Chocolate fans' childhoods 'ruined' after learning origin of Snickers name

21 August 2023 , 13:15

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The chocolate bar's name has a touching meaning (Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)

We all love indulging in the occasional chocolate bar, and while there are so many options on shop shelves these days, there are many classic bars that have been available for decades and continue to be popular. One of those timeless snacks is Snickers, which has been on our shelves since the 1960s, despite initially being known under a different name - Marathon.

Snickers was launched in the US in 1930 and over in the states, it has never been known by a different name. Here in the UK, we adopted the Snickers name in 1990 after dropping the Marathon branding - but did you know where the iconic caramel and peanut treat got its unique name from?

It's believed the bar was named after a horse that belonged to Ethel Mars, the co-founder of the Mar-o-Bar Company, which is now known as the Mars Company. Legend has it that Snickers the horse died just before the then-nameless chocolate bar went into production, so Ethel and her husband Frank decided to honour the animal by naming the sweet treat after it.

The first Snickers bar was sold in Chicago for just five cents, but when it came to the UK, executives claimed the name sounded too much like "knickers", and so it was renamed to Marathon. The name stuck until 1990 when Mars decided it wanted universal names for its products around the world, and so rebranded the UK version of the chocolate to Snickers.

And the origin of the bar's name has been shared on social media countless times, with some even claiming the sad story of Ethel Mars and her horse Snickers has "ruined their childhood". One person wrote: "I think you've just ruined everyone's childhood," while another said: "Very interesting, thank you. Love history!," and a third refused to move on from the past, stating: "I shall still never eat one again until they are called Marathon again."

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Meanwhile, chocolate fans were left divided twice last week over the news of two new product launches. Terry's Chocolate Orange lovers were stunned to hear that a new flavour is set to hit shelves this month, with some saying it "doesn't make sense" and others desperate to try it. And Quality Street also caused a stir when they announced the arrival of a new product, which some said was a "let down" and others hailed as their "new favourite".

Zahna Eklund