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1883: FRANKLIN CLARENCE MARS LEARNS TO MAKE CHOCOLATE
Franklin Clarence Mars the first Mars CEO was born in Minnesota; his mother teaches him to hand-dip chocolates.
1911: MARS CANDY FACTORY
Mars establishes Mars Candy Factory in Tacoma, Washington, with his second wife, Ethel.
1920: MAR-O-BAR CO.
After relocating to Minneapolis, Frank founds Mar-O-Bar Co., which will become modern Mars, Inc.
1923: MILKY WAY
The Milky Way candy bar debuts, marketed as “chocolate malted milk in a candy bar,” becoming the company’s first major success.
1929: CHICAGO
Mars relocates to Chicago, building a candy factory that would operate for nearly a century.
1930: SNICKERS
Snickers is introduced, featuring nougat, caramel, and peanuts (named after the Mars family horse).
1932: 3 MUSKETEERS
The 3 Musketeers bar launches, originally containing three flavored pieces (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry).
1932: MARS BAR & UK EXPANSION
Forrest Mars Sr. moves to the UK and introduces the Marathon and Mars Bar (similar to the American Milky Way). It would be discontinued decades later in 1981.
1933: DEATH OF FRANK MARS
Frank Mars dies; his widow, Ethel V. Mars, takes control.
1935: DOG FOOD
Mars, Inc. aquires U.K.-based Chappell Brothers, Ltd., the makers of CHAPPIE® canned dog food. Expanding into the pet food industry.
1936: MALTESERS
Maltesers debut in the UK, featuring honeycomb centers covered in milk chocolate.
1940: M&M’S
M&M’s are created through a partnership between Forrest Mars Sr. and Bruce Murrie. They are first sold to U.S. military with the slogan “Now 100% at War.” The begin production in Newark, New Jersey the next year.
1948: “M”
The lowercase “m” first printed on M&M’s candies. Their packaging shifts from tubes to brown packaging.
1954: PEANUT M&M’S
Peanut M&M’s introduced, expanding the M&M’s product line.
1959: BOUNTY
Bounty bar launches in the UK, featuring coconut filling covered in milk chocolate.
1960: GALAXY/DOVE
Galaxy/Dove chocolate introduced, offering a smoother texture than other Mars products.
1967: TWIX
Twix chocolate bars debut in the UK (originally called “Raider” in some European markets). That same year, Mars Ltd. (UK) and Mars, Inc. (U.S.) operations merge.
1970: STARBURST
Starburst (originally called “Opal Fruits” in the UK) introduced, with the slogan “Made to make your mouth water!”
1981: ETHEL M CHOCOLATES
Forrest Mars Sr. launches Ethel M Chocolates as a premium brand.
1984: SKITTLES
Skittles introduced to the American market.
1986: KUDOS
Kudos granola bars launch.
1988: DOVE BAR
Dove Bar ice cream products introduced after Mars acquires Dove International.
1989: PB MAX
PB Max candy bar debuts, featuring peanut butter and cookies (discontinued in 1994).
1990: MARATHON BRAND NAME RETIRED
Mars globally standardizes the Snickers name, replacing “Marathon” in the UK.
1991: TWIX PB
Twix PB (peanut butter variant) introduced.
1996: CELEBRATIONS
Celebrations assorted miniature chocolates launched in the UK.
1999: DEATH OF FORREST MARS SR.
Forrest Mars Sr. dies at age 95.
2008: WRIGLEY
Mars acquires Wrigley Company, adding gum brands like Orbit, Juicy Fruit, Altoids, Hubba Bubba, and Doublemint.
2013: BITES
Snickers Bites and Milky Way Bites introduced.
2015: GOODNESSKNOWS
Goodnessknows snack bars launch.
2016: ARTIFICIAL COLORS BANNED
Mars announces removal of artificial colors from all products.
2022: TRÜ FRÜ
Mars acquires Trü Frü, a chocolate-covered dried fruit brand.
2023: HOTEL CHOCOLAT
Mars purchases Hotel Chocolat for £534 million.
2024: KELLANOVA
Mars announces acquisition of Kellanova for $35.9 billion, pending approval.