Written Analysis 1

M&M’s are a popular culture item that were invented by Forest Mars during the Spanish Civil War, and they were first sold to the public in 1941. Over the years, a lot of varieties of M&M's were developed that were filled with different types of chocolates and aromas. What makes the M&M’s so special beside they taste it’s the outside aspect. Some of the original colors were brown, yellow, green, red and violet with more colors added later like orange, tan and blue. (Kenney, n.d.)

In today's society, M&M's are regarded by the majority of people as icons and behind the M&M brand over the years a lot of beliefs and myths developed. With the introduction of the M&M characters Red, Yellow, Blue, Miss Green, Orange, and Ms. Brown the M&M brand exploded. “The wisecracking M&Ms characters were voted America's favorite advertising icon” (Vranica, 2004). The M&M characters were developed to have their  personalities thus making the connection between the consumers and the brand more real than ever. One of the popular beliefs was that the green M&M are an aphrodisiac and that it stimulates sexual behavior. There was a lot of debate back and forth over the years, and Mars made sure to profit from all of this by adding the sensual Miss Green M&M. (Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained, n.d.) Another popular belief especially among children is that the brown M&M tastes better than the others. While this might be true, the idea is that some colors reaction better with chocolate thus giving the impression of a better taste. We also have the myth of the red and blue M&M’s. The blue M&M myth was related with the M&M’s containing a chemical that would make kids hyperactive which proved not to be true even if some parents still believe this. (Heinakroon, 2011) The red M&M myth caused a hysteria in the 70s when it was believed that the red M&M's can cause cancer because of the red dye used. Production was stopped for a number of years until the myth was debunked, and it was proven that the used dye don’t cause cancer. (Fletcher, 2009)

When talking about popular culture topics like the M&M’s people are always going to have some kind of beliefs and myths about the product because this is human nature, we like to make up and believe in stuff even if it’s real or it’s not. In the case of M&M's the different beliefs helped in educating the consumers more about what M&M's are made of, and it helped create a strong brand.

References

Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained. (n.d.). Urban Legends and Beliefs - Green m&ms. Retrieved from http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Superstitions-Strange-Customs-Taboos-and-Urban-Legends/Urban-Legends-and-Beliefs-Green-m-ms.html

Fletcher, D. (2009, May 6). Red Dye No. 2 - Top 10 Panics! - TIME. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1896348_1896354_1895874,00.html

Heinakroon, A. (2011, November 6). Most annoying urban myths debunked. Retrieved from http://heinakroon.com/2011/11/06/most-annoying-urban-myths-debunked-part-5/

Kenney, K. (n.d.). History of M&M's Candies. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_5079797_history-mms-candies.html

Vranica, S. (2004, September 20). M&Ms Icons VotedAmerica's Favorite - WSJ. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB109563008446021704