Everyone knows of a drink or food that only comes out at certain times of the year. Yellow Peeps at Easter, Cranberry Flavored Drinks and Eggnog around Christmas to name a few. One that I’ve always loved was Hershey’s Ets.
But, they look like M&Ms! Yes, it’s Hershey’s answer to the M&Ms, but there is one big difference…they are much BETTER! Well, to me they are. First introduced in 1954, they are a small bit of chocolate covered in a candy shell. Ets have a sweeter taste to them and I know few who’ve tried them that didn’t like them better than M&Ms. Now, I’m not saying M&Ms aren’t good, to the contrary, I LOVE M&Ms, it’s just that Ets are better. Maybe it’s because they were rarer, and that made the special. One big problem with Ets? Hershey only put them out around Christmas. Never really saw them in bags like M&Ms, but always in those plastic Candy Canes.
When I was younger, and someone gave my sisters and me one of those canes, I’d wait until my sisters ate theirs and then as they mope around with their empty plastic cane, I’d triumphantly walk out with my full one, and eat it in front of them. Yes, very mean, but when you are 8, it’s very satisfying!
I wonder if they ever had them in their own bags like M&Ms do? Maybe before my time they had them out year round, but for some reason they changed that. In the late 90’s, early 2000s, Hershey created a mail order company, Hershey Gift Catalog, and in the second or third year of that, they started having a pail of Ets, see first picture, that they sold year round. This use to be a BIG Seller for Hershey. How do I know? I use to work the phones for them and when they were around for Christmas, they’d be sold out by the second week of December, and people would wait and wait, calling every other day to see when they were back, even AFTER Christmas was over. One Valentines, they make them in Red Colors and they were just as hot then too.
In November of 2005, they stopped making Ets. Why? Who knows. But they make something new. Hershey’s Kissables!
They are the same thing as the Ets, just in the shape of mini kisses! Oh what a happy day for Ets Lovers. AND they sold them in small bags, just like M&Ms! So now, when I’m in the mood for some Ets/Kissables, I just go to the grocery store and pick up a small, or large bag!
Some complain that the shell is thicker, but for the glorious taste that was the Hershey Ets, it’s not a major flub in my book. If you’ve never tried them, go, pick up a bag. They really are a wonderful treat!
Retro Commercials 
Hershey left America for Mexico.
Don’t buy their foreign goods. Save American jobs!
Actually, they did used to come out in bags like M&M’s, but that was like 20 years ago. Every Easter, they come out with Hershey Eggs, which are giant (compared to “Ets”) egg shaped candy coated Hershey’s chocolate.
Absolutely they did!
Little brown bags with HERSHEY*ETS spelled out
in Hershey*ets on the cover. Whenever I’d go to my grandmother’s house in Queens, NY, I’d always dream about them because that’s the only place you could get ’em: they weren’t available in NYC. Strange …. lol
Hershey didn’t ship all of their candy making to Mexico! Most of the best-loved candies are still made right here in Central PA! Hershey Ets were great…Kissables are almost as good!
I grew up in Hershey, and still work in Hershey, and the best part of my day is driving by the main factory and smelling the Chocolate. Doesn’t matter what kind of a day I’m having, it always gets better when I drive by it!
Although Hershey has a limited presence outside of America, Hershey is the reigning giant in the US as the best chocolate maker in town. With a large portfolio of confectionery and much loved brands, the groups overall lead has come under intense pressure from long time rivals Mars. In particular the rivalry between Hershey Kisses and Mars M&Ms, whilst fighting to be market leaders Hershey has had to reinvent the kisses brand to try to compete with M&Ms. As it stands M&Ms do have global market share, we have looked at how marketing has impacted on this, in the UK Hershey is not advertised and is not widely available, where as M&M receives mass advertising. Why is Hershey not big in the UK is it because they have not tried or because they tried and failed?
As a nation we know to love the M&M brand and recognise the product and are happy to incorporate product line extensions such as different types of M&Ms and ice cream. I think it would be interesting to see how the UK would respond to an invasion by Hershey as we already have Cadburys which has mass brand power, how can a company such as Hershey be so big in the US but have no market share in the UK?
We have thought about the advertising campaigns which have impacted the way we view these brands, Nostalgia can be a very useful tool for business wanting to reinvent an old product or improve sales on an existing product. Hershey’s Ets have now been reinvented becoming known as Kissables. This marketing tool is especially used during seasonal holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day. Products act successfully as ‘memory makers’ and all types of stimuli can trigger a memory of the past. For example hearing a specific song can trigger a specific memory. Marketers take full advantage of this to evoke memories from your past by marketing products with nostalgic images or music. Hershey’s use nostalgia to promote many of their products including their original Hershey’s milk chocolate bar which has the original retro wrapper. Older Consumers seeing this wrapper will be reminded of their childhood; an era of happiness and enjoyment. For example Hershey’s Ets (now Kissables) remind you of your childhood. Nostalgia is also a trend with younger generations, with them choosing brands, music and confectionary that were once favoured by their parents. This could be why Hershey’s is such a popular brand in US as it uses the history of the brand to drive it forward, whereas M&Ms need a modern approach to reach their global market.
Buy herhsey’s candies, not Mars candy. Mars tested on animals; check out http://marscandykills.com/. I’m not a PETA activist i just care.
Im eating Hershey-ets right now. Bought a big bag of them from Hershey Chocolate world on Sunday. They were in a big zip lock bag. A small display of chocolate world only items tucked away in a corner. Taste great on some ice cream!
took our twins to Hershey Saturday night to see the Christams decortaions. Stopped by Chocolate World and there was a small stand with HERSHEY-ETS. 17 oz bag was $4.95
I prefer these over M&M’s. I htink it has to do with the chocolate. I used to have both Hershey-ets and M&M’s when i was growing up. I heard a rumor that Hershey and M&M Mars had some kind of agreement that Hershey would stop distributing the Hershey-ets so that M&M Mars didn’t come out with a product to compete against the Reeses peanut butter cup. for a while they were sold at K-Mart. The last i saw that Giant Grocery sold them around teh time the Giant center in Hershey was built but then they disappeared. Would love to buy these though out the year.
Happy Holidays to all.
How & where can I order hershey-ets ?
You can check online, but the only place I ever see them is in stores around Christmas in those plastic Candy Canes. Hershey use to have a gift catalog that use to sell them by the pale, but I think they closed it down.
I hate those candy-filled canes, because I assumed I was supposed to carry it by the handle. Well I did, and the damned thing fell apart and all of my candy landed on the ground.
I distinctly remember seeing Hershey-ets sold in gumball machines in the ’70s or early ’80s. They even had a small “H” on them, similar to the “M” found on M&Ms.
Amazon is currently selling them, but only in 25 pound increments. They are widely available in the canes during the holiday season, but Hershey.com doesn’t admit to selling them at all! (strange…)
Kissables, in my opinion, had too thick a shell and were poor substitutes. At Easter time, they sell a candy coated oval egg shaped option that is definitely the Hershey-ete ingredients , but because it’s bigger, it’s a more chocolate than I prefer.
Given the few choices, I buy enough canes during the holiday season to last a few months…and then wait another 9 months to start the cycle all over again.
I got Hershey’s Ets in a cane in my stocking this year (2010), so they’re still around. But I do not like them as well as M&M’s. They’re *too* sweet for me.
You can buy bags of Hershey-ets online at Hersheystore.com if you aren’t near Hershey Chocolate World. It is over a pound for $5.95 but shipping is expensive.
A Hershey rep told me I could get Hershey-ets at Dollar General. I stopped and they had no idea what I was talking about. Go online and I find they no longer make Hershey-ets; however, they is a product call ‘Kissables’. Tried Hershey’s Catalog to no avail. Loved the eggs at Easter. Guess I have to wait for Christmas.
i would like to inform everyone who is an “ets” fan, i was at Hershey Park yesterday, 22 Sept and at the factory, i brought myself 2 pounds of Hershey-ets. Love them. Christmas is a big thing waiting and drooling for the ets candy canes. in the younger years, ets came in one pound bags, and also the pocket size bags. awesome, that i am stuffing my face with them now.
I remember ETS when I was a kid…and YES, they were sold in bags like M&M’s. I always loved them, thick shell and all…much better than M&M’s!! Bring back bags of Hershey-ets!!! Plastic candy-cane version doesn’t cut it!!
We used to buy them at the candy counter(bulk form) by the pound. Are they still being made anywhere? I’m in Canada.