M&M's

M&M's are color-varied sugar-coated <a href="/facts/Drag%25C3%25A9e/plpwalRr">dragée</a> <a href="/facts/Chocolate/4drs8ryf">chocolate</a> <a href="/facts/Confectionery/7h760gLH">confectionery</a> by the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of <a href="/facts/Mars_Inc./B7xtAY2y">Mars Inc.</a>.
The candy consists of a candy shell surrounding a filling which determines the specific type of M&M's. Each piece has the letter "m" printed in <a href="/facts/Lower_case/KQcwaUUD">lower case</a> in white on one side. They are produced in different colors, some of which have changed over the years.
The original candy has a <a href="/facts/Semi-sweet_chocolate/76gSPMRM">semi-sweet chocolate</a> filling which, upon introduction of other variations, was branded as the "plain, normal" variety. Peanut M&M's, which feature a peanut coated in milk chocolate, and finally a candy shell, were the first variation to be introduced, and they remain a regular variety. Numerous other variations have been introduced, some of which are regular widespread varieties (<a href="/facts/Peanut_butter/ACnrtE5T">peanut butter</a>, <a href="/facts/Almond/oArfgmdq">almond</a>, <a href="/facts/Pretzel/4frgkRkK">pretzel</a>, crispy, <a href="/facts/Dark_chocolate/2hfzoCQE">dark chocolate</a>, and <a href="/facts/Caramel/oJSGqCQb">caramel</a>) while others are limited in duration or geographic availability.
The candy originated in the United States in 1941, and M&M's have been sold in over 100 countries since 2003. The candy-coated chocolate concept was created by <a href="/facts/Forrest_Mars_Sr./UfWdesg0">Forrest Mars Sr.</a>, likely inspired from <a href="/facts/Smarties/hhpDNDQg">Smarties</a> which he may have encountered during the <a href="/facts/Spanish_Civil_War/YykcMvC5">Spanish Civil War</a> (1936–1939). The sugar coating made it possible to carry chocolate in warm climates <a href="/facts/Melting_point_of_chocolate/QYplogvG">without it melting</a>. The company's longest-lasting slogan reflects this: "the milk chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hand."
A traditional milk chocolate M&M weighs about 0.91 grams / 0.032 ounces and has about 4.7 <a href="/facts/Calories/ntNMPx65">calories</a> (kcal) of <a href="/facts/Food_energy/TtuzDgbX">food energy</a> (1.7 kcal from fat). Contrary to a misconception held by some, each colored M&M does not have a different flavor and all possess the same chocolate taste.

M&M's open-in-new

M&M's