Few chocolate bars have achieved the kind of global recognition enjoyed by Snickers. With its familiar combination of chocolate, caramel, nougat and peanuts, the candy bar has been a favourite for generations. But have you ever wondered where the name “Snickers” came from or how this humble candy bar went on to become one of the world’s most popular chocolate treats?
According to popular candy brandMars Inc, the owner of Snickers, “The very first Snickers bar, named after the family horse, was manufactured in Chicago.” As perMars Equestrian, Frank C. and Ethel V. Mars invested in some land and bought a 3,000-acre horse breeding farm after making a success of their Mar-o-Bar company, which made the famous Milky Way Bar.
Photo: Instagram/@snickers
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The farm was also well known for producing Thoroughbred racing champions. Their horse Snickers was among the winning racehorses. Unfortunately, the horse passed away less than a month before the launch of their new bar in 1930. The couple decided to honour their late champion horse and named the bar Snickers. The iconic chocolate bar was first sold for only five cents in Chicago. The candy, coated in milk chocolate and topped with caramel and peanuts, soon started gaining traction among buyers around the world.
To make Snickers available worldwide, the founders next decided to launch the bar in the UK. According toThe Sun, despite the bar’s huge popularity, executives in the UK were worried that the name Snickers resembled “knickers” and could cause controversy in the country, as the term is used to describe underwear in the UK.
Hence, the couple decided to sell the Snickers bar with the name “Marathon Bar” in the UK. But soon after, they reverted to their original Snickers name and went universal.
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Photo: Instagram/@snickers
Over the decades, Snickers has been introduced in various new forms and special editions. In 1968, the founders introduced Fun Size Snickers, followed by an increase in satisfaction levels worldwide. Next, in 1989, Snickers Ice Cream Bar was introduced. The frozen dessert translated the classic candy bar’s flavours into a cold, creamy treat. Some other popular variants include Snickers Almond, Snickers Peanut Butter, Snickers Pecan, Snickers Pumpkin Singles Halloween Edition, Snickers Singles Egg Easter Edition, Snickers Milk Chocolate and Snickers White Chocolate.
The demand for Snickers bars rose to greater heights in 2010 when the “You’re not you when you’re hungry” ad campaign made it to the Super Bowl. The ad featured Betty White in the Super Bowl XLIV commercial. Since then, various celebrities and athletes, including Mr T, Joan Collins, Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean and Elton John, have appeared in Snickers commercials.
