The era in which "Red M & M's" disappeared and the whole story of the resurrected drama brought by the fans' feelings

BySilke Gerstenkorn

Colorfully coated chocolateM & M's'Is known as a catchphrase for' It can not be handled with your mouth ', and some people have heard about at TV commercials and shops. M & M's has a history of more than 70 years since its launch, but in its history it was hidden from the time of inconvenience and the resurrection brought by the enthusiasm of the fans.

Why Red M & M Disappeared for a Decade
http://priceonomics.com/why-red-mandms-disappeared-for-a-decade/

M & M's was born in 1940. Mr. Forest Mars who had been visiting Spain at the time saw a soldier who was serving the delivered chocolate with sugar. By doing so, I was able to eat chocolate easily at any time, Mr. Marth developed a granular chocolate coated with sugar with a hint of its appearance, and this is the prototype of M & M's now .

The next year when M & M's was released in 1941, the colors were brown, yellow, green, purple, and red. Among them, red M & M's gradually will be placed in a position that can be said to be the character color of the same product, and advertisements around the latter half of 1960, alongside yellow M & M's peanuts with peanuts inside, red and body with limbs M & M's The appearance of frequent appearances appeared.

Although such M & M's, the red M & M's has been disappearing from the market for about 10 years since then due to the riot that occurred in 1976.

◆ Problem of 'Safety of food' suspected
To M & M's coated with red, to give out its colorAmaranth, A coloring agent called "Red No. 2" was used. Amaranth which began to be used for the first time in 1878 was widely popularly called "coloring used most in the 20th century" and was also used for candies, cakes, hot dog sausages and so on.

In 1938 established the safety of food "Federal Food, Drug, Cosmetic ActAmaranth has been approved as a safe raw material passing through the examination without problem even when passed and passed. But in the 1970s, the report announced by the Soviet scientist team at the time triggered the outbreak of Amaranth involvement.

ByHector Hurtado

The content of the report published by the Moscow Nutrition Society in 1970 is that a tumor was found in 26% of the mice who continued to receive amaranth for 33 months, so that eyes of suspicion of amaranth safety are pointed out Become. The next report in 1971, "A baby mouse born by a female mouse gives births or deformities frequently" was announced and the suspicion spread further and American scientists denied the verification method carried out in the Soviet Union,American Food and Drug Administration(FDA) regarded this as a serious thing, and it was decided to start a survey over four years from that.

However, a riot also occurs here. Amid the voices pointing out that the investigation method is lame, the FDA announces the findings that "Amaranth does not have an adverse effect on the mouse", but soon another government agency refutes this. Furthermore, media reports etc. will respond and big public opinion will be rolled up. As a result, the FDA was given "Amaranth" as "a material that has no noticeable risk of using it as a food additive", while saying "There is no public health hazard"GRAS(Generally Recognized As Safe) certification was canceled, and in 1976 it prohibited its use.

◆ "Disappear" from the market
At that time in the United StatesSwine fluSocial panic is swirling by the situation, Amaranth is also involved in this. Products using Amaranth will disappear one after another, M & M's is no exception, only red chocolate disappears.

However, in reality M & M's red is AmaranthIt was not usedAnd that. What was being used at that time was "Red No. 40", which is said to be less dangerousAl-redded ACAs it was "to avoid consumer confusion", Mars stopped production of red M & M's and instead of red, M & M's of orange color was to debut.

TV commercial at that time is here. Not too much emphasis on consumer images, not only M & M's but also red foods disappeared one after another from the American market.

All The World Love's M & M's Commercial - YouTube


◆ Resurrection of red M & M's
Although it is red M & M's who was spending such "time of prejudice", it will be about 10 years after discontinuation of production, a movement of resurrection will start as a trigger from a university student's encouragement.

Paul Hesemon who was a Tennessee born student was a boy of the eighth grade (equivalent to the second grade junior high school student) when the red M & M's disappeared. Hismon who was a favorite of red M & M's was sorry about discontinuing production, saying that it was about to leave the grain of red M & M's that was at hand at the time without eating importantly until the very end.

ByMatthew Fang

Hesmon who went on to University of Tennessee later, but his sorrow never ceased. In 1985, Hesmond who was unable to endure the sorrow that was carried on the back, launched the "Society for the Restoration and Preservation of Red M & M's" to cause action for resurrection. At the association, Mars, President Ronald Reagan of that time, and FDA asked for resurgence by submitting petition. Then, Mars sent a reply to Mr. Hesmond. "Unfortunately, we are not planning to re-release red M & M's at the moment" in the letter of writing, "Thank you for sending us a letter."

However, Hemmon 's encouragement becomes a big vortex and spreads to society. Many voices also came from around the world, and the fans' wishes for resurrection was delivered one after another. Women who live in St. Louis have also sent sentences that wish for the following resurrection.

I have somehow managed to go on, thinking there was nothing I could do. One person against the world! But now I have a purpose, a meaning in my life. My life is meant to give re-life to the red M & amp; M's.

Life without red M & M's is worth living? I have asked myself about it all the time. Over the years we said, "I can not do anything I can do" and managed to manage it. But one person stood up there! Right now, my life has a purpose and a living meaning. My life is to give life to red M & M's again.

Sentimental mood that recollects old old landscape triggered a lot of people triggered by Mr. Hemmon 's actions. One supporter says "There is no red color M & M's, movie"Three booggers"Ishigaki's Curly" does not appear like that! "And expresses the feeling of longing for resurrection. In terms of the Japanese trend, is it nuance that it is indignant that "Kato does not appear in the control of drifting!"? In addition, even from the young generation that should not have met real red M & M's, somehow I was calling for a resurrection. Furthermore, various media that had been strictly pursuing the red M & M's had been hoping for a resurgence aiming at the sleeping golden ahead.


In his later interview, he talks about the driving force that motivated himself.

How can I explain ...? That would be a different thing as much as seeing "Wizard of Oz" in color and black and white. I do not want to see the scene where Yellow Brick Road (yellow brick road) appearing in the story is represented in black and white, do not you want to see it? M & M's, which has no red color for me, is exactly like that.

◆ And to the resurrection
A couple of weeks later, Mr. Hasmon received a letter from Mars Inc. to inform you that the red M & M's resurrection "I have good news for everyone who kept you waiting." In this letter, Mars said, "M & M's and all the staff involved in Mars decided to tell you this news first," in honor of Mr. Hesmond, enclosing a coupon to receive M & M's It was.

And finally in the Christmas season of 1985, red M & M's in the welcoming mood will revive. The lineup at the time when red disappeared was restored, and the orange color which debuted as a substitute for red was left intact, and the new M & M's changed from 5 colors to 6 color lineup. Each color balance included in the package is decided as brown: 30%, red: 20%, yellow: 20%, and the remaining three colors: 10% each.


The 1987 television commercial after the red revival is here.

M & amp; M's Commercial 1987 - YouTube


Indeed the love of the fans is red M & M's who rescued the red M & M's and was to be revived, but in 1995 it was promoted to the color representing M & M's later. Speaking of M & M's now it has come to be a red grain. Jason Lucas, who has been in charge of Mars' advertisement for a long time in red M & M's who has accomplished a long and unfriendly era, says, "He is not good at expressing his feelings, the only way he can express himself as" I Love You "is his own figure and its taste."

ByWestpark