Frank and Ethel Mars founded their chocolate company, Mars, in 1911, and had their first success with the Milky Way bar.
Still going strong in 1930, they launched Snickers. At the time, Mr. and Mrs. Mars were keen on horse racing — so much so that they’d bought up a large estate, which they named Milky Way Farm, so they could build their own race course. And when coming up with the name for their new candy creation, they decided to commemorate Ethel’s favorite racehorse, Snickers, who had recently passed away.
The main difference between Snickers and Milky Way bars was of course the peanuts. And it has always been sold as a satisfying bar, with its mix of nutty crunch and chewy nougat.
Frank Mars died in 1934, and Ethel five years later. But the company, and their chocolate bars, lived on. Since then, the confection has grown in popularity, and by 2013, the brand had passed $1 billion in annual sales. As of 2025, Snickers was the world’s best-selling chocolate bar.
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