Why Is a Mars Bar Called Mars? And the Names of 7 Other Candy Bars Explained
They’re the kind of questions that suddenly pop into your head: why is English licorice called English licorice? And why is a candy cane called a candy cane? Recently, I was also pondering the important things in life, and somehow I ended up with one of those questions again. Namely: why is a Mars called Mars? And Snickers Snickers? I looked up the stories behind these names—and those of 6 other candy bars—so you don’t have to lie awake at night wondering.
Mars
Mars owes its name to its inventor: Forrest Mars, the son of Frank Mars. The latter opened his own chocolate factory in 1920, called Mar-O-Bar Co. Later, it became Mars Inc. Fun fact: the bar was launched in 1923, but was called Milky Way at the time. In Europe, the name Milky Way was changed to Mars, while in the US it remained Milky Way. If you go to America and buy a Milky Way there, you’ll recognize it as a Mars bar.
Milky Way
Milky Way was named after a famous (in the 1920s) malted milk drink of the day. The translation of malted milk is malted milk: a kind of powdered porridge made from a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour and evaporated whole milk powder. The bar was developed to capture the flavor of such a malted milk (actually a kind of milkshake) in a… you guessed it: chocolate bar. So Milky Way does not refer to the galaxy!
Twix
Twix is a favorite for many people. A crunchy biscuit, soft caramel and milk chocolate on top… It can’t go wrong. And you even get two in one package! That is exactly where the name Twix comes from. It is a contraction of twins and biscuits. Twin biscuits, in other words. And some people of course still know it by its old name: Raider. That was what Twix used to be called in Europe. And were you wondering why Raider became Twix? Because the decision was made to use one brand name worldwide. Twix, that is.
Snickers
Snickers is also part of the Mars Inc. family. The bar was named after a member of the Mars family—and a very special one at that: the horse. A fun quiz question for the next family party (where you really should serve this ridiculously delicious Snickers-MonChou cake!).
Rolo
Just like Milky Way and Mars, Rolos have been around for an awfully long time: about 90 years. Back then, the candy was called Choc-O-Rol. Later, it was changed to Rolos. It is said that Rolo is derived from ‘rolling’, because you can easily roll the candies to your friend. Before you start playing with your Rolos: first make this divine Rolo-KitKat cake. With, yes, KitKat in it too.
Bounty
Coconut fans love it. But if you have a few coconut haters at your party, there’s a good chance the Bounty will be left in the box of Celebrations. (Good news for them: Celebrations boxes without Bounty are available to buy!) Whichever team you’re on, it’s interesting to know where the name comes from. Right? The coconut may already give you a clue, but the Bounty bar was almost certainly named after the Bounty Islands. The islands with bright blue water, pearly white beaches and… coconuts.
KitKat
KitKat was launched in 1935. At the time, the double chocolate bar was called Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp. That name lasted for two years: in 1937, the name was changed to KitKat. We’ve already answered the pressing question of where the name KitKat comes from. There are several possible explanations, but this is the most likely one: KitKat was named after Christopher Catling, the book club that Joseph Rowntree (the bar’s creator) belonged to. A less exciting story than the rumor that the name was derived from a notorious 18th-century gentlemen’s drinking establishment.
M&M’s
Not really a chocolate bar, perhaps, but because of their chocolate center we’re including them in this list anyway: M&M’s. One M stands for Franklin Mars and the other for Bruce Murrie. The chocolate makers were competitors, but in 1941 they made a pact to provide soldiers with chocolate. That became M&M’s: small chocolate candies that were easy to carry and didn’t melt quickly thanks to their sugar coating. Eighty years later, we still love them and it turns out they’re good for your health too.
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