M&M’S says it will take a break from polarizing “sweet spokespersons”

After causing outrage by revamping Green M&M and releasing a special bag featuring its new purple character in honor of International Women’s Day, M&M’S says it’s taking a step back from its candy reps — sort of.

“Over the past year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokespeople,” the chocolate brand said in a statement on Monday. “We weren’t sure if anyone would notice. And we definitely don’t think it would break the internet.”

The brand added that the changes were so polarizing that “we have decided to take an indefinite break from spokes.” Mars chose comedian and actress Maya Rudolph to represent the product.

“We are confident that Rudolph will champion the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels like they belong,” M&M’S, which is owned by Mars, said in a statement on Monday.

The partnership with Rudolph has been “in the works for some time,” said Gabrielle Wesley, director of marketing for Mars Wrigley North America, in an emailed statement to CNN .

“There are many stories out there, but let me say conclusively that this decision is not a backlash, but rather an endorsement of our M&M’S brand,” said Wesley. “The original colorful cast of M&M’S spokespeople are currently pursuing other personal passions.”

That doesn’t mean the brand is ditching the sweet characters: “We’ll be sharing more about new Spokesperson activities in the coming weeks,” a spokesperson tells CNN .

Rudolph will appear in an M&M Super Bowl commercial. Mars announced in December that it would run an in-game ad. Some immediately guessed that the ad was part of a Super Bowl campaign, while others criticized the brand for bowing to pressure. Even Merriam Webster weighed in, tweeting that “spokescandies” [uma junção das palavras “porta-voz” e “doce” em inglês] it’s not in the dictionary.

the controversy

Last year, M&M’S unveiled a new look for all of its anthropomorphized chocolate characters to make them more relevant to young consumers.

Most of the updates were subtle. But the change in Green’s shoes from high boots to sneakers caused an outcry on social media, with many lamenting the loss of the character’s signature look.

A petition to “Keep the Sexy Green M&M’s” gathered more than 20,000 signatures. M&M’S did not heed the appeal, but noted in its statement on Monday that “even a sweetie’s shoes can be polarizing”, adding that “it was the last thing M&M’S wanted as our goal is to bring people together ”.

And then, in September, M&M’S announced another change: a new female character, Purple, was joining the portfolio in another effort to make the group of spokespeople more inclusive.

Purple was recently deployed as part of a limited edition pack of purple, brown and green M&M’S – the colors of the female spokespersons – in honor of International Women’s Day.

That last move sparked another round of criticism.

“If that’s what you need for validation, an M&M that’s the color you think is associated with feminism, then I’m worried about you,” said Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, adding that the movement has emboldened China.

“I think that makes China say, ‘Oh, good, keep focusing on that. Keep focusing on giving people their own color M&M’S as we take over all mineral deposits worldwide.”” A graphic on a Fox show even called the candy “woke up”.

Jane Hwang, global vice president of M&M’S, previously told CNN that the reaction to Green’s move was “unprecedented” and that “we were incredibly impressed”.

But, she said at the time, “Now we know for sure that M&M’S is a cultural icon.”