Celebrating 75 Years With M&M’S

Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew; cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two? Mars Chocolate North America can.

The company did just that in honor of the 75th anniversary of its iconic M&M’S chocolate candies. To celebrate the milestone, M&M’S hosted a birthday bash at The Altman Building in New York City on March 3. Grocery Headquarters staff members were invited the soiree, and we were honored to #CelebrateWithM (the official hashtag of the candy brand’s birthday).

After entering the Altman Building through red ropes and checking in with event staff, guests were greeted with signature cocktails inspired by M&M'S characters and a wall filled with warm and tasty hors d'oeuvres.

Scattered throughout the event space were remix stations, where guests could use real M&M’S as “instruments” to remix Candyman on an iPad. Candyman—a remake of Sammy Davis Jr.’s The Candy Man song—features Grammy award winning artist Zedd and Grammy nominated musician and songwriter Aloe Blacc, in partnership with M&M’S. The brand released its YouTube video in February. I tried re-mixing the tune—though my efforts fell flat with the concept, which I thought was pretty cool.

After having a few appetizers, GHQ managing editor Craig Levitt and I headed over to the M&M’S wall, similar to what customers would see in a M&M’S World store, to fill goodie bags with plain and peanut M&M’S, which were available in every color of the rainbow. Little did we know, there were surprise celebrity guests at the event. We ran into singer Lance Bass while filling our party bags. As a longtime NSYNC fan, I have to admit, I was star-struck and I did ask Lance for a photo. M&M’S made one of my dreams come true.

The event also featured six rooms set-up as the apartments of the M&M’S characters included in the brand’s ads over the years. Guests were invited to discover how Red, Yellow, Ms. Green, Orange, Blue and Ms. Brown live. The brand has plans to unveil these rooms to fans over social media on March 11, but I'm offering a sneak peak in the slideshow below.

As we walked through the characters’ apartments, event staff explained the personality traits of each character and the rooms matched those traits. Here are a few quick facts on each character:

Red: As the original M&M’S Spokescandy, Red is also the oldest. He considers himself royalty and even had himself painted as an important royal figure. His apartment was lavish, macho and nostalgic.

Yellow: You’ve seen Yellow as Red’s sidekick for years, however, Yellow did steal Red’s spotlight sometime ago. He became instantly popular when he was introduced, allowing him to live an easy, albeit a codependent life alongside Red. His apartment embodied his lovable personality. It was simple and playful; it included a ball pit bunk bed, along with his pet Mr. Fishy.

Ms. Green: The stylish Ms. Green has donned the back cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition five years in a row. Her studio apartment was fashionable with green highlights, zebra accents, chic décor and mirrors all around.

Orange: Orange was launched during the 1999 Super Bowl with signs announcing “The Feeding Frenzy Has Begun.” When he was born, he had a crispy core and was eaten twice as fast as the other M&M’S, which has made him paranoid in return. His apartment reflected that, featuring a map of the M&M’s World locations, to ensure he never sets foot near the stores, and a security camera.

Blue: In 1995, 10 million Americans voted for Blue, beating out Pink and Purple to take Tan’s place in the package. Blue is the only M&M’S Spokescandy voted in by the public. At 21 years old, Blue is more modern than other M&M’S Spokescandy, and his apartment reflected that. It was donned with contemporary art—including the “melts in your mouth not in your hand” neon sign—and a view of the city.

Ms. Brown: Ms. Brown has been around since the beginning. Her apartment was sophisticated and tasteful with dark wood, classy accents and low lighting. It featured her diploma from M. Brown University and a wooden library with books like A Chocolate Eat Chocolate World and Chocolate: the Richer, the Better.

A little after we toured the apartments, Zedd and Aloe Blacc treated us to a special performance of Candyman, which was fantastic.

As we left the building, we were gifted with a bag filled with plain and peanut M&M’S that had retro packaging from the 1940s through the 1990s. The retro packaging will roll out as part of the yearlong celebration.

More information on M&M’S yearlong celebration can be read here. Check out some photos from the event below: