M&M's chocolate and collectibles

Yes, by looking at the picture, you can guess what my topic would be about this week. I am exploring the world of collectibles that is the famous "milk chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hand", M&M's.

To most of us, M&M's is just some chocolate wrapped in a sugar-coating candy. They are yummy and easy to eat as they come in small bite size pieces plus they are colourful :D

According to wikipedia, the candies were first manufactured in 1941. Did you know that the founder of the Mars Company, Forrest Mars, Sr., got the idea of making M&M's from Smarties? In fact, the chocolates were first packaged in cardboard tubes just like Smarties.

Now, M&M's comes in various packaging of varying colours and sizes. M&M's also isn't just restricted to chocolates anymore. There are dark chocolate, peanut butter, crispy, almond, toffee and minty flavour. M&M's has also introduced all kinds of memorabilia and collectibles to the M&M's brand. One of the favourites among avid collectors is the M&M's dispenser.

Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/dispensers/dispensers.html

Besides the dispenser, there are also:

M&M toppers where it serves as a cap for the tube packaging.
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/toppers/toppers/christmas.html
See more here.

M&M figurines
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/figurines/fig.html

M&M mugs
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/ceramics/ceramics/mugs.html

M&M tins
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/tins/tins/round.html
See more here.

M&M plushies
Source: http://mmcollectorscorner.com/mmcollectibles/plush/plushies.html

Also check out the M&Ms lady's collection. She has such an extensive collection of M&M's memorabilia that she call her home a "museum".

It so happens that my sister is an amateur M&M's collector too. Here is her mini collection:

M&M's minis

M&M's assorted flavours

M&M's dispenser

M&M's minis dispenser

M&M's toppers

M&M's figurines

M&M's calculator

M&M's

I think M&M's collecting is fun and easy. You do not require a big budget to start a small collection that will eventually grow. Some of the collectibles are rather like toys so they are fun to keep and colourful. They are also easily available at candy shops such as The Coco Tree and doesn't cost too expansive for simple figurines and dispensers. For more complicated electronic ones like M&M's calculator and M&M's Sudoku, the prize would be higher around S$30-50. Although they are more expensive, these items would make your collection more special.

The collectibles do need some tender loving care. They easily collect dust when exposed so you should do regular cleaning and wiping with soft cloth. Or like my sister, you can wrap larger items in clear pastic to prevent dust from sticking to them. Because the items are colourful, I suggest displaying your collection where there is good white lighting and space the items out so each can be viewed separately. Or else, your shelf would look too crowded and messy. I think this would make a good hobby for chocolate lovers and cartoon lovers. There's chocolate and cartoon character. This is not exactly my cup of tea, but if it appeals to you, go head and give it a try.

If you want to find out more about M&M's collecting, visit http://mmcollectorscorner.com/. Or if you are really interested, join the official M&M's collectors club.