It may be hard to believe, but the Mars Wrigley M&M Spokescandies are officially gone. Replacing the colorful animated characters is Maya Rudolph, who is taking over as Mars’ “Chief of Fun.” This dramatic change was decided upon following months of controversy over changes to the women characters.

Much of the drama around the spokescandies started last year, after right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson lambasted the changing of the Green M&M’s shoes from go-go boots to sneakers, and the Brown M&M’s shift to shorter  heels. This change was a part of a broader campaign to modernize the spokescandies and the company in general, but the two women M&Ms faced the most scorn.

In one broadcast, Carlson stated “M&M’s will not be satisfied until every last cartoon character is deeply unappealing and totally androgynous. Until the moment you wouldn’t want to have a drink with any one of them. That’s the goal.” 

Most of Carlson’s comments surrounding the two M&M’s focused on the “sexiness” of the characters. This continued as the brand printed more packages with the “modernized” M&Ms. 

His comments generated lots of internet buzz, as many people stated how ridiculous it was to complain about the sex appeal of candy characters. However, he revisited his complaints following the creation of a new Purple M&M on Sep. 28th.

Carlson’s main complaint with the purple M&M was about her new size, claiming it was obese and a bad role model for girls. 

“The green M&M got her boots back, but apparently is now a lesbian maybe, and there’s also a plus-sized, obese purple M&M,” Carlson said on an episode of his show. This quickly became a popular sound on TikTok, with over 14 thousand posts using it to mock Carlson’s segment. 

Despite the mockery Carlson and other conservative media figures faced on social media, Mars still faced significant backlash from right-leaning individuals. “Can we just have something nice for a change?” host Kayleigh McEnnany of the Fox News show “Outnumbered” asked. “Can we just enjoy M&M’s without having to be something bigger?” 

Following the original controversy of the purple M&M, Mars Wrigley became the focus of right-wing news stations again months later. On Jan. 5th, Mars released a pack of M&Ms that had only brown, green, and purple candies to celebrate women who are “flipping the status quo” across America.

This packaging led to significant backlash from Carlson and other right-wing commentators. Many conservatives decried the move as “woke corporatism,” which escalated the controversy to its breaking point. 

Despite the ridicule Carlson and other right-wing pundits faced over their campaign against the spokescandies, their complaints did not fall on deaf ears. Mars Wrigley ultimately deci

ded to pull the plug on their decades-old characters on Jan. 24th, releasing a statement that officially announced the candy characters’ retirement and Maya Rudolph’s takeover. 

With Maya Rudolph taking the jobs of the spokescandies, the future of Mars’ marketing is uncertain. But as of right now, one thing is certain; we will not be seeing any spokescandies for some time.