3 Musketeers (chocolate bar)

3 Musketeers is a chocolate bar made in the United States and Canada by Mars, Incorporated. It is a candy bar consisting of chocolate-covered, fluffy, whipped nougat. It is a lighter chocolate bar similar to the global Milky Way bar and similar to the American version Milky Way bar only smaller and without the caramel topping. The 3 Musketeers Bar was the third brand produced and manufactured by M&M/Mars, introduced in 1932. Originally, it had three pieces in one package, flavored chocolate, strawberry and vanilla; hence the name, which was derived from the 1844 novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Rising costs and wartime restrictions on sugar saw the phasing out of the vanilla and strawberry pieces to leave only the more popular chocolate. Costing five cents when it was introduced, it was marketed as one of the largest chocolate bars available, one that could be shared by friends. To mark the 75th anniversary of the introduction of the candy bar, Mars introduced 3 Musketeers Mint, the first brand extension, in August 2007. Also in 2007, Mars produced a limited-edition "Autumn Minis Mix" 3 Musketeers. It featured French Vanilla, Mocha Cappuccino and Strawberry. This was followed by Cherry 3 Musketeers for 2008, and Raspberry 3 Musketeers and Orange 3 Musketeers for Easter 2008. Orange was coated in milk chocolate, while the cherry and raspberry were coated with dark chocolate. In 2019, Mars released their latest flavor, the 3 Musketeers Birthday Cake. It comes in two sizes: the Share Size bar () and Miniatures Stand Up Pouch (). The candy is made of a whipped mousse covered with milk chocolate. The nougat chocolate center is first formed into very large slabs, which are cut to size, and after the centers are formed they are coated with milk chocolate through a process called "enrobing" wherein the centers pass through a continuous flowing vertical "sheet" of chocolate while, at the same time, a rotating, chocolate-covered wheel beneath the mesh belt coats the base of the bar. The bar is then cooled and prepared for wrapping.