In 1982 Paul Hethmon, engineering freshman from Union City (BS 1985) formed the Society for the Restoration of Red M&Ms. Four years, five thousand written responses, and five hundred society members later, red M&Ms were restored by M&M/Mars. Red M&M’s were purged in 1976 after the US Food and Drug Administration banned Red Dye No. 2 as a possible carcinogen. Although the dye was not used in the M&Ms, the company avoided confusion by eliminating the bright red pieces from its packages.
Lifetime membership in the society was available for 99 cents, and included five sheets of official letterhead stationery, five official envelopes, and an official, wallet-sized membership card, signed by Hethmon. In 1983 he invested $100 in stationery and began mailing a newsletter offering membership in the society for $2.97, which bought a membership card and newsletter. The Daily Beacon ran an article about the society, which was picked up by a national university newsletter, and Seventeen Magazine picked up the story from them. By September 1983, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today had articles, and mail came to Hethmon from all over the world.
M&M/Mars provided coupons to the society and wrote Hethmon a personal letter when they restored red M&Ms to packages. A party celebrating the return of the red M&M was held on February 13, 1987, at the Falafel Hut on Fifteenth Street.