Saturday, February 15, 2025

What Chocolate Bar is Named for a Horse?

The Snickers candy bar was named after one of the Mars family's favorite horses.

While names like Hershey’s and 3 Musketeers (which originally included three bars) are fairly straightforward, some candy bar monikers are more elusive. 

Case in point: what, exactly, is a Snickers? Well, it’s actually a “who” — and not a human “who” at that. 

The candy bar was named after one of the Mars family’s favorite horses. 

Franklin Mars founded Mars, Incorporated (originally known as Mar-O-Bar Co.) in 1911, introducing Snickers in 1930.

When it came time to name his product, he did what any pet-lover would do, and immortalized his equine friend as only a candy magnate could. By some accounts, the horse had passed away shortly before the product’s launch.

As Mars has grown into America’s fourth-largest private company, it has retained a dual focus on both candy and pets. 

M&M’s, Twix, and Milky Way are all Mars products, as are Iams, Pedigree, and Royal Canin. 

If you’ve ever wondered how M&M’s got their name, the story is slightly less interesting.

It is simply the last initials of Forrest Mars (Frank’s son) and partner-in-candy Bruce Murrie.

The company is known for secrecy, with the family itself having been described as a “reclusive dynasty,” which means it’s a minor miracle that the identity of Snickers the horse was ever revealed in the first place.


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