Marching orders for M&M mascots in ‘woke’ shoe row
M&M’S has dropped its spokescandies advertisement stars amid a row over replacing the high heels on a female cartoon chocolate with more sensible shoes.
The figures, which have arms, legs and facial features, have been part of the brand for decades.
The American confectionery brand , owned by Mars, has abandoned the mascots less than a year after they were re-branded following sustained criticism from commentators.
The green M&M had its heels replaced with trainers to make it “better represented to reflect confidence and empowerment, as a strong female, and known for much more than her boots”.
The brown M&M swapped stilettos for lesser, more practical heels.
There were also personality tweaks. The orange M&M, which has an anxious personality, was changed to “embrace his true self, worries and all”. Mars described the orange chocolate as “one of the most relatable characters with Gen Z”, which is the “most anxious generation”.
The red M&M, which has shown bullying tendencies in the past, will be kinder to his co-characters, Mars added.
Weeks ago, Mars said that for International Women’s Day, the company would release special femalecharacter only packaging. “Woke M&M’S have returned,” Tucker Carlson,the Fox News anchor, said on his show. “The green M&M got her boots back, but apparently is now a lesbian, maybe? And there’s also a plussized, obese purple M&M, so we’re going to cover that, of course,” he added.
“If this is what you need for validation, an M&M that is the colour that you think is associated with feminism, then I’m worried about you,” Martha Maccallum, another Fox News anchor, said.
Nick Adams, an Australian-born American political commentator, said: “Every American with half a brain should be outraged by M&M’S going woke.
“This is no laughing matter, it’s a legitimate crisis. Manhood is under attack like [at] no other time in history.”
The chocolate manufacturer has said it will “take an indefinite pause from the spokescandies” and instead employ Maya Rudolph, the Bridesmaids actress, to be the face of the brand.
The company said: “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 polarising. Which was the last thing M&M’S wanted, since we’re all about bringing people together.
“Therefore, we have decided to take a pause from the spokescandies. In their place, we are proud to introduce Maya Rudolph.
“We are confident Ms Rudolph will champion the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels they belong.”