'Only Changed the Chocolate Character's Outfit'... M&M's Sparks Cultural War in the US

Conservative Camp Attacks Changes in Female Character Shoes
Usage Discontinued After One Year of Release

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The representative character of the famous American chocolate M&M's, the 'spokescandies'?colorful round chocolates in red, yellow, green, brown, and other colors with arms and legs?has become embroiled in political controversy. Mars Wrigley (hereafter Mars), the American confectionery company that owns the M&M's brand, announced on the 23rd (local time) that it will temporarily suspend the use of this character, which has been active since 1960.

Mars explained in a post on Twitter, "America, let's talk. Last year, we made some changes to the beloved spokescandies character," adding, "We weren't even sure if anyone would notice. And we never thought this action would divide the internet."

The representative character of the famous American chocolate M&M's, the 'spokescandies' (Photo by M&M's Twitter)

Mars's decision comes amid intensified debates between the progressive and conservative camps in the U.S. over the partial changes made to the spokescandies character last year. Foreign media have referred to this as part of the 'Culture Wars.'

The controversy began in January last year. According to CNN and other outlets, Mars altered the outfits of the female characters?the green character and the brown character. The green character's shoes were changed from the high-heeled go-go boots, a 1960s fashion icon, to low-heeled sneakers, and the brown character's high heel height was lowered. The New York Times (NYT) described this as "giving the two female characters' sore feet a rest."

Additionally, in September last year, Mars introduced a new female character, the purple character. Wearing lace-up boots instead of high heels, this character's color led to interpretations that it symbolizes the LGBTQ+ community. This was the first time in a decade that Mars introduced a new M&M's character. Jane Hwang, M&M's Global Vice President, explained, "This is to ensure our spokescandies can represent the world we live in."

Earlier this year, Mars released products featuring the three female characters?green, brown, and purple?on the packaging to commemorate International Women's Day and declared that a portion of the proceeds would support women's organizations. This was the first time M&M's featured only female characters together.

The packaging featuring the three female characters who are candy spokespeople for M&M's (Photo by M&M's Twitter)

Mars's moves immediately drew backlash from the conservative camp in the U.S., including conservative media outlet Fox News. Conservatives criticized the changes to the M&M's characters as an example of the progressive camp's excessive adherence to Political Correctness (PC), expressing their resentment. On the internet, a petition to restore the green female character's design to its original form to "keep her sexy" gathered over 20,000 signatures.

Tucker Carlson, a prominent Fox News anchor, launched a fierce attack on the brand, saying, "M&M's will not be satisfied until the characters completely lose their appeal and become entirely neutral," labeling the brand as "Woke M&M's." In the U.S., being "woke" refers to being aware of and acting on issues such as gender, race, and LGBTQ+ discrimination, and the conservative camp strongly criticizes this.

In a statement on the day, Mars emphasized, "We realized that even the shoes the candies wear can be polarizing. This is never what M&M's wanted. We want to bring everyone together." Mars also added that instead of the spokescandies, famous comedian Maya Rudolph will serve as the M&M's spokesperson and will appear in the upcoming Super Bowl commercial for the National Football League (NFL) finals next month.

It remains unclear whether this measure will quell the controversy. When asked by CNN in September last year whether the green character's go-go boots would return, Mars responded, "No way." However, it has not yet been confirmed whether the indefinite suspension of the spokescandies marks a change in Mars's stance.