M&M’s puts woke spokescandies on ‘indefinite pause’ after backlash: ‘Now we get it’
M&M’s won’t be going woke after all.
After two weeks of ridicule over an “all-female” version of the iconic chocolate pieces and lesbian overtones in new marketing of its female “spokescandies,” M&M’s said “we get it” on Monday.
In a statement posted on Twitter, M&M’s said “America, let’s talk.”
A message from M&M’S. pic.twitter.com/EMucEBTd9o
— M&M’S (@mmschocolate) January 23, 2023
“In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. 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 have decided to take an indefinite pause from the spokescandies,” the company said.
In the now-abandoned marketing campaign, Green and Brown had their femininity toned down in their shoe choices while the new Purple female “spokescandy” was designed to promote inclusivity by, among other things, appearing to be plus-sized and sashaying around a theater singing “I’m Just Gonna Be Me.”
Jane Hwang, global VP at Mars Wrigley, had said consumers would “relate to and appreciate” the reworked spokescandies.
Conservative news outlets and internet commenters neither related to nor appreciated the awokening of the popular chocolate and chocolate-and-peanut candies.
“Green M&M got her boots back, but apparently is now a lesbian, maybe,” said Fox News host Tucker Carlson. His bemused colleague Martha McCallum said “This is the kind of thing that makes China say, like, ‘Oh good. Keep focusing on that.’”
The company’s Monday statement said the company would take a different path in marketing the sweet treats.
“In their place, we are proud to introduce 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,” M&M’s said.
