M&M's, the beloved chocolate candy brand owned by Mars Wrigley, recently announced that it was taking an “indefinite pause” in using its iconic spokescandies in its advertising following criticisms from certain members of the media. Most notably, Fox News host Tucker Carlson criticized the changes to the appearances of the spokescandies during a recent segment. Carlson stated that M&M's seemed as though they would not be satisfied until every last cartoon character was "deeply unappealing and totally androgynous".
He went on to remark how the green M&M had regained her boots, but appeared to have taken on an entirely different appearance than before, one which he implied made her appear to be a lesbian. He also commented on a purple M&M who seemed to have adopted a plus size or obese figure.
These actions have been met with much criticism from fans of the brand who have expressed their displeasure with what they consider to be drastic changes to beloved cartoon characters. Further, many have argued that such decisions are representative of another case of companies attempting to appease woke culture at the expense of consumer loyalty and ultimately losing out financially in the process. As such, there is no clear indication as to when or if Mars Wrigley will continue using its spokescandies in advertisements moving forward, leaving consumers disappointed and uncertain about the future of their favorite characters.
In response to Carlson's statements, as well as the attention they received online, M&M's released a statement expressing their views saying they had taken an indefinite pause from using the spokescandies due to potential political polarization. The tweet instead introduced Maya Rudolph as the new spokesperson who would represent them and champion the power of fun for everyone to feel like they belong.
The internet reacted with various emotions. Some found it hilarious while others could not comprehend why this was even an issue in the first place. Radio host Jason Rantz suggested their sales must have dipped after going 'woke' and therefore did not want to admit it openly. Political commentator Tatjana Pasalic jokingly begged Elon Musk for a parody or real button whilst journalist Ian Miles Cheong stated nobody cared about their spokescandies. The sentiment seemed unanimous that this entire incident was unnecessary with Tom Elliott from Grabien News suggesting firing of the department responsible for it in order to benefit shareholders better.
Even rival candy company Skittles got involved in the fun by sending out thoughts to all our beloved spokescandies who were put on indefinite hiatus due to polarization fears over their portrayal and design changes.
Our thoughts go out to the spokescandies https://t.co/ub8iPHCq5d
— SKITTLES (@Skittles) January 23, 2023