Snickers was even dubbed 'the world's best-selling chocolate bar' by the Mars Company.
Even if you've never tasted a Snickers, you're likely familiar with their famous slogans like 'You're not you when you're hungry' and 'Get some nuts!'.
This iconic American chocolate bar consists of nougat, caramel, peanuts, and milk chocolate.
The bizarre origin story dates back to 1911, nearly two decades prior to Snickers being born.
Frank and Ethel Mars established a confectionery factory which didn't succeed. Yet, their subsequent venture, the 'Mar-o-Bar' company (later evolving into the Mars Company), achieved remarkable success with the introduction of the Milky Way chocolate bar as their first popular product.
This newfound success allowed the couple to purchase a vast 3,000-acre horse breeding farm in Tennessee, as reported by Mashed.
To celebrate their achievement, they named their newly acquired estate 'The Milky Way Farm'.
Following the passing of Ethel's beloved horse, Snickers, shortly before the couple introduced a new chocolate bar, they decided to name it in his honor.
Produced in Chicago, the bar was marketed for a mere five cents.
Upon its introduction to the UK market, company executives deemed the name sounded too much like 'knickers', prompting them to rebrand it as the Marathon bar.
This appellation persisted in the UK until 1990 when Mars resolved to adopt universal names for their products worldwide.
So, it was rechristened as Snickers and has been known by that name ever since.
However, some chocolate fans were so attached to the Marathon bar name that they resisted buying it once it became known as Snickers—despite the formulation remaining unchanged."
The Mars Company was established by Frank Mars, who was born in 1883.
During his childhood, he contracted polio and, during this time, he learned to hand-dip chocolate sweets while recovering from his illness.
Additionally, he exhibited a penchant for experimentation and creating new recipes.
By the age of 19, he had developed a talent for creating molasses chips (buttercream confections), which he sold both from his residence and to nearby shops.
Following his fondness for confections, he took over a wholesale candy firm in Minneapolis in the year he wed his spouse, Ethel.
In 1911, he relocated to Seattle and embarked on candy production experiments. After several attempts, he successfully established The Mar-o-Bar company, and the rest is history.
