A surprise announcement by Mars Inc. that it’s suspending “spokescandies” — talking M&M’s that star in the brand’s advertisements — is sparking speculation over whether it’s a reaction to conservative furor or a cheeky set-up for a Super Bowl ad.
(Bloomberg) — A surprise announcement by Mars Inc. that it’s suspending “spokescandies” — talking M&M’s that star in the brand’s advertisements — is sparking speculation over whether it’s a reaction to conservative furor or a cheeky set-up for a Super Bowl ad.
Changes to the talking M&M’s early last year aimed at making them more inclusive prompted some conservatives, including Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson, to criticize the brand for being “woke.” The brouhaha — which played out largely on social media — soon faded.
So Mars’ apparent decision to pull its mascots, only to replace them with comedian, former Saturday Night Live star and liberal darling Maya Rudolph, has ignited an online debate over the company’s intentions. Whatever the motives, the buzz will likely be welcomed by the brand in the run up to the Super Bowl on Fed. 12, when it’s set to air an ad.
A Dec. 22 press release announcing the promo included an image featuring the silhouettes of the anthropomorphic M&M’s. On Monday, M&M’s said in a tweet it wasn’t sure “if anyone would even notice” the changes to the characters made last year. “And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. But now we get it — even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing.”
The shoes were a reference to the green M&M, a female character, switching to sneakers from high-heeled boots as part of the 2022 changes. Recently, M&M’s released new packaging that featured all female characters for the first time.
The talking M&M’s were featured on the brand’s Instagram page as recently as a day ago in a celebration of the Lunar New Year.
Rudolph, star of the 2011 hit comedy Bridesmaids and more-recent TV show Loot, will get the honorific title “Chief of Fun,” Today.com cited an M&M spokesperson as saying. She’ll help “create a world where everyone feels they belong,” the spokesperson told the website.
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