People are just realising why Snickers has its bizarre name and it’s blowing their minds
PEOPLE have been left stunned after discovering where Snickers got its bizarre name from.
It's perhaps one of the more unusual chocolate bar names but actually stems from a horse's moniker.
The horse belonged to Ethel Mars - co-founder of the 'Mar-o-Bar' company, known now as Mars Company.
According to legend, Snickers the horse died just before the nameless chocolate bar went into production.
And as a tribute, Ethel and husband Frank decided to call the new bar Snickers.
The first Snickers was sold in Chicago for just 5 cents.
Read more Food stories
But when it was brought over to the UK, executives decided that the name sounded too much like "knickers", and opted to rename it a Marathon bar.
That name stuck in the UK until 1990, when Mars decided they wanted universal names for their products across the globe.
So it went back to being called a Snickers, and has been known by that ever since.
However, some chocolate fans were so attached to the Marathon bar name that they refused to buy it when it was called a Snickers - despite the recipe being exactly the same.
The popularity of the Snickers increased tenfold in 2010, thanks to a now world-famous advertising campaign.
The "You're not you when you're hungry" campaign was launched during the Super Bowl back in 2010, and featured The Golden Girls actress Betty White.
Since then, stars including Joan Collins, Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean and even Elton John have starred in ads for Snickers as part of the "You're not you when you're hungry" tagline.
And the campaign has contributed to sales of Snickers growing by 15.9%
As you may have guessed, the horse was called Snickers, so the pair decided to name the peanut chocolate bar in his honour.
The bar was manufactured in Chicago and sold for just five cents.
However, it's always been a name that stuck - Snickers was actually named the Marathon Bar in the UK between 1967-1990.
This is because the original name rhymes with 'knickers' so to avoid controversy, they decided to change it.
Thankfully, in 1990 Mars wanted universal names for their products so changed it back to Snickers.
Although, some UK fans refused to buy the newly named bar as they were so attached to it being called 'Marathon Bar,' despite the recipe being the same.
In 1968 the full sized Snickers bar that we know today was created, following an increase in 'satisfaction levels worldwide.'
After huge popularity, in 1989 the Snickers ice cream bar was created, followed by the award-winning 'You’re not you when you’re hungry' campaign was introduced in 2010.
The origin of the Snickers name has been shared multiple times on Twitter, with people reacting with shock every time.
"I think you've just ruined everyone's childhood," one raged in response to the news.
"Please do not mention the size of Wagon Wheels."
"I shall still never eat one again until they are called Marathon again," another insisted.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"Now this, is the kind of trivia we all need. I did not know that!" a third wrote.
As someone else added: "Very interesting, thank you. Love history!"