Mars Wrigley, the parent company of M&M came to the center of the candy culture war after stating it will indefinitely pause spokes candies. Here’s all you need to know.
M&M’s spokes candies no more?
Mars Wrigley’s M&M’s came into controversy after the company announced it will be indefinitely pausing “spokes candies”. According to the firm, cartoon characters with legs, arms, and minimal facial features were very divisive for polarized America. The characters have been starring in the company’s ads for decades. Leading right-wing political figures including Fox News’ Tucker Carlson have criticized the candy as “Woke M&M’s”.
On Monday, Mars Wrigley revealed the information starting with “America, let’s talk”. “In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokes candies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice,” they stated. However, most people hadn’t. “We didn’t think it would break the internet. But now we get it — even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing. And, polarizing is 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 spokes candies,” they added.
More on the candy wars
Turns out, there is an appropriate level of sexiness displayed in the candy’s footwear. America is divided on the matter. In January, the firm swapped heels on two female spokes candies with flats, to make it more comfortable. “M&M’s will not be satisfied until every last cartoon character is deeply unappealing and androgynous. Until the moment when you wouldn’t want to have a drink with any one of them. That’s the goal. When you are turned off, we’ve achieved equity. They’ve won,” rallied Carlson. “The green M&M’s got her boots back but apparently is now a lesbian, maybe, and there is also a plus-sized, obese purple M&M. So we’re going to cover that, of course. Because that’s what we do,” he added.
Mars Wrigley also offered an apparent solution. “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,” stated the company. As per Gabrielle Wesley, the company’s chief marketing officer for North America, the decision to engage Rudolf as the “chief of fun and spokesperson” has been “in the works for a while”. “The original colorful cast of M&Ms spokes candies are, at present, pursuing personal passions,” added Wesley.