M&M's are saying goodbye to their colorful, though somehow controversial, mascots in favour of a new spokesperson.
Recently, the chocolate brand have been giving their lovable little spokescandies slight makeovers in an attempt to match a 'more progressive world'.
There was the replacement of the green M&M's 'sexy' go-go boots for 'cool, laid-back sneakers', the introduction of the green M&M and the brown M&M's same-sex relationship, and most recently, an 'all-female' pack of candies to celebrate International Women's Day.
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All of these changes, in the grand scheme of things, were completely harmless and all done in good faith, but M&Ms got a lot more backlash than they had bargained for.
That's why the candy company are putting their iconic spokescandies on indefinite leave, with a new mascot - who they hope will be less controversial - ready to go.
That mascot is none other than comedian and actor Maya Rudolph.
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You'll know Maya, 50, from her stint on Saturday Night Live, her starring role in Bridesmaids alongside Kristin Wiig, and her vocal performance as Connie the Hormone Monstress in Big Mouth.
Commenting on her latest role as the first human spokesperson for M&M's, she said: "I’m thrilled to be working with M&M’s.
"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.
"It’s a very fun pairing, if I do say so myself.
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"I think little Maya would be thrilled to get to work with M&M’s.”
M&M's have also commented on the delicious pairing, explaining to customers: "In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies.
"We weren’t sure if anyone would notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet.
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"But 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 decided to take an indefinite pause from the spokescandies.
"In their place, we are proud to announce a spokesperson 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."
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Does anyone else sense the faintest bit of sarcasm in there?
Maya make her mascot debut in the M&M's Super Bowl LVII ad this February.
And I have a sneaking suspicion that this Maya advert might just be M&M's greatest PR stunt yet.
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"Mars has delivered some of the most buzz-worthy Super Bowl moments over the years, and we’re inspired by the M&M’s brand being back in the mix in a new way for 2023," said Mars’ chief marketing officer Gabrielle Wesley in a statement.
It's been a weird year for M&M, whether it was upsetting so-called 'alpha-males' with their celebration of women, or unintentionally making Fox News host Tucker Carlson lose his mind over the lady M&Ms getting 'less sexy'.
I'm placing my bets now that not everything is as it seems here, and this is about to be M&M's best campaign yet.
Topics: Food and Drink, US News
Ali Condon