The Juicy Secrets Behind the Controversial Green and Brown M&M's!

Summary

The introduction of a minor alteration to the appearance of the Green and Brown M&M's mascots sparked controversy, with conservatives expressing criticism that the change was excessively "woke," while feminists argued it fell short in its attempt at promoting inclusivity.

A petition demanding the reinstatement of the original designs gained more than 20 thousand signatures and served as ammunition for conservative pundits in their opposition to woke culture. Despite initially replacing the mascots with Maya Rudolph, M&M's faced widespread criticism and ridicule, prompting the return of the spokescandies in a highly publicized Super Bowl commercial in 202X.

Mars' management of the situation received negative feedback.

The Green and Brown M&M's characters, despite appearing harmless, sparked significant controversy and criticism. Mars, the parent company, has used mascot characters to promote the product since the 1950s. However, the current "spokescandies" were introduced in the 1990s and quickly became popular. These CGI animated candies have distinct personalities and are inspired by the different colors of M&M candies. By the early 2000s, the lineup expanded to include almost every color, contributing to Mars' sales growth.

Perhaps one of the most successful food mascot campaigns of all time, the spokescandies have featured an impressive lineup of talented voices including John Goodman, Jon Lovitz, and J.K. Simmons. For nearly 30 years, Billy West has lent his voice to the Red M&M's mascot, serving as the key link that has bonded the entire advertising campaign throughout the decades. Despite minor alterations to the playful spokescandies since the '90s, a seemingly insignificant modification to the Green and Brown M&M's mascot sparked a widespread backlash.

There Was Conservative Backlash Over Green And Brown M&M's New Footwear

In the past, the Green and Brown M&M's mascots were the only female-presenting characters in the lineup. Initially, their character designs featured Green wearing knee-high heeled boots and Brown sporting tall high heels. However, to ensure inclusivity, Green's boots were replaced with practical flats, and Brown was given a more manageable heel. This decision sparked outrage from conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, who expressed disappointment that the green M&M was no longer seen as "sexy" (via Salon). Although this may have been blown out of proportion by the constant 24-hour Fox News content cycle, it had tangible consequences in the real world.

Some critics, particularly feminists, expressed their disapproval of the change as an insufficient attempt at inclusivity, as reported by The Independent. However, the majority of the backlash originated from the conservative side, who criticized the change for being overly conscious of social issues. Whether done sincerely or in jest, a significant petition was launched on Change.org, urging Mars to revert back to Green's original design. Surprisingly, this petition garnered more than 20 thousand signatures. While the mentioned petition had a touch of absurdity, conservative pundits seized upon it, exploiting it as evidence for their argument against woke culture. In response, Mars introduced an all-female spokescandies lineup, but their efforts were overwhelmingly rejected.

M&M's Replaced The Spokescandies With Maya Rudolph

After the controversy in 2022, M&M's decided to retire their mascots and instead, enlisted Maya Rudolph as their sole spokesperson. The intention behind the peculiar ads was to divert attention from the backlash faced by the spokescandies due to conservative criticism. However, Mars' choice was universally scorned, leading to a significant Super Bowl commercial where Maya Rudolph attempted to eliminate the candies, forming a narrative arc. Ultimately, the spokescandies made a comeback in 2023, seemingly weathering the conservative backlash, although Mars suffered a tarnished image in the process.