Legend holds that M&M’s were the original choice to be included in the movie E.T., and this is one of those odd situations where the legend is actually 100% true.

Amblin Entertainment first asked Mars, Inc. if they would do a film tie-in with M&M’s, but they turned down the offer. When Amblin approached Hershey instead, they jumped at the chance to join forces, and the rest is history. Reese’s Pieces became the “star candy”, and sales skyrocketed shortly after the film’s premiere – a reported 65% increase in sales. Ahh, the effectiveness of product placement.

Here’s the famous Reese’s clip from the movie, as well as a few of the resulting promotional items from the 1980’s for the nostalgic folks among you:

Promotional collector’s sticker

Promotional poster

The Reese’s product placement was so successful, even other brands tried to capitalize on it. Enter E.T. cereal, with the flavors of Reese’s, but not the brand name.

E.T. Cereal