A Tale to Snicker About

by Laurnie Wilson

Are you a Snickers fan? Chances are, if you like chocolate, caramel, peanuts, and nougat, you probably are. We feel pretty confident in this assumption because Snickers is the best selling chocolate candy bar of all time! It’s been around since 1930, and it’s been satisfying sweet tooths ever since.

A Snicker Worthy Past

But did you ever wonder why it was called “Snickers” at all? People usually don’t snicker when they eat a candy bar, especially one as delicious as this! So what was behind this peculiar naming choice? Well hold onto your hats, folks, cause you’re about to find out.

Way back in the day, Frank and Ethel Mars, the founders and owners of the Mars candy company, were established equestrians in Tennessee. In fact, they were so established that they had a 2,000-acre farm called Milky Way Farms.

Ah, now doesn’t that name ring a candy bell? It should, because Milky Way was Mars’ very first candy bar!  But you’re here to learn about Snickers, right? So let’s continue.

Not Horsing Around

As the story goes, the Mars family had a number of horses on this farm. Their favorite horse, however, was named Snickers. Thus, when the time came to name their second candy bar, no other choice seemed more appropriate. And with one decision, the Mars family’s favorite horse became immortal.

These days, the Mars company is still 100% owned and operated by the Mars family, making it the 6^th largest privately held company in the world. Every year, they sell 2 billion dollars worth of Snickers bars alone! An operation on that scale requires 100 tons of peanuts every day, to make 15 million Snickers bars every day, to make you one very happy customer. But we can all probably agree that their dedication is so worth it.

So, next time you open up a Snickers bar, take a minute and remember the horse that gave the candy its name.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snickers
• https://productnames.blogspot.com/2006/09/how-was-snickers-named.html
• https://www.culinaryarts360.com/index.php/snickers-name-origin-number-one-candy-bar-19235/
• https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/10/the-snickers-candy-bar-was-named-after-a-favorite-horse-of-creator-frank-mars-in-1930/