SRS -- your market has it partly right (at least according to my apple bible: Apples for the 21st Century, by Warren Manhart (1995)):
Honeycrisp is a cross between Honeygold and Macoun. Honeygold is a cross between Golden Delicious and Haralson (another Minnesota apple). Macoun is a cross between McIntosh and Jersey Black. . . so two of Honeycrisp's grandparents are Golden Delicious and McIntosh. And it is patented by the U of Minnesota (US plant patent #7197).

michael