M&M’s, owned by Mars, is dropping its iconic anthropomorphic candy spokespeople and replacing them with Emmy-winning actress Maya Rudolph.
What’s happening? On Monday, M&M’s announced the change, citing an unpredictable reaction to minor aesthetic adjustments made over the last year as the reason for dropping the candies. Across its social media profiles, the company posted a message which reads:
America, let’s talk. 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 polarizing. Which was 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 spokescandies. 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.
What were the minor aesthetic adjustments? The previously sultry green M&M traded in her go-go boots for sneakers and in September a new purple M&M was added to the lineup in honor of International Women’s Day.