M&M’S characters makeover to promote inclusivity
on January 20, 2022, M&M’S, a subsidiary of mars inc. brand portfolio, announced that its beloved mascots had undergone a makeover to promote inclusivity. the cheerful characters you see on her sweets packages as well as in its advertisements will look slightly different in the future, as their colors, footwear, and personalities have been revamped. a video featuring the new mascots was posted on the company’s youtube channel, along with messages about the importance of belonging.
in its official announcement, the company states that the goal of this rebranding is ‘to highlight the importance of self-expression and the power of community through storytelling’. and while most of the changes are subtle, some others can’t go unnoticed: the green M&M (who is well known for his signature go-go-boots, luscious lashes and seductive charms) has swapped his old look for a more casual look accompanied by a new pair of sneakers.
the new revisited M&M’S mascots
all images courtesy of M&M’S
as mentioned earlier, the redesign of the six characters does not involve drastic changes. the shape of the new M&M’s appears to be a bit more refined and instead of a beige color on the arms and legs, the mascots now have faded hues to match their candy shell shaped bodies. the overhaul doesn’t just apply to the characters’ outward appearance – red is now much less of a hotheaded bully and treats his friends with kindness, while orange has come to terms with his anxiety and is learning to accept his true (worried) self -same. perhaps the most notable changes are those to brown whose heels have gone from high stilettos to low and chunky, and green which ditched its signature go-go-boots for a pair of casual sneakers.
previous looks of green and brown
green’s makeover goes viral on the internet
Since the day of the announcement, the internet has been buzzing about why M&M’s chose to reimagine the characters the way it did. many were quick to say that the green redesign was the right move, as it helped make the female mascots less sexualized. Meanwhile, other netizens find the makeover disappointing, arguing that the change to green shoes goes against the tenets of feminism, criticizing femininity and the expression of female sexuality. Anyway, it looks like the mascot makeover, and in particular the green’s new look, is breaking the internet and will have people talking for a while.
before and after
myrto katsikopoulou I conceive
January 24, 2022