(New York) Candy maker M&M’S has stopped using in its ads, and until further notice, the famous characters reminiscent of the shape of its chocolate candies, criticized by a section of the American conservative right, politicizing them.
The affair began in September with the launch of a new member of the “Sposcandis” (Candy Spokespersons), christened Violet (Violet) family.
It is the third female character created to “represent acceptance and inclusion,” according to M&M’S, after Green and Brown.
Purple specifically represents support for the LGBTQ community and the expression of homosexuality.
Purple’s arrival sparked criticism, with netizens accusing M&M’s parent company Mars Wrigley of politicizing the chocolate candy.
For them, the letters M & M’S were “awakened”, a term that refers to activism against all forms of discrimination and exclusion aimed at one or more minorities.
In early January, controversy reignited with the marketing of a special limited edition featuring only female characters in three colors: green, brown and purple.
“M & M’S ‘woke’ are back”, protested Tucker Carlson, one of the star anchors of Fox News Channel, known for the more conservative positions of many of its stars, shortly after the announcement.
In a mocking tone, he said green was “a lesbian” and purple was “fat”, referring to its oval rather than round shape and M&M’s resemblance to peanuts.
In January 2022, Tucker Carlson had already accused M&M’s of replacing Green’s white boots with sneakers, which made him “less attractive”.
Referring to the changes, M&M’S explained in a post on Twitter on Monday that they don’t expect to “turn the internet upside down.”
“But now we have discovered,” added the confectioner, “that even the shoes of the confectioners can induce polarity. »
However, “that’s the last thing we wanted, because our goal is to bring people together,” M&M’S said.
“Therefore, we have decided to put the characters on hiatus indefinitely,” the company announced.
The animated creatures will be replaced by actress and comedian Maya Rudolph in the new ad campaign.
