Actress to replace ‘woke’ M&M’s ‘spokescandies’

After conservative outrage over its recent ad campaigns, the confectionery brand owned by Mars Wrigley announces it will take ‘an indefinite pause’ from its mascots.

The M&M’s spokescandies.

Pour one out for the M&M’s spokescandies.

After conservative outrage over its recent advertising campaigns, the confectionery brand owned by Mars Wrigley, announced it would take “an indefinite pause” from its mascots, with comedian Maya Rudolph stepping in as the new face of the brand.

Maya Rudolph, the new face of M&M’s. Picture: Getty Images

The anthropomorphic sweets, which have featured in M&M’s ads since 1954, and gone through multiple evolutions, underwent a makeover last year that hit a nerve amongst some right-wing commentators.

With the makeover, Mars showed mercy to the achilles of both the Green and Brown M&M’s; with Green trading in white go-go boots for sneakers, and Brown ditching backbreaking stilettos for a more forgiving block heel. The company also got rid of the characters’ “Mr.” and “Mrs.” titles, and introduced new player Purple M&M to represent “acceptance and inclusivity”.

The green M&M looking less fly in sneakers, left, than gogo boots.

In a statement announcing the mascots’ retirement, the company wrote: “In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. We definitely didn’t think it would break the internet.”

The thing is, people did notice.

The makeover didn’t fly with Tucker Carlson, who decried the “woke” new M&M’s “less sexy” and “deeply unappealing”.

“Woke M&M’s have returned,” Carlson said in a segment on his Fox News show that aired last year, after the first M&M’s revamp. “M&M’s will not be satisfied until every last cartoon character is deeply unappealing and totally androgynous, until the moment you wouldn’t want to have a drink with any one of them.

“That’s the goal. When you’re totally turned off, we’ve achieved equity. They’ve won.”

Tucker: M&M’s will not be satisfied until every last cartoon character is deeply unappealing and totally androgynous. Until the moment you wouldn’t want to have a drink with any one of them. That’s the goal. When you’re totally turned off, we’ve achieved equity… pic.twitter.com/rz7VtVCHWu

— Acyn (@Acyn) January 22, 2022

In the statement, the company acknowledged that “even a candy’s shoes can be polarising” and that “this division is the last thing M&M’s wanted since we’re all about bringing people together.

To resolve tensions, it announced a new “spokesman America can agree on: the beloved Maya Rudolph.”

“We are confident Ms. Rudolph will champion the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels they belong,” the company said.

Rudolph will star in a new M&M’s ad debuting during the Super Bowl on February 12.