I am not a big fan of modern stamps. I try not to focus on anything past 1960 although my collection is starting to accumulate stamps past it. I don’t really go for the stamps who promote things like movies or celebrities but a stamp is a stamp and sometimes there’s a story to tell.

Back in 1981 when E.T. was in production the screenwriter, Melissa Mathison, wrote that M&Ms, then one of the most popular candies was also to be one of E.T.’s favorites.

The management disagreed saying “We don’t want an alien eating our candy” an “It might frighten kids”. They turned them down.

Still looking for a product placement substitute they turned to Hershey and specifically to Reese’s Pieces. Hersey paid nothing for product placement and agreed to cross promote the movie in their advertising for $1 million dollars.

E.T. went on to win 4 Academy awards and Reese’s Pieces sales skyrocketed. At the time it was called “The biggest marketing coup in history”.

Embarrassed by their decision, Mars, Inc. would go on to try and outdo it by placing M&Ms on the U.S. Space Shuttle and Spaceship One.