We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how Hobnobs’ name actually has a meaning ― the “hob” refers to their homemade look, while the “nob” part (ooer missus) has to do with its knobbly texture.
Even Twix has a surprisingly clever name.
So you’d expect Snickers to have a similarly self-referential or witty brand, right? Maybe the “snick” is like “sneak”, because of the hidden peanut layer?
No. It was named after a horse.
What?
Yep! According to none other than Mars, the owner of Snickers, “The very first SNICKERS Bar, named after the family horse, was manufactured in Chicago, US, and sold for five cents.”
And per Mars Equestrian (yep, they’re the same Mars ― seems they really like horses), “Frank C. and Ethel V. Mars’ Milky Way Farm in Tennessee was well known for producing Thoroughbred racing champions, including the 1940 Kentucky Derby Winner, Gallahadion.”
The Mars family still breed thoroughbred horses and even has an equestrian sponsorship across multiple disciplines.
And you might not have known this ― I didn’t ― but Mars is actually a huge pet food manufacturer and owns brands like Pedigree and Whiskas.
What about the specific Snickers horse?
Per The Equine Chronicle, the family had good reason to appreciate Snickers the animal ― he was a winning racehorse.
Unfortunately, Snickers passed away “less than a month” before the launch of the bar in 1930. Hence the family named the iconic bar after their recently-departed horse (aww).
Well, sad as that is, I’m struggling to think of a better legacy...