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In the wake of the controversies surrounding MnM's spokescandies, the chocolate company announced that actor Maya Rudolph will be taking over as the brand's mascot on Monday, January 23, 2023.
Last year, the company did a "mascot refresh," introducing more "inclusive" spokescandies. In response to the backlash against the same, the candy brand now seems to be heading in a different direction.
A tweet from MnM's official profile announced that they would place the colorful mascots on an "indefinite pause," following the "polarizing" backlash. The post also introduced Maya Rudolph as the brand's new spokesperson.
The move came after conservative critics like Fox News' Tucker Carlson rallied against the company for their "woke" campaign.
As soon as the news of Saturday Night Live star Maya Rudolph becoming the spokesperson was announced, netizens took to social media to criticize the company. One user, @ComradeCajun, commented:
"The spokescandies ARE m&ms!": Internet users criticize MnM for replacing their mascot with Maya Rudolph
Netizens were not pleased with the candy company. They expressed their dissatisfaction with the move, stating that the brand "fired M&Ms." While some users pointed out that Mars, the parent company, caved into the "dumbest manufactured outrage campaign," others used sarcastic and hilarious memes to call out the brand.
Many users stated that they have nothing against the former SNL star. However, they were entirely against changing mascots. One user wrote:
Here are a few comments seen on Twitter speaking out against M&M's new campaign:
Some Twitterati believed that the whole move was leading up to a commercial for the upcoming Super Bowl. They were wondering why everyone was taking the decision too seriously. One user, @Max527_, called it an "obvious setup," and added:
Some other reactions from Twitter read as follows:
Move to replace spokescandies with Maya Rudolph comes just four months after introducing Purple
In September 2022, the female Purple peanut M&M was introduced to represent "acceptance and inclusivity." The new M&M character, launched through a music video titled "I'm just gonna be me," was the first to be introduced in over a decade. Additionally, Mars, the parent company, stated it would donate a dollar for every stream of the song.
In January 2023, the chocolate candy brand announced a makeover for their beloved characters. M&M called it a "fresh, modern take" to highlight the "importance of self-expression and power of community," in a way that is "representative of today's society."
Furthermore, in January 2023, the brand launched its new all-female packaging under a campaign titled, "Flipping the status quo." The new packet was designed to celebrate women and consisted of only green, brown, and purple M&M (colors associated with female spokescandies)
Trigger Warning: The following video contains strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.
However, right-wing critics like Fox News were outraged at the company for going too "woke." Specifically, Fox News' Tucker Carlson severely criticized MnM for making the purple candy appear "plus-sized," as well as the new character design for the Green spokescandy, which was also lesbian-coded.
Maya Rudolph confirmed the news with Today.
