Tucker Carlson Mocks M&M Characters' Modern Makeover

Company behind iconic candy strives for more diversity and equality
By Stephanie Mojica,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 21, 2022 1:29 PM CST
Updated Jan 23, 2022 6:15 AM CST
M&Ms Characters Get a Modern Makeover
The green M&M mascot is just one of six representations of the iconic Mars candy that has gotten a makeover to keep more in line with the ever-changing times, CBS News reports.   (YouTube)

Update: Fox News host Tucker Carlson dedicated part of his Friday show to mocking M&M's character update, zeroing in particularly on the more sensible footwear the green and brown candies now wear. Newsweek reports Carlson pointed out the green M&M had ditched her "sexy boots" because, the company says, "We all win when we see more women in leading roles." Carlson had a retort: "Because leading women do not wear sexy boots, leading women wear frumpy shoes. The frumpier the better. That's the rule." He then talked about brown's lowered heels and what he perceives as a quest to make every M&M character "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. When you are totally turned off, we've achieved equity. They've won." Our story from Friday follows:

The world is changing its views on gender identity, bullying, and body size, and the M&M characters are following suit. The six M&M mascots are being revamped to place more focus on their personalities than their gender identities, the company behind the iconic chocolate candies announced Thursday. CBS News reports Mars, Inc. has caught flak for its sexy portrayal of the M&M mascot formerly known as Ms. Green. Her revamp—which describes her as a "hypewoman for my friends," per the Hill—drops the white heeled go-go boots she has worn for 25 years in favor of sneakers, with the company promising she will now be "known for much more than her boots." (A Jezebel blogger laments the change.)

The relationship between the green and brown mascots has also been revamped to have them stop throwing so much "shade," and the height of the brown M&Ms heels have been lowered. The orange M&M's anxious personality will now be embraced (but his shoes will be tied), and to coincide with increasing global awareness of the dangers of bullying, the once-acrimonious red M&M will be much kinder to his fellow candies. All gender-related prefixes have been removed from the candy’s official website, and Mars says it is dedicated to representing M&Ms with varied body types. (More M&Ms stories.)

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