M&M's: Difference between revisions

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== M&M characters ==

[[File:M&M spokescandies.jpeg|thumb|500px|The seven [[cartoon]] "[[Spokesperson|spokescandies]]" in marketing since 2022]]

Early black-and-white ads for the cconfectionconfection in 1954 featured two talking, anthropomorphic M&M characters—one plain and one peanut—diving into a swimming pool full of chocolate.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://adage.com/article/rewind/1954-ad-shows-m-ms-characters-a-chocolatey-swim/241375/ | title=Rewind: 1954 Ad Shows M&Ms Characters Go for a Chocolatey Swim | work=Advertising Age | date=May 9, 2013 | access-date=November 18, 2015 | author=Schultz, E J | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119082727/http://adage.com/article/rewind/1954-ad-shows-m-ms-characters-a-chocolatey-swim/241375/ | archive-date=November 19, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref>

The first incarnation of the characters in CGI was a 1994 celebrity campaign that had the characters interacting with celebrities on which M&M candy color is their favorite. This campaign was created by [[Blue Sky Studios]]. Concurrent with the 1995 blue M&M campaign, the company introduced a second set of computer-animated [[Mascot|"spokescandies"]] in their [[television commercial]]s. The depiction and campaign of the M&Ms were made by [[Will Vinton]] in 1995. Vinton previously created the [[Clay animation|clay-animated]] [[The California Raisins|California Raisins]] in 1986. Around the time he worked on CGI projects, he made the depiction of the M&M characters as more mature than most food mascots. These include the team of the [[Cynicism (contemporary)|cynical]] and [[Sarcasm|sardonic]] Red (originally voiced by [[Jon Lovitz]], thereafter [[Billy West]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/MMs/Red/ |title=Behind The Voice Actors M&M's – Voice of Red |publisher=Behind the Voice Actors |access-date=April 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114062243/http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/MMs/Red/ |archive-date=November 14, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> who is the voice of the mascots for [[milk chocolate]], [[peanut butter]], and crispy. The happy and [[Gullibility|gullible]] Yellow (originally voiced by [[John Goodman]], thereafter was voiced by [[J. K. Simmons]]), who is the mascot for Peanut and originally was known as "Peanut" when that variety was first introduced. Other mascots include the "cool one", Blue (voiced by Robb Pruitt),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/56353136|title=Behind the Bowl with Robb Pruitt|via=Vimeo|access-date=March 5, 2019}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/MMs/|title=M&M's|website=Behind The Voice Actors|access-date=March 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044223/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/MMs/|archive-date=March 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> who is the mascot for [[Almond]] M&M's; the [[Sexual attraction|seductive]] Green (her personality is a reference to the 1970s [[urban legend]] that green M&Ms were aphrodisiacs)<ref>[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/green-mms-aphrodisiacs/ Green M&Ms as Aphrodisiacs] in snopes.com</ref> (voiced by [[Cree Summer]]; Larissa Murray),<ref name=":0" /> who is the mascot for both [[Mint chocolate|Dark Chocolate Mint]] and [[Peanut Butter]], and the slightly [[Neurosis|neurotic]] Orange (voiced by Eric Kirchberger), who was introduced when the Crispy variety was first released and is currently the mascot Pretzel that debuted in 2010. As the mascot of Pretzel, Orange was joined by the second non-M&M mascot, Pretzel Guy, who "supports" the character and offers helpful advice who hates the idea of having a pretzel put inside his body.