M&M'S® Peanut Chocolate Candies Thrill Fans At 25th Annual Peach Drop In Atlanta With All-Star Performances And 'One' Sweet Surprise

ATLANTA, Jan. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The 25^th Annual Peach Drop Powered By M&M'S® Peanut Chocolate Candies was one, big, nutty celebration. M&M'S Peanut rang in the "Year of Peanut" in Atlanta, Ga. – the official Peanut State – by ending the brand's month-long search for the "The One" with an awe-inspiring reveal shortly after midnight. Following the traditional "Peach Drop" that sees an 800-pound illuminated peach descend down a 138-foot tower, a giant 18-foot M&M'S Peanut lentil at the top opened to reveal Yellow, a beloved character, who was deemed to be the one "lucky peanut" that has been sought-after in the recent online content series "Search for The One."

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140101/CG39391 )

"Atlanta was the perfect place to launch the 'Year of Peanut,' and it's clear the crowd enjoyed all that M&M'S Peanut did to power this amazing event," said Roy Benin, Chief Consumer Officer, Mars Chocolate North America. "This event perfectly captured our passion for peanuts – in fact only 1 in 100 peanuts is lucky enough to find its way into a bag of M&M'S Peanut."

With more than 100,000 in attendance, the brand wowed the crowd with peanutty flare. Acclaimed R&B songstress and Atlanta native Janelle Monae pumped up the crowd with her energizing headlining performance. And actor and comedian David Koechner reminisced about his role as "The Peanutty Professor," an eccentric explorer who spent his life searching for the perfect peanut, in the M&M'S Peanut online content series, "The Search for the One."  The culmination of Koechner's "Search for The One" led him to Atlanta where Yellow is revealed as "The One."

New Year's Eve 2014 marked the official launch of M&M'S "Year of Peanut," an innovative, year-long integrated marketing campaign to celebrate M&M'S Peanut – one of America's favorite candies since 1954.

To see the reveal moment or find more information about M&M'S Peanut, visit www.facebook.com/mms. To learn more about the 25^th Annual Peach Drop Powered by M&M'S® Peanut visit www.peachdrop.com.  Peach Drop is an Underground Atlanta signature event.

About Mars Chocolate North America

Mars Chocolate North America is the North American chocolate operations of Mars, Incorporated.  In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company.  In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of  building a business based on the objective of creating a "mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders" – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 72,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, KITEKAT®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital, NUTRO®, SHEBA®, DREAMIES® and CESAR®; Chocolate – M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints.  Food –UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA ^® Coffee Roasters coffee,  THE BRIGHT TEA CO.^® tea, DOVE^®/GALAXY^® Hot Chocolate, and FLAVIA^® brewer; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA™, WISDOM PANEL™ and SERAMIS®. 

For more information, please visit www.mars.com.  Follow us: facebook.com/mars, twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars.

About Peach Drop

The 25^th annual Peach Drop powered by M&M'S Peanut is the Largest New Year's Eve Celebration in the Southeast, is a 16-hour event with a full day of family fun and an evening of top-notch entertainment!  Beginning at 11 a.m., Underground Atlanta will be filled with carnival-style rides, live music, face painting, street performers and festival food. As 2014 nears, the main stage will light up with live performances and the 800-pound Peach will begin its decent just before the clock strikes midnight.   The party will continue in Kenny's Alley until 4 a.m.!  Packed full of excitement, the Peach Drop is Atlanta's favorite way of ringing in the New Year!

About Underground Atlanta

A festival marketplace located in the heart of the downtown, Underground Atlanta is one of the city's favorite attractions and a cultural hub. Opened in 1969 as a "city beneath the streets," Underground Atlanta still exhibits many of the significant architectural features from its original structure. Visitors can pick up a self-guided History tour brochure at the information booth and discover the history firsthand. Explore six city blocks, 12 acres and three levels of 225,000 square feet of shopping, restaurants and entertainment at Underground Atlanta, a destination with more than 100 years of history. Visit on Wednesdays at lunchtime for a selection of Atlanta's most delicious food trucks lining the street or stop by the world's first Pac-Man Play Arcade. Underground Atlanta offers a year-round calendar of cultural, entertainment, community and family programming with its signature events being Peach Drop on New Year's Eve and Heritage Arts Festival in July. For more information, visit www.underground-atlanta.com or call 404-523-2311.

SOURCE Mars Chocolate North America