For months now, Fox News, Tucker Carlson and the “anti-woke activists” have been very upset about… M&Ms. The candy. Specifically, M&M’s corporate “spokescandies,” the anthropomorphized M&Ms with individual personalities, the candies who appear in the print and television ads. As we were discussing one year ago, Mars did a makeover on the “lentils” and they specified that they were trying to make the anthropomorphized M&Ms more “inclusive.” Buh-bye trampy green M&M with her go-go boots. Green M&M got sensible sneakers and some of the M&Ms were slimmer or something. I don’t know. The point is, Fox News made this into yet another massive culture war. I swear, just last week, I saw a clip of Tucker Carlson frothing at the mouth about the M&Ms again!!! In any case, it looks like Mars was worried about the year-long Fox News backlash, so they made another change:
A message from M&M'S. pic.twitter.com/EMucEBTd9o
— M&M'S (@mmschocolate) January 23, 2023
What’s bizarre is… well, everything, but specifically – no one really had a problem with Green’s go-go boots in the first place!! We were like “yay, there’s the sexy green M&M, get yours!” Conservatives and liberals were actually on the same page of “why are you trying to de-sexify Green?” The difference was, liberals made some jokes and they moved on because, again, these are motherf–king M&Ms. It was the Fox News side of things that turned this into a culture war.
Now, do I feel sorry for Mars? Not really. This was stupid decision-making from start to finish, and abandoning their spokescandies will be seen as a victory for the lunatic right-wing. You can’t apply a Maya Rudolph band-aid to the larger problem. Although I do like Maya.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
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- Maya Rudolph at the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673567256, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 17: Maya Rudolph attends the Los Angeles premiere for the Peacock original series “Poker Face” at Hollywood Legion Theater on January 17, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 750391299, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Maya Rudolph, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
Sometimes, I think about the fact that I happened to be watching the exact show during the moment that a woman’s provocative comment about finding the green M&Ms arousing got the whole audience cracking up and what all of that has become and I laugh and laugh like the aged hag that I am.
Thank you, Yup, Me, I really needed the belly laff your “aged hag” gave me this blustery morning! I would be proud to throw myself into the “aged hag” pool with you. Sometimes it is exactly how I like to think of myself! A badge of honour, to be sure.
MR take the money and run! I had no idea M&Ms were still doing ads.
I figure chocolate doesn’t need ads to sell. 👍
I suppose it has a big ad planned for Superbowl.
this is so dumb – and why would you want your name attached to this mess, Maya?
Seeing Maya’s picture sent me to YouTube and the documentary “Unsung” about her mama, Minnie Ripperton. I was in high school when “Loving You” came out & hearing her again took me back. She left us way too early. If you don’t know her music, please give her a listen. Before there was Mariah, there was Minnie.
I like Maya too. Still, this is a big change for the brand; a live person instead of cartoon candies? I kinda don’t think this is going to work.
I’ll miss the purple peanut m&m with tight eyliner and combat boots. 🙁
When would the defilement of ‘woke’ end?
It is imperative that the word is reclaimed by its creators and original users.
The meaning and purpose of ‘woke’ should remain as it was intended.
Despite the callousness of the unimaginative right wingers and their constant, boring performative outrage.
What’s most hilarious about “woke” M&Ms is that Mars is a deeply secretive family owned, kinda weird company and undoubtedly deeply right wing.
JFC. Aside from everything about this being completely insane, who even watches commercials anymore?? Ever since I’ve had a DVR I never even see them.
I was just going to ask this. The only time I see a commercial is when I watch football with my mother, and you don’t see M&M ads there.
People who watch sports apparently. Every time my son mentions something from a commercial and I ask where he saw one, it’s at my ex’s watching sports.
This whole thing is dumb, it’s cartoon candies
I really hate this whole “women in sneakers” sh**. Especially in fashion, the models wear classy clothes, and then sneakers.
It looks awful to me. But most of all, it misses the point insanely.
I am a liberated and independent woman, high in my career, and I wear stilettos to the office and I love it cos I love me. Its not about the shoes, ok. Wearing chunky sneakers is not liberation any more than boots or stilettos are– when meanwhile, the country is making abortion illegal and women are not paid equally for working harder.
Sure, its the boots on a cartoon or on fashion images. Sure, a woman wearing sneakers fixes everything. Sure, that means we’re strong and free now.
Sure.
I feel this in my soul. Thank you for saying it so eloquently. The rage that TFG DJT and Me Too brought to a boil has been kept there by Roe v. Wade falling and performative outrage and just…everything. I love being a woman, but I sometimes hate it, too.
I guess….. … its easy to fix an issue with the design of animated spokescandies. That’s just monkeys singing songs, mate (to quote Bluey). I’m not sure what my takeaway from this action is supposed to be? That even Mars, a massive company that doesn’t really ‘need’ politicians, will bow out to absolutely stupid and ridiculous outrage if you scream enough about it?
I personally would have said “Hold my beer” and made a single M&M spokes candy that was all the colors. A rainbow M&M.
The people who were mad about the spokescandies are still gonna be mad because the replacement isn’t a white man. I mean, that’s why they threw a fit about those Cheerios ads a few years back.
Good point.
Its freaking candy and not even good candy.Nancy
I’m sad about this. Jk Simmons and Vanessa Williams were 2 big names for M&M’s and were successful for a long time. I loved them as the voice of spoke candles and so did everyone else because they have been doing it for the longest time.