Frank and Ethel Mars were famous for their chocolate candy,
but they were also accomplished horse breeders. In the early 1930s, they
started the Milky Way Farm, with over 1,000 acres of pasture for horses, cattle
and sheep. One of the Mars family’s thoroughbreds, Gallahadion, won the
Kentucky Derby in 1940. The most beloved thoroughbred on the farm was Snickers –
more of a family pet than a racehorse. Shortly before the Mars Candy Company
released a new peanut/nougat/caramel chocolate bar, Snickers died. The Mars
family decided to honor their equine friend by giving their new confectionary treat
the same name. The Snickers bar would go on to become one of the best-selling candy
bars in history. If you live in the UK, you probably know this candy by a
different name: the Marathon Bar. That’s because Mars was afraid the American
name would sound too much like knickers – the British slang for underwear.
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