Shakespeare famously said “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”, but would a Snickers taste as good with another name? When did Marathon become Snickers?
Some of you will remember when the chocolate bar was called a Marathon.
But when did a Marathon bar become Snickers and why?
The question is a crucial one as Unforgotten returns for its fourth series…
Here’s everything you need to know!
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When did Marathon become Snickers?
Snickers is an American chocolate bar created in 1930 and named after the favourite horse of the Mars family.
The Snickers chocolate bar consists of nougat, peanuts, and caramel with a chocolate coating.
However, the bar was marketed under the name Marathon in the UK and Ireland.
In 1990, Mars decided to rebrand Marathon in the UK.
We’re suckers for nostalgia, though, and last year Mars released a special limited edition of the bar and called it Marathon again!
The classic Marathon bar returned to supermarket shelves in Morrison’s and McColls stores.
The retro chocolate was available as a Marathon bar for a three-month period.
It followed a popular revival the year before in 2019.
Snickers remains Britain’s second favourite chocolate bar, after Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, and has global sales of £1.6 billion a year.
Why did Marathon become Snickers?
Mars decided to rebrand Marathon in the UK and align it with the rest of the world.
Mars bosses changed the name of Marathon to Snickers in 1990.
Famous adverts for the chocolate bar included one in 2006 when The A Team’s Mr. T shouts abuse at a football player who appears to be faking an injury.
Another advertisement featured Mr. T launching bars at a swimmer who refused to get in a swimming pool because of the cold temperature of the water.
These advertisements usually ended with Mr. T saying “Snickers: Get Some Nuts!”
Marathon / Snickers scandal
Staff removed thousands of Snickers and Mars Bars from New South Wales store shelves in December 2000, due to fears they had been poisoned.
Someone sent a series of threatening letters which resulted in fears that the chocolate bars had been poisoned in Australia.
The last letter sent included a Snickers bar contaminated with a substance which was later identified as rat poison.
How many calories in a Snickers?
According to Mars, a normal Snickers bar contains 280 calories, along with 14 grams of fat.
In January, Snickers, Twix and Mars released 21g, 100 calorie versions of their treats.
Unforgotten series four: why does a Snickers/Marathon bar become important?
Unforgotten series four begins with a dead body found in a skip yard.
The body appears to have been frozen in a domestic fridge for years.
When DI Sunny Khan finds a Marathon wrapper in the deceased’s pocket, it helps date the man’s death.
Unforgotten return to ITV1 at 9pm on Monday February 22 2021.
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