(New York) The M & M’S confectionery manufacturer has, until further notice, abandoned in its advertisements the famous characters reminiscent of the shape of chocolate candies, which have been criticized by part of the American conservative right, which it considers politicized.
The relationship kicked off with the launch, in September, of a new member of the Candy Speakers family, Purple (Violet).
This was the strip’s third female character, after Green (the green) and Brown (the brown), created, according to M&M’S, to “represent acceptance and inclusion”.
Purple in particular symbolizes support for the LGBTQ community and expression of homosexuality.
Purple’s arrival drew criticism, with netizens blaming Mars Wrigley, the parent company of M&M’s, for politicizing the chocolate candy.
According to them, M&M’S personalities became “awakened,” a word that denotes activism against all forms of discrimination and exclusion targeting one or more minorities.
The controversy revived at the beginning of January with the marketing of a special, limited-edition package containing only the female characters’ three colors, green, brown, and purple.
“M&M’S woke up,” protested shortly after the announcement, Tucker Carlson, one of the star anchors on Fox News, known for the ultra-conservative attitudes of many of its stars.
He said in a sarcastic tone that Green “was probably a lesbian” and that Purple was “fat,” referring to her oval rather than round shape, similar to that of an M&M’s. M which contains peanuts.
In January 2022, Tucker Carlson actually addressed the issue to accuse M&M’S of replacing Green’s white shoes with sneakers, making them “less attractive.”
Referring to these changes, M & M’S in a Twitter post on Monday that she doesn’t expect them to “turn the internet upside down.”
Halwani added, “But we have now discovered, even candy shoes can be polarizing.”
However, “that was the last thing we wanted, because our goal is to bring people together,” said M&M’S.
“As such, we have decided to put the characters on indefinite hiatus,” the company announced.
The animated creatures will be replaced, in the new ad campaigns, by actress and comedian Maya Rudolph.
“Amateur entrepreneur. Professional internet expert. Zombie maven. Incurable pop culture scholar.”
