Beloved 80s chocolate bar is returning to supermarket shelves

by · Mail Online

Marathon bars are set to race back to Britain's shelves as the beloved chocolate treat makes a grand return after 34 years.

In a limited run Snickers will return to its former name - delighting fans who have missed the iconic brand ever since it was changed in the 90s.

Chocolate chiefs at Mars Wrigley - which also owns M&M, Galaxy, Twix and Maltesers - are launching the retro rebrand to celebrate 90 years of the company operating in the UK. 

Steve Waters, Senior Brand Manager, says: 'We're excited to bring back the Marathon bar branding for a limited period. It's a great way to celebrate over 90 years of Mars making chocolate in the UK.

'We hope fans of Snickers, who remember when it was called Marathon, will enjoy picking it up in store!'

This beloved eighties chocolate bar is set to return to British supermarket shelves for the first time in more than three decades
Marathon bars are set to race back to Britain's shelves as the beloved chocolate treat makes a grand return after 34 years
In a limited run Snickers will return to its former name - delighting fans who have missed the iconic brand ever since it was changed in the 90s 
The chocolate bar has been an iconic part of Britain's culture - with a runner even using the retro bar to dress up in for the London Marathon in 2022

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People are only now realising the bizarre reason behind Snickers' name

The iconic American chocolate bar is made of nougat, topped with caramel and peanuts, and encased in milk chocolate. 

It first hit the shelves in 1930 and according to the Mars Company website, it's still 'at the top'. 

Snickers was first created in 1968, and was named after Mars' creators - confectioners Frank and Ethel Mars - favourite horse, which died just a year before it was released.

The bar was manufactured in Chicago and sold for just five cents.

But - as the sweet-toothed moguls looked to sell the treat in Britain - they decided to change the name to avoid controversy... because it rhymes with 'knickers'. 

In 1990 Mars wanted universal names for its products so the firm changed across to match its American cousin. 

Some UK fans refused to buy the renamed bar because they were so attached to the Marathon name, even though the recipe was the same.

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Who was Frank Mars?

With his sweet tooth, Frank took over a wholesale candy firm in Minneapolis in the same year he married his wife Ethel

Frank Mars, born in 1883, was the founder of the Mars Company.

As a child he had polio, and learned how to hand dip chocolate sweets during his illness.

He reportedly loved to experiment and create new recipes.

At 19, he discovered a talent for creating molasses chips (buttercream sweets) and would sell them at home and to local stores. 

With his sweet tooth, he took over a wholesale candy firm in Minneapolis in the same year he married his wife Ethel.

In 1911 he moved to Seattle and experimented with candy manufacturing - and after a few tries eventually The Mar-o-Bar company, was born and the rest is history.

Following an inspirational life in the chocolate industry, Frank passed away in 1933 after collapsing on the floor of his Chicago factory.