This Classic '80s Movie Made One Retro Candy Popular

Movies have always provided brands the opportunity for product placement, and in the 1980s, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" became a full-length commercial for an orange, yellow, and brown candy that is still beloved today: Reese's Pieces. When Steven Spielberg's iconic movie about a boy who befriended an alien premiered in 1982, Hershey's Reese's Pieces had only been around since 1978. 

"E.T." put this relatively new candy on the map. The bite-sized peanut butter candies were created to capitalize on the popularity of the chocolate peanut butter cups known as Reese's, a candy that is still the most sought-after Halloween confection. But "E.T." made its spinoff a contender. In fact, research on product placement in films showed how sales of this candy increased by 65% in just two weeks after the movie opened – tripling the candy's sales. Reese's Pieces quickly became known as "E.T.'s favorite candy," but this confection was not Spielberg's first choice.

The candy that almost ended up in "E.T.," but didn't, was a different button-shaped candy. Many may not know that M&M's candy was the director's first choice for the movie.  As the story goes, Spielberg went to Mars, Inc., to ask permission to use his favorite colorful candy pieces; however, because the company wanted to see the script first and Spielberg didn't want to share, Mars wouldn't play ball. 

That opened the door for Hershey, who walked right on through, and allowed the producer and movie maker to use Reese's Pieces, his second favorite candy. Spielberg told Entertainment Tonight, "In a way, Reese's Pieces was relatively new in '82. We sort of helped each other." Reese's Pieces were originally called PB, but that name didn't stick. The candy with a crunchy shell deserved a catchier name, which is how it got the beloved moniker it carries today. 

Unlike modern marketing deals, the manufacturer of Reese's Pieces didn't have to pay for its product to be featured in "E.T." Instead, Hershey agreed to promote the movie in its ads. Product placement hasn't been the same since, and neither has Reese's Pieces candy. While for years, the peanut butter formula remained the same, makers recently began removing the dextrose and milk from their recipe, transforming this candy into a dairy-free treat that's still worth phoning home.