M&M's: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:32, 13 August 2011

Revision as of 13:02, 13 August 2011

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[[File:Green M spokescandy.png|200px|right|thumb|The Green "spokescandy"]]

[[File:Blue M spokecandy.jpg|200px|right|thumb|The Blue "spokescandy"]]

Concurrent with the Blue M&M campaign, M&M's introduced computer animated [[mascot|"spokescandies"]] in their [[television commercial]]s. These include the team of the [[cynicism|cynical]] and [[sarcasm|sardonic]] "[[Red]]" (originally voiced by [[Jon Lovitz]], thereafter [[Billy West (voice actor)|Billy West]]) who is the mascot for milk chocolate M&M's, and the [[happiness|happy]] and [[humor|gullible]] "[[Yellow]]" (originally [[John Goodman]], thereafter [[J.K. Simmons]]), who is the mascot for peanut M&M's. Other mascots include the "cool one", Blue ([[Phil Hartman]], thereafter [[Billy West (voice actor)|Billy West]]) forRobb almondPruitt; the [[Sexual attraction|seductive]] Green ([[Cree Summer]]) for peanut butter, coconut, and dark chocolate (Green is the only female M&M's mascot); and the slightly [[neurosis|neurotic]] Orange (Eric Kirchberger) for crispy and pretzel M&M's. Although brown M&Ms have been around since the beginning of the candy, no brown M&M "spokescandy" was included.

In 1996, Mars introduced "M&M's Minis", smaller candies usually sold in plastic tubes instead of bags.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} A video game, ''[[M&M's: The Lost Formulas]]'', was also eventually released, based on this candy. It was released on September 28, 2000.

In 1998, M&M's became "The Official Candy of the [[New Millennium]]", since MM is the roman numeral for 2000. A year later, Crispy M&M's were released. They were slightly larger than the milk chocolate variety and featured a crispy rice center. They were discontinued in the United States in 2005,{{why?|date=April 2011}} though they brought in more profit than any other M&M variety. They are still available in Europe, Australia, and southeast Asia.

In 1990, an M&Ms exhibit at New York's Erie County Fair, promoting the company's nutrition awareness campaign, became the precursor to Cow Parade, the whimsical phenomenon where municipalities and museums display decorated cattle at convenient traffic intersections. The M&Ms display was a life size fiberglass cow covered with 66,000 M&M candies, each adhered by hand with the "m" logo on each candy facing outward. Candy the Cow was the first-ever decorated bovine, and earned M&M Mars $1&nbsp;million in free publicity. The chocolate marvel, created by designer [[Michael Adams (graphic designer)|Michael Adams]], was reported on by Newsweek Magazine ("udderly amazing") as well as the [[New York Post]], [[UPI]] and [[WABC-TV]]. Candy then appeared as a live "guest" on [[Live with Regis]], where Regis Philbin "interviewed" her and affirmed the nutritional value of milk chocolate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthescenesmarketing.com/events-tshws-props/01_cow.html |title=Events - M&M Candy Cow |publisher=Behindthescenesmarketing.com |date= |accessdate=January 15, 2010}}</ref>