The Origins Of The Classic Milky Way Candy Bar

Milky Ways were originally presented as malted milk in candy bar form. The confection's galactic name, along with its connection to Mars bars, conjures images of the opalescent ribbon of stars, but the treat actually isn't inspired by the cosmos. With its elastic caramel center, pillowy nougat, and milk chocolate coating, the chocolate bar was intended to mimic the flavors of the famous malted milk drink. 

Milky Way bars have been a mainstay in trick-or-treat buckets and candy bowls for decades. While not quite as old as the galaxy of the same name, the candy bar has been around for over a hundred years. Malts, or malted milkshakes, were trendy food fixtures in the 1920s. The drink is made up of the classic milkshake ingredients with malted milk powder mixed in. Malted milk had been growing in popularity since the 1800s, and it was advertised as a health product. The Milky Way bar was first conceived in 1923 by father-son duo Frank C. Mars and his son Forrest in Minneapolis.

The layered components of a Milky Way bar package the nutty caramel-like flavor of a malted milk. Malted milk powder is a product of ground grain mixed with powdered milk, and it possesses an earthy sweetness. The stellar treat saw great success in its first year — according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, it brought in $800,000. By today's standards this would equate to well over $10 million. 

Franklin Clarence Mars began training for his chocolatier career at an early age. As a child, Mars contracted polio and stayed home from school. During this time, his mother taught him how to hand-dip chocolates. In 1911, the entrepreneur was selling butter cream candy from his home kitchen in Tacoma, Washington. Almost two decades later, in 1929, his son Forrest joined the company. Mars, now based in Virginia, was founded in 1911 and is responsible for other iconic candies like M&M's, Snickers and 3 Musketeers. In 2024, Business Insider reported that the Mars family has a reported net worth of $117 billion.