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Mars Bar’s history can be traced via conflicts, wartime heroism, and corporate controversies.
From a father-son business feud to modern shrinkflation scandals.
MARS BAR FATHER-SON CONFLICT ORIGINS
1932
Forrest Mars Sr. created the Mars bar in Slough, England, after fighting with his father, Frank C. Mars, over business direction.
The Mars Bar was formulated in a cramped kitchen with four employees and secondhand equipment.
His father’s Milky Way recipe inspired the candy bar but reformulated for European tastes.
CADBURY CHOCOLATE PARTNERSHIP
The English subsidiary could not initially manufacture its own chocolate, so Mars Limited sourced chocolate from its rival Cadbury.
This partnership gave early Mars bars their distinct taste until Mars was able to create their candy bars on the island nation.
PINEAPPLE FLAVOR FAILURE
1930s
Mars Limited’s second Mars Bar was a pineapple-flavored variant.
But consumers didn’t like it—making it one of confectionery history’s shortest-lived products.
WWII MILITARY RATIONS
Mars supplied bars to British troops and German POW camps during World War II despite sugar rationing and gold ink shortages.
It helped Mars become a patriotic brand to the U.S. and the U.K.
FALKLANDS WAR SUPPLY RUN
1982
Three million Mars bars were shipped to British forces during the Falklands War.
SOVIET SPACE STATION CARGO
1990s
Soviet cosmonauts carried Mars bars to the Mir space station in the 1990s as personal comfort food.
The irony of Mars bars reaching space before humans reached Mars became a recurring aerospace joke.
SCOTLAND’S DEEP-FRIED INNOVATION
1995
The Carron Fish Bar in Stonehaven, Scotland, created the deep-fried Mars bar in 1995.
It’s a Mars Bar battered and submerged in fish-and-chips oil.
Mars Inc. initially disapproved but eventually accepted it due to its popularity in Scotland.
DISCONTINUATION IN THE U.S.
When the U.S. Mars bar (nougat, almonds, chocolate) was launched, it was completely different than its British cousin.
The U.S. version was discontinued in 2002, resurrected in 2010, but discontinued again, then briefly revived in 2016 for a short period—only to be shelved again for the time being in the U.S. market.
SHRINKFLATION CONTROVERSY
Between 2008 and 2013, UK Mars Bars shrank from 62.5g to 51g, a 20% reduction.
Mars claimed health concerns motivated the change, then admitted rising costs drove the decision.
WORLD CUP “BELIEVE” CAMPAIGN
2006
Mars Bar temporarily replaced its logo with “Believe” to support England’s World Cup bid.
But Scotland protested the England-centric packaging, forcing regionalized campaigns.
PLASTIC CONTAMINATION RECALL
2016
After plastic pieces appeared in a German Snickers bar, Mars recalled products across 55 countries, including Mars Bar.
The contamination traced to their Netherlands factory, temporarily disrupting global supply chains.
