The American candy company Mars has announced that it is putting the famous colorful characters of M&M’S candies “indefinitely on hiatus”, after leading figures in the conservative stream in the US, led by Fox network anchor Tucker Carlson, were outraged by the overall change the characters underwent.
Last week, Mars announced that it is committed to “creating a world where everyone feels they belong and a society that is inclusive”, and within this framework it decided to change the familiar look of the cartoon characters with a “modern and fresh” look designed to emphasize “the importance of self-expression and the power of community through storytelling “.
The changes were minor, but two of them stood out in particular. The green figure switched from women’s walking boots to a pair of “cool sneakers to reflect her effortless confidence.” The brown figure switched from stiletto heels to block heels. Also, a new purple character was added.
Prominent voices on the US conservative right were quick to attack the change as an example of a “liberal agenda.” “The Wok M&M’S are back,” declared Tucker Carlson. “The green M&M’S got her boots and it looks like she’s a lesbian now, maybe? And there’s another fat purple M&M’S, so of course we’ll cover that. Because that’s what we do.”
The Mars company was initially unmoved by the criticism, but on Monday night the company folded and announced that the characters had gone “on an indefinite hiatus”, and that their place as spokesperson for M&M’s would be replaced by comedian Mia Rudolph, who will also appear in the Super Bowl commercial. “We didn’t think it would break the Internet, but now we understand – even candy shoes can be something that causes polarization,” the company explained.