M&M’s are one of the most popular and iconic candy brands, known for their colorful button-shaped chocolates. The signature colors of M&M’s candies are red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and brown. However, over the years, M&M’s has also released limited edition and seasonal colors, some of which are incredibly rare and hard to find. This article will explore some of the rarest M&M’s colors that have been produced.
Brief History of M&M’s Colors
M&M’s were first produced in 1941 and only came in five colors – brown, red, orange, yellow, and green. The colors were selected to replicate a color scale and allow people to easily identify their favorite shade. In 1949, violet was briefly introduced as a color option. It was later replaced in 1950 with tan.
In 1954, Peanut M&M’s were introduced. The peanut versions originally only came in tan, red, and green to color coordinate with the milk chocolate. Blue was added as a color in 1995 for peanut, and 1996 for regular M&M’s. This was to replace tan, which was retired in 1949.
Over the decades, various limited edition and seasonal colors have also been produced. The 1970s saw colors like gold, orange, and white for holidays. In the 1990s, teal, pink, purple, and blue were introduced for special promotions. From there, unique color releases became more common.
Short-Term Limited Releases
M&M’s has released many limited batch colors over the years that were only available for a short time. Here are some of the rarest:
Purple – In the early 1990s, purple M&M’s were released to promote the movie Jurassic Park. This colorful tie-in was only available at select cinemas for a limited time. The unique purple shade has not been used since.
Teal – Teal M&M’s were released in 1995 to commemorate the brand’s 50th anniversary. They were a limited batch and the distinctive medium teal color has not been reused.
Maroon – In 1996, a deep maroon color was used as part of a contest where people voted for the newest permanent M&M’s color. Maroon lost the vote to blue.
Pink – Light pink M&M’s were released for Valentine’s Day in 1997 and 1998 only. The pastel pink hue has not been produced again since.
Gold – A metallic gold color M&M’s was introduced for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This shone like real gold and was only available that year.
White – White chocolate M&M’s have been released a few times, including a limited winter white batch in 2004 for the holidays.
Brownie – In 2017, brownie-flavored M&M’s were released in a milk-chocolate brown color. This was to promote the brand’s Mega Chocolate bar.
Long-Term But Discontinued Colors
Some rare M&M’s colors were released for longer periods but have since been discontinued altogether. These include:
Orange – M&M’s originally came in orange from 1941 until about 2003. This original ‘orange tan’ shade was eventually replaced with a brighter orange. The dulled orange tan is very rare nowadays.
Violet – As mentioned, violet was one of the original M&M’s colors introduced in 1949. But it was quickly replaced by tan in just one year. Any remaining vintage violet M&M’s are extremely rare.
Tan – Tan replaced violet in 1950 and lasted until 1995 when it was retired. The tan shade was brought back briefly in 2000 for a limited time. Any remaining original tan M&M’s are uncommon.
Turquoise – Turquoise blue M&M’s were introduced in 1995 to replace tan but discontinued just a year later. Turquoise was relatively short-lived and therefore rare.
Silver – Silver M&M’s were released in 2003 in a metallic finish. They were discontinued a few years later leaving silver very uncommon.
Beige – An unusual beige color was added in 2015 as part of a wider color update. But it was unpopular and discontinued in 2016. Authentic beige M&M’s are hard to source now.
Special Edition Colors
M&M’s has also released many specialty seasonal and branded colors over the decades:
White Holiday – White chocolate holiday M&M’s with colorful sprinkles are released for Christmas. The exact decorations change annually making each year unique.
Crispy – For M&M’s Crispy candies, several limited colors have been produced like yellow, mint green, sky blue, and more.
Europe – Special editions for certain regions have included lemon meringue, biscuit, and coconut colors for Europe. These are rare overseas.
Birthday Cake – Birthday cake flavored M&M’s come in a light pastel mix of blue, pink, yellow, orange. Originally released in 2012, this mix is frequently brought back.
Valentine’s Mix – For Valentine’s Day, M&M’s releases lots of limited pink, purple and red tones. Many of these romantic colors are retired quickly.
Winter Mix – From 2013, M&M’s have released special winter mixes with whites, silvers, blues and teals. Each mix varies year-to-year.
British Royalty Mix – In 2015, M&M’s made a mix to celebrate Princess Charlotte with pinks, blues and creams. Extremely rare and British.
| Year | Color Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Orange Tan | Original orange shade, replaced in 2003 |
| 1949 | Violet | Lasted one year before being replaced by tan |
| 2017 | Brownie | Promotional flavor, milk chocolate brown color |
The Rarest of All – Shades of Green
Perhaps the most sought after and rare M&M’s colors are alternate shades of green that were available for a very limited time.
In 2002, M&M’s ran a promotion called “M&M’s Global Color Vote” that allowed people to choose a new color to be added permanently. The options were purple, blue, and aqua. As part of the vote, aqua-green M&M’s were produced to showcase the potential new color. Aqua lost the vote to blue and the minty-green shade quickly became extremely rare.
In 2008, mygreenm&m was introduced. This was a green female M&M mascot and rich emerald green colored version of the candy. As it was a temporary mascot, this darker green M&M’s was available for just over a year before being retired in 2009. mygreenm&m is very difficult to find now.
Lastly, in 2013 M&M’s releaseed a limited edition shade called GBC green. GBC stood for “Go Big Color” as part of a new campaign. The 2013 GBC green was a blue-tinged teal green. This color again was only available for about a year before disappearing. Any remaining GBC greens are highly sought after by collectors.
Conclusion
While most M&M’s come in the familiar range of red, green, orange, blue, brown and yellow, the brand has produced many more colors over the decades. Some lasted for years before being retired while others were released for a limited time, making them highly prized by collectors. By exploring the history of M&M’s, we can find these rare colors like old oranges, violets, teals, silvers, and special greens. Limited edition and seasonal releases also regularly provide new and rare colors to discover. So next time you eat M&M’s, keep an eye out for a color you’ve never seen before! It might just be one of the rarest and most valuable M&M’s around.