What Is the Monster Energy Logo?
The Monster Energy logo is a bright green letter M made of three jagged strokes on black, drawn so it looks like a monster's claws ripping through the can. Monster Energy is the energy drink that Hansen Natural launched in April 2002; the company, based in Corona, California, changed its name to Monster Beverage Corporation in 2012.
The claw M usually appears with the Monster name, and the pair is available as the Monster Energy logo SVG.
Monster Energy Logo Facts
| Designer | McLean Design |
| Introduced | 2002 |
| Symbol | A green M formed by three claw marks |
| Logo type | Combination mark: the claw M and the Monster name |
| Owner | Monster Beverage Corporation |
What the Monster Energy Logo Means
The claw M was built to look dangerous. In 2001 Hansen Beverage Co. asked McLean Design, a California branding firm, to rebrand an energy drink so it could compete more forcefully with Red Bull. McLean described the goal as creating "a new aggressive brand for an untapped aggressive consumer", and the torn, clawed letter does that job on a black can.
McLean also wrote that it set out to make a brand deliberately short on fixed meaning, so that its early fans could fill in the significance for themselves. The slogan "Unleash the Beast", which Monster uses as a trademark, carries the same idea into words.
Monster Energy Logo History
Hansen launched Monster Energy in April 2002 with the claw M on the can from the start. In January 2012 the company's stockholders voted to rename Hansen Natural Corporation as Monster Beverage Corporation, and the shares began trading under the symbol MNST that month.
The mark has also been the subject of a long-running rumour. Online posts claim the three strokes are the Hebrew letter vav repeated, and so spell 666. PolitiFact rated the claim "Pants on Fire" in 2023, noting that 666 in Hebrew is written with four different letters (tav, resh, samech, vav) and that a rabbi called three vavs meaningless. A Monster spokesman told The Washington Post in 2018 that the "devil theory" was fabricated.
Monster has defended the claw idea in court too. From 2015 to 2019 it opposed the Toronto Raptors' application to register a logo showing a basketball with three diagonal claw gashes; the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board dismissed Monster's claim.
Monster Energy and Red Bull
The claw M exists because of Red Bull. McLean's brief was to carve a real share out of a market Red Bull dominated, and Monster answered the Austrian brand's two charging bulls (compare the Red Bull logo) with something rawer. On race tracks Monster sponsored the Mercedes Formula One team from 2010 to 2023, moved to McLaren from 2024, and has been the main sponsor of Yamaha's MotoGP team since 2019 (see the Yamaha logo).
For more brands like Monster Energy, browse our food and drink logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed the Monster Energy logo?
McLean Design, a California branding firm that Hansen Beverage Co. hired in 2001 to create a brand able to take on Red Bull.
What does the M in the Monster logo represent?
It is the M of Monster, drawn as three claw marks so it looks as if a monster has torn through the can.
Does the Monster Energy logo mean 666?
No. PolitiFact rated the claim "Pants on Fire" in 2023, because 666 in Hebrew is written with four different letters, not three vavs.
When did the Monster Energy logo first appear?
With the launch of the drink in April 2002.