3 Musketeers Introduced

• The 3 Musketeers candy bar was invented in 1932 in the United States by M&M/MARS. It was the third candy bar produced by the company. It was originally packaged as three, individual mini bars of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry nougat; hence the name, 3 Musketeers.

What Is It?

• The 3 Musketeers candy bar is made of two important things: chocolate and nougat. Nougat is made of egg whites that are whipped until light and frothy, with sugared syrup added to it to control the foam, creating what is called a frappé. As other flavoring ingredients are added to the frappé the nougat is born. It is then shaped and dipped in milk chocolate.

Price

• In 1932, the original 3 Musketeers cost 5 cents and had three pieces, two of which you could share with friends. As of 2009, the average cost of a 3 Musketeer candy bar was 65 cents.

When it Became One

• The 3 Musketeers became a single candy bar with a creamy chocolate nougat, which was the most popular flavor, when World War II made its way to the forefront and money became tight. Strawberry and vanilla had to take a backseat, since the U.S. government ordered rationing of all sugars in spring 1942. It was too expensive to produce all three flavors.

3 Musketeers Today

• Today, 3 Musketeers candy bar is still sold with the creamy chocolate nougat. But to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2007, the company introduced an additional flavor: mint. The mint flavor was a big hit, and is still being sold.

Other Flavors

• The 3 Musketeers candy bar has also featured limited-edition flavors, such as French vanilla, mocha cappuccino and strawberry in fall 2007; cherry for Valentine's Day 2008; and orange and raspberry for spring/Easter in 2008. These flavors were only available for a short time.

Trivia and Nutritional Information

• Outside of Canada and the U.S., the 3 Musketeers is known as Milky Way. The regular size of the 3 Musketeers candy bar has 257 calories, 5 grams of saturated fat and 40 grams of sugar.