Mars Candy is dropping M&M’s “spokescandies” in favor of Maya Rudolph.
On Monday (Jan. 23), the official Twitter account for the chocolate brand released a statement speaking to their decision amid recent right-wing controversies regarding their candy characters’ identities and appearances.
In addition, the brand referenced their choice to update their mascots in 2022, granting the characters who have existed since 1960 new inclusive lore representing their diverse consumers.
“In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies,” the company’s statement began. “We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. Now we get it — even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing. Which was the last thing M&M’s wanted since we’re all about bringing people together. Therefore, we have decided to take an indefinite pause on the spokescandies.”
The statement added that the comedian would take over the reins as the official spokesperson. The company called the move something “America could agree on.”
The actress responded to the reveal on NBC’s TODAY and shared her excitement about her new role. Rudolph also mentioned she would be taking over as the new face of the candy just before the upcoming Super Bowl advertising event. “I am a lifelong lover of the candy, and I feel like it’s such an honor to be asked to be part of such a legendary brand’s campaign,” she said.
In early 2022, the candy’s marketing team unleashed a rebranding where each mascot would “[create] a world where everyone feels they belong.” The new rebrand saw the green M&M changed, swapping out her knee-high heeled boots for casual sneakers. Another switch found the orange candy being marketed as having anxiety and the purple M&M added to represent the idea of inclusion.
Fox News’ right-wing host Tucker Carlson claimed the rebrand was a part of the liberal agenda and labeled the changes as dangerous. Carlson dedicated an entire segment to the colorful candies, remarking that “the woke M&M’s are back.”
Nick Adams, a conservative personality and pundit, echoed Carlson’s sentiments in a tweet. “Every American with half a brain should be outraged by M&M’s going woke,” he wrote. “This is no laughing matter, it’s a legitimate crisis. Manhood is under attack like no other time in world history.”
