In which year was the candy "Skittles" first made commercially?

"Skittles" are multicolored fruit-flavored button-shaped candies produced and marketed by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, Inc.

"Skittles" consist of hard sugar shells imprinted with the letter 'S', similar to M&M's which have the letter "M". The interior consists mainly of sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid, and natural and artificial flavors.

"Skittles" are sold in a variety of flavor collections, such as Tropical, Wild Berry, Brightside, Dessert, Sweet Heat, Smoothie, and Sour. "Skittles" were first made commercially in 1974 by a British company. An animated television advertisement from that year bears the logo of the "Galaxy" company and is copyrighted by Jack Candies Ltd, a Mars distribution subsidiary. They were first introduced in North America in 1979 as an import confectionery. In 1982, domestic production of "Skittles" began in the United States.

The name of the candy, "Skittles," comes from the sports game of the same name, named as such for the resemblance of the sweet to items used in the game. "Skittles" "taste the rainbow" theme was created by the New York ad agency D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles.