milkshakes into a candy bar.

What began as a light-hearted suggestion soon became reality, and Mars would ultimately release the Milky Way bar in 1923. Milky Ways were an instant sensation, generating over $800,000 in sales during the first year on the market. The sum would be equal to about $11 million today. The chocolate bar proved so successful that it paid for a new home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Local children were said to affectionately refer to the home as "the Milky Way house." To the surprise of no one, kids were excited to visit the Mars' Milky Way house every Halloween, as the family would hand out their beloved candy bars for the children to enjoy. While the Milky Way remains a Mars invention, the chocolate originally featured Hershey's chocolate.

Juicy Fruit has been a popular gum since Wrigley's released the chewy treat in 1892. While well-liked, the gum was taken off the market during WWII and made strictly available to American troops. While the choice was partially patriotic in nature, there was concern about Juicy Fruit losing popularity if the mandated rationing of the time forced the company to release a version of the gum that was of inferior quality. Wrigley's would bring Juicy Fruit back to the market in 1946.

While the name brings to mind various fruit flavors, it's not exactly clear what those fruit notes are meant to be. There was an attempt by some fans to get to the bottom of things, reaching out to the Wrigley Consumer Affairs Coordinator. The answer was that the company couldn't be too specific "for competitive reasons" and that it was ultimately "a trade secret" that needed to be protected. In the end, the coordinator confirmed that the flavor of Juicy Fruit gum is meant to be a combination of "lemon, orange, pineapple, and banana." Mars now owns Juicy Fruit, secret recipe and all, having acquired Wrigley's in 2008.

Dove's marriage of chocolate and ice cream began with a Greek American named Leo Stefanos. In 1939, Stefanos opened his Dove Candies & Ice Cream store in Chicago, and the dessert offerings made an immediate impact with customers. Allegedly, Stefanos was inspired to release his famous Dove bars after watching his children chase after a local ice cream vendor; the treats hit the market in 1956. By the mid-1980s, the Dove brand was able to expand their chocolate and ice cream products nationwide. It was around this time that Dove came to the attention of Mars, who were impressed by the brand's potential. Mars purchased Dove outright in 1986.

Though primarily known for its ice cream offerings, Dove decided to release milk chocolate candies in 1991. The company wanted its candy treats to stand out and used a rather thoughtful way to do so, opting to include meaningful messages on the inside of each candy wrapper. Later, in 2012, Dove released candy bar versions of its popular chocolate.

Relatively speaking, 5 gum is among the newest products owned and manufactured by Mars, having been launched by its subsidiary Wrigley's in 2008, around the time of the course-changing acquisition. The commercials were immediately iconic, with bizarre and refreshing circumstances used to illustrate "how it feels to chew 5 gum." Each ad ended with the memorable "stimulate your senses" tag line.

Overall, 5 Gum had an edginess to it that was distinct from most gums that were released before. It was marketed to teens and young adults, with black packaging that helped it to stand out from its competitors. Despite the promise of the time, 5 Gum has seen a decline in popularity in recent years due to a change in consumer trends. Also, some customers are shying away from sugar, and at least a quarter of shoppers are no longer sold on artificial flavors. Bizarrely, some also point to a larger decline that happened during the COVID era, where social distancing and face masks may have made some less inclined to turn to gum to freshen their breath, feeling it wasn't too necessary.

⦁ Though we all recognize the name Starburst and its bright-colored taffy squares, you may be surprised to learn that it was originally called something entirely different when first released. When Mars first started selling the taffy-like candies in 1960, it was under the name Opal Fruits. Later, the company released the treats to the U.S. market as Fruit Chewies. While a slight improvement, true inspiration hit when Mars decided to rename the candy.

The candy was later released to the US market as M&M's Fruit Chewies. Despite the attempt to associate the new snack with an existing and already iconic brand, it was likely that Mars realized the name wouldn't stick long-term, which is why they ultimately decided to rename the candy Starburst. It's thought the decision came down to an attempt to capitalize on the ongoing public fascination with NASA and various space missions. 

Upon initial release, Starburst had four flavors: strawberry, orange, lemon, and lime. Other flavors were added over time, such as cherry and tropical punch. While everyone has their favorites, the "pink" and "red" Starburst candies have proven popular enough to get their own spin-off versions.