3 Musketeers (candy)
Encyclopedia
3 Musketeers is a candy bar
made in the United States
by Mars, Incorporated
. It is a chocolate-covered fluffy whipped chocolate bar. The 3 Musketeers Bar was the third brand produced and manufactured by M&M/Mars, introduced in 1932. Originally, it had three pieces in one package, flavored chocolate
, strawberry and vanilla
, hence the name. Rising costs and wartime restrictions on sugar saw the phasing out of the vanilla and strawberry pieces to leave only the more popular chocolate. Costing five cents when it was introduced, it was marketed as one of the largest chocolate bars available, one that could be shared by friends.
During their 75th anniversary, 3 Musketeers introduced their first candy bar brand extension, 3 Musketeers Mint in August 2007.
Also in 2007, 3 Musketeers issued a limited-edition "Autumn Minis Mix." It featured French Vanilla, Mocha Cappuccino and Strawberry. This was followed by Cherry 3 Musketeers for Valentine’s Day 2008, and Raspberry 3 Musketeers and Orange 3 Musketeers for Easter
2008. Orange was coated in regular chocolate while the cherry and raspberry were coated with dark chocolate.
In the mid-late 1990s the bar's advertisements also featured three men dressed as the legendary Three Musketeers
to market the "45% less fat" campaign. The product's original slogan, "Big on Chocolate!", was expanded in these advertisements to "Big on Chocolate, Not on Fat!".
3 Musketeers was advertised on television on the 1950s-era Howdy Doody Show, along with a song that Buffalo Bob Smith
encouraged children to sing.
, 0 grams of trans fat, 110 milligrams of sodium and 40 grams of sugar. Peanuts may be added.
and Newmarket, Ontario
.
The Fluffy Whipped Chocolate is made by whipping egg whites until they are light and frothy. Sugar syrup is then added, stabilizing the foam and creating "frappé
." Other flavoring ingredients are then added to the frappe to create specific flavors.
Although the American version of the 3 Musketeers bar is not available in many European countries, its texture and size is very reminiscent of the European version of the Milky Way bar.
Candy bar
A chocolate bar is a confection in bar form comprising some or all of the following components: cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, milk. The relative presence or absence of these components form the subclasses of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. In addition to these main...
made in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is a worldwide manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products with US$30 billion in annual sales in 2010, and is ranked as the 5th largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes. Headquartered in McLean, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia,...
. It is a chocolate-covered fluffy whipped chocolate bar. The 3 Musketeers Bar was the third brand produced and manufactured by M&M/Mars, introduced in 1932. Originally, it had three pieces in one package, flavored chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
, strawberry and vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
, hence the name. Rising costs and wartime restrictions on sugar saw the phasing out of the vanilla and strawberry pieces to leave only the more popular chocolate. Costing five cents when it was introduced, it was marketed as one of the largest chocolate bars available, one that could be shared by friends.
During their 75th anniversary, 3 Musketeers introduced their first candy bar brand extension, 3 Musketeers Mint in August 2007.
Also in 2007, 3 Musketeers issued a limited-edition "Autumn Minis Mix." It featured French Vanilla, Mocha Cappuccino and Strawberry. This was followed by Cherry 3 Musketeers for Valentine’s Day 2008, and Raspberry 3 Musketeers and Orange 3 Musketeers for Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
2008. Orange was coated in regular chocolate while the cherry and raspberry were coated with dark chocolate.
Flavors
- Original 3 bar-Chocolate, 1932–1945
- Chocolate with filling, 1945–present
- Mint, 2007–present
- "Autumn Minis" - Cappuccino, French Vanilla and Strawberry, 2007
- Cherry, 2008
- Raspberry, 2008
- Orange, 2008
- Chocolate Strawberry Brownie, 2008
- Chocolate Brownie Bar (Generation Max series)
- S'Mores Brownie Bar (Generation Max series)
- Truffle Crisp
- Marshmallow, limited edition Minis, EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
2011
Marketing
Most recently, the 3 Musketeers bar has been advertised in television spots which featured women. The candy bar is promoted as a "Nice, Light Snack" which features "45% less fat" than other chocolate bars.In the mid-late 1990s the bar's advertisements also featured three men dressed as the legendary Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
to market the "45% less fat" campaign. The product's original slogan, "Big on Chocolate!", was expanded in these advertisements to "Big on Chocolate, Not on Fat!".
3 Musketeers was advertised on television on the 1950s-era Howdy Doody Show, along with a song that Buffalo Bob Smith
Buffalo Bob Smith
Buffalo Bob Smith was the host of the children's show Howdy Doody.-Biography:...
encouraged children to sing.
Nutritional information
A standard-size 3 Musketeers bar (60g) has 260 Calories (1,087,840 J), 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fatSaturated fat
Saturated fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the individual carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. That is, the chain of carbon atoms is fully "saturated" with hydrogen atoms...
, 0 grams of trans fat, 110 milligrams of sodium and 40 grams of sugar. Peanuts may be added.
Packaging
Today, 3 Musketeers comes in seven package varieties:- Standard bar
- 2 To Go
- Minis
- Fun Size
- Mint
- Mint Minis
- 100 Calorie bar
Manufacturing
The candy is made of a fluffy whipped chocolate filling covered with milk chocolate. The fluffy whipped chocolate center is first formed into very large slabs, which are cut to size, and after the centers are formed they are coated with milk chocolate through a process called "enrobing" wherein the centers pass through a continuous curtain of liquid chocolate. At the same time, a rotating chocolate covered wheel beneath the mesh belt coats the base of the bar. The bar is then cooled and prepared for wrapping. The candy is made in Chicago, Illinois, Elizabethtown, PennsylvaniaElizabethtown, Pennsylvania
Elizabethtown is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Harrisburg. Small factories existed at the turn of the century when the population in 1900 was 1,861. There was a slight increase in the next decade, with 1,970 people living in Elizabethtown in 1910. As of the 2000 census,...
and Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
.
The Fluffy Whipped Chocolate is made by whipping egg whites until they are light and frothy. Sugar syrup is then added, stabilizing the foam and creating "frappé
Frappé
Frappé or frappe, from the Old French frapper meaning to strike or hit, is used in English to refer to various uses of crushed ice, including:...
." Other flavoring ingredients are then added to the frappe to create specific flavors.
International
The candy bar is available in various territories, but not under the "3 Musketeers" name. In Europe, the brand name was used for the Curly Wurly candybar in the 1970s and 1980s, but the name has switched back to Curly Wurly since.Although the American version of the 3 Musketeers bar is not available in many European countries, its texture and size is very reminiscent of the European version of the Milky Way bar.