M&M’s ‘spokescandies’ controversy, defined – Polygon

After a whirlwind of bulletins, after which backtracking on these bulletins, it seems the M&M’s ‘spokescandies’ mascots are right here to remain in any case.

On Friday, a spokesperson from Mars Wrigley confirmed to the New York Instances that the sweet characters could be returning in an advert for the upcoming Tremendous Bowl. The information comes after the corporate stated, on Monday, that it might be pulling the characters from branding “indefinitely” and changing the characters with the comic Maya Rudolph.

The model stunt takes benefit of the publicity from an older controversy. A few 12 months in the past, Mars Wrigley rebranded a few of its M&M characters to be extra inclusive, together with a redesign of the inexperienced M&M that changed her high-heeled boots with sneakers. Far-right conservative pundit and Fox Information host Tucker Carlson condemned the change, at the moment. And only a week in the past Carlson talked about it once more, launching the M&M controversy again into the highlight.

It’s a protracted and mangled story. Right here’s how we received right here.

What’s the M&M’s ‘spokescandies’ controversy?

Roughly a 12 months in the past, Mars Wrigley up to date the look of its M&M’s characters, saying an initiative to make the mascots match a “extra dynamic, progressive world.” As a part of these modifications, the corporate launched new designs of a few of M&M’s characters and wrote weirdly elaborate backstories for others. Most notably, the corporate made the inexperienced M&M much less “horny” by shortening her legs and changing her high-heeled boots with sneakers.

On the time, the change prompted criticism from feminist activists — being scorching isn’t an issue unto itself — in addition to far-right conservatives, who solid it as one other battle within the tradition wars. In January 2022, Tucker Carlson criticized the rebrand throughout a phase on Tucker Carlson Tonight.

Carlson revisited the subject on his present extra lately, and ended up reigniting the dialog round it. “Woke M&M’s have returned,” Carlson stated. “The inexperienced M&M received her boots again, however apparently is now a lesbian perhaps? And there may be additionally a plus-sized, overweight purple M&M.”

Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Photographs

We don’t know why Carlson determined to speak about M&M’s once more. Mars Wrigley had not made any current modifications to the M&M characters. On his present, Carlson used two photos as a reference to critique the brand new branding. The primary was an image of the brown and green M&M’s from 2015 and the opposite was of the purple M&M, who was launched in September 2022. None of this was new info. Nevertheless, Mars Wrigley did announce that the model would make an look throughout the upcoming Tremendous Bowl.

After Carlson talked concerning the characters once more, customers on TikTok started utilizing the audio clip of his voice to make comical movies the place folks lip synced to it and imagined what it was prefer to be within the studio that day. One audio clip alone has been used greater than 13,000 instances because it was revealed on Jan. 12; lots of the TikToks utilizing the audio have been posted and considered extensively final weekend.

Why did the M&M’s ‘spokescandies’ go away?

On Monday, the corporate introduced that it might be pulling the ‘spokescandies’ indefinitely and changing them with actress and comic Maya Rudolph. The statement, tweeted from the official M&M’s account, reads, in part:

Within the final 12 months, we’ve made some modifications to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t certain if anybody would even discover. And we undoubtedly didn’t suppose it might break the web. However now we get it — even a sweet’s sneakers will be polarizing.

Rudolph expressed optimism concerning the model deal to Right this moment, saying, “I’m a lifelong lover of the sweet and I really feel prefer it’s such an honor to be requested to be a part of such a legendary model’s marketing campaign.”

On the time, it was laborious to say if the social media shitstorm following Carlson’s feedback prompted Mars Wrigley to cease utilizing the mascots. It was attainable that it may very well be an odd advertising and marketing ploy main as much as the Tremendous Bowl, just like how Planters killed Mr. Peanut and changed him with Child Nut. Now we all know that it was certainly an enormous troll. On Friday — simply 5 days after Mars Wrigley introduced it was pulling the sweet mascots — the New York Instances confirmed that the candies would return for the Tremendous Bowl, and have been right here to remain.

“Relaxation assured, the characters are our official long-term spokescandies,” Mars Wrigley wrote in an announcement to the New York Instances, earlier than saying that the candies are merely at present on a break.

When Mars Wrigley initially stated it was pulling the sweet mascots, it prompted everybody and their mother to touch upon it. Customers on Twitter quote-tweeted the unique announcement over 22,600 instances. The change turned the standout information of the day, and now we all know it was all to drum up hype for a Tremendous Bowl advert. So subsequent time somebody asks who “received” the “tradition wars,” you’ll be able to say with confidence that the Mars Wrigley press relations workforce did.

Replace (Jan. 27): Mars Wrigley confirmed to the New York Instances that M&M’s ‘spokescandies’ mascots could be returning for the Tremendous Bowl, and that they might stay model representatives long-term. This story has been up to date to replicate that new info.