Happy Independence Day 2016 with Patriotic M&M’s Through the Years!

CC_M&Ms 2016 4th of July Patriotic Evolution TITLE PLATEIt’s the 4th of July and that means that it is Independence Day for the USA.  To mark this fun summer holiday I’ve decided to look back at a number of patriotic-themed M&M’s packs released through the years.  Make the jump to check them out!

M&M’s earliest foray into seasonally-themed packaging would seem to originate with their trademark “Holidays” branding and that launched in the 1980’s and would eventually include a 4th of July-theme red,white and blue release in 1991.  Note the little flags and stars graphics printed on the candy pieces instead of the normal “M”:

Mars - M&M's Holidays Plain - 4th of July Red White Blue - 14oz candy bag package - 1991

Mars – M&M’s Holidays Plain – 4th of July Red White Blue – 14oz candy bag package – 1991

The next patriotic packaging I was able to find comes from a decade later and is from a time after the modern M&M’s mascots had arrived on the scene to become pop cultural phenomenons.

CC_Mars - M&M's Peanut - 4th of July Red White Blue - 9.4oz candy bag package - 2002

Mars – M&M’s Peanut – 4th of July Red White Blue – 9.4oz candy bag package – 2002

Love the mascots in their tricorne hats and revolutionary war instruments on that package — it’s pretty awesome.

Jumping ahead another decade and we have the current version of patriotic packaging found on the larger volume M&M’s bags.

Mars - Peanut M&M's Red White & Blue - 11.4oz 4th of July candy package bag - 2016

Mars – Peanut M&M’s Red White & Blue – 11.4oz 4th of July candy package bag – 2016

That Peanut M&M’s package is one I picked up this year although the patriotic design featured on it has been in use at least as far back as 2012.  Joining the Milk Chocolate and Peanut M&M’s patriotic mix packages for 2016 was a newcomer in the form of Crispy S’Mores M&M’s.  I should note that this particular patriotic packaging was available only at Target as one of their store exclusives for 2016:

Mars - Crispy S'mores M&M's Red White & Blue - Target Exclusive packaging - 8oz 4th of July candy package bag - 2016

Mars – Crispy S’mores M&M’s Red White & Blue – Target Exclusive packaging – 8oz 4th of July candy package bag – 2016

Beyond the larger seasonal packages, Mars has also been releasing red, white and blue M&M’s and the smaller “Sharing Size” packs, although they underwent a design update this year.  Here are examples of the outgoing design from the last few years as well as the ones introduced for Summer 2016:

Mars - Milk Chocolate M&M's Red White & Blue - Sharing Size - 3.14oz 4th of July candy package bag - 2012

Milk Chocolate M&M’s Red White & Blue – Sharing Size – 3.14oz 4th of July candy package bag – 2012

Mars - Peanut M&M's Red White & Blue - Sharing Size - 3.27oz 4th of July candy package bag - 2012

Peanut M&M’s Red White & Blue – Sharing Size – 3.27oz 4th of July candy package bag – 2012

Mars - Milk Chocolate M&M's Red White & Blue - Sharing Size - 3.14oz 4th of July candy package bag - 2016

Milk Chocolate M&M’s Red White & Blue – Sharing Size – 3.14oz 4th of July candy package bag – 2016

Mars - Peanut M&M's Red White & Blue - Sharing Size - 3.27oz 4th of July candy package bag - 2016

Peanut M&M’s Red White & Blue – Sharing Size – 3.27oz 4th of July candy package bag – 2016

I’m sure there are patriotic packaging designs and releases from years that I don’t currently have, but I’m always searching to fill in those historical gaps.   For now I’m excited to have been able to share a nice twenty-five year span of 4th of July M&M’s packs.  So that’s everything for now.  I hope you enjoyed the look back and I’ll see you next time!

CC_M&Ms 2016 4th of July Patriotic Evolution CLOSING

 

About Jason Liebig

A New York City based writer, editor and sometimes actor. After spending much of the 1990′s in the comic book business helping tell the stories of Marvel Comics’ X-Men as series editor, he has since split his time between developing his own entertainment properties while still consulting and working on others. Having been described as “the Indiana Jones of lost and forgotten candy”, Jason is one of the country’s premier candy collectors and historians with his discoveries appearing in countless blogs, magazines, newspaper articles, and books. Always happy to share his knowledge and unique perspectives on this colorful part of our popular culture, Jason has consulted with New York’s Museum of Food and Drink and has also been a featured guest on Food Network’s Heavyweights, France’s M6 Capital, and New York’s TheActionRoom.com. My Google Profile+
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One Response to Happy Independence Day 2016 with Patriotic M&M’s Through the Years!

  1. Darryl Heine says:

    Were the 1991 M&M’s Fourth of July Holidays candies made following the original Gulf War that occured earlier that 1991 year?

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