Move over, Yellow, Red and Green: Maya Rudolph is replacing the iconic M&M’s “spokescandies” after the candy-coated chocolates brand inadvertently sparked backlash last year by changing its green mascot’s high-heeled boots to “polarizing” sneakers.
The pivot comes ahead of the candy’s Feb. 12 Super Bowl LVII commercial and capitalizes on the surprising culture war from early last year. That’s when the story made its way to Fox News, where opinion host Tucker Carlson harangued M&M’s parent company Mars Inc. for its “wokeness” after it updated Green’s “sexy” footwear and rebranded its other colorful characters to be more inclusive and diverse.
The Mars Wrigley candy, established in 1941, on Monday embraced the controversy anew and turned the old viral debate into a strategically timed marketing opportunity. Recognizing that its overhaul managed to “break the internet,” the company said it had “decided to take an indefinite pause from the spokescandies.” Instead it chose “a spokesperson America can agree on” — the “beloved” Rudolph — to take their place.
