PHOTO GALLERY: M&M'S 75th Anniversary Celebration Begins

3/4/2016

NEW YORK — Mars Chocolate North America began celebrating the 75th anniversary of M&M'S candy on March 3 with a special birthday reception in New York.

CSNews Online was on hand at the event, which featured tours of the M&M'S spokescandies' personal bedrooms and a performance of "Candyman" by Grammy-winning artist Zedd and Grammy-nominated musician and songwriter Aloe Blacc. The song is a modern remake of Sammy Davis Jr.'s 1917 "The Candy Man" song. 

While enjoying mixed drinks based on the M&M'S colors, attendees were invited to visit special listening stations and create their own remixes of "Candyman" using special candy pieces that corresponded to particular instruments.

Although the M&M'S lineup of spokescandies were not in attendance, guests also got to visit their rooms, each of which was decorated to reflect their color and personality.

"For 75 years, our fans have made M&M'S the iconic and beloved chocolate brand it is today," said Berta de Pablos-Barbier, vice president of marketing for Mars Chocolate North America. "We aren't satisfied with solely looking back on our history as America's favorite chocolate candies. We are looking to the next 75 years of innovation and transformation to engage, entice and excite consumers of today and tomorrow."

The milestone celebration will continue long past this one-night event. In fact, it will carry on through the remainder of 2016.

Mars Chocolate plans to launch the largest marketing campaign in the M&M'S brand's history: "Celebrate with M." The campaign will feature star-studded events, product innovation, iconic collaborations and unexpected partnerships that will cement the brand's place in pop culture history, according to the company.

Fans are invited to follow the #CelebratewithM hashtag and M&M'S social media pages to take part in birthday surprises, exclusive access to one-of-a-kind experiences, the chance to determine the next M&M'S flavor, and more. 

March 3 marked M&M'S 75th birthday.
Guests were invited to create "Candyman" remixes.
Ads from M&M'S history were on display.
Attendees could create their own M&M'S bags.
Ms. Brown's office
Many of the spokescandies are well-read and authors themselves.
Ms. Brown's higher education
Blue's room featured the classic slogan in neon.
Blue enjoys playing ping-pong in his New York loft.
Orange's bedroom is very secure.
Orange's fear of being eaten led to extreme security measures.
Orange worries his popularity will lead to him being eaten.
Green takes pride in being the belle of the candy ball.
Green's dressing area
Yellow's bedroom holds lots of memories with friends.
A memory with Yellow
Yellow's calendar and to-do list
Red enjoys playing music in his room.
As the shortest candy, Red is working out in hopes of growing.
2016 marks 75 years of M&M'S memories.
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