M&M Characters: A Closer Look at Spokescandies That Shaped Snack Culture - Snack History (2024)

The history of M&M’s color-varied chocolates began on the front lines of the Spanish Civil War and continued into space by turning into a sweet companionship with NASA astronauts. But only a few of us know that M&M characters were always intended to make a positive impact on the world and to create a society where everyone feels accepted and valued.

M&M gave its spokescandies a completely new, modern perspective on their looks and personalities. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what these color-varied M&M characters are hiding under their shells and help you choose the one that stands closest to your personality!

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7 All-time Beloved M&M characters

Red M&M

When you think of sugar-coated chocolate, chances are that red M&M’s is the first that comes to your mind and that’s exactly why we’re going to start exploring M&M’s characters with Red. As it turns out from the official website of the brand, Red spokescandy feels like a fish in the water while being a celebrity.

Red’s heart is filled with joy when people heed his wise counsel and consider that among his best qualities, his charisma, intelligence, and humility are the most attractive. The main characteristic of this character is his perfectionism. Simply put, he can’t help being perfect and even the directors he has worked with tell him it’s a curse.

As you can see, expressive nature, extroversion, and narcissistic traits are some of the most obvious characteristics Red possesses. He often takes advantage of his celebrity status and always wishes to be at the center of attention. As a result of this self-centered nature, once Red became jealous of his best friend, Yellow, in the 2002 “Love Hurts” commercial, an attractive woman turned his attention to Yellow instead. The duo of Red and Yellow M&M characters first appeared in 1996 and, to some extent, they changed snack history for the better.

However, Yellow wasn’t the only M&M character that Red was jealous of. In fact, when the blue M&M character debuted, Red didn’t like that the new color had the potential of overshadowing his popularity.

Among the best international candy brands, this iconic character is given more clarity by prominent English voice actors, such as Mel Blanc, Ian McKellen, Jon Lovitt, and Billy West.

Yellow M&M

Just like the Red, the Yellow M&M was introduced to the general public in 1960 and quickly became everyone’s favorite international candy. This particular spokescandy is exceptionally shy, but still, the smile doesn’t leave his face and he has such a kind heart that it is impossible not to fall in love with his innocence and friendliness at first sight.

At different times, John Goodman, J. K. Simmons, and Bill Rogers all contributed to Yellow’s voice, which everyone agrees best suits his personality.

When the Yellow spokescandy was asked what would be the first thing he would do, if today was his last day, he casually said, “Well, I guess the first thing I would do is wake up.” This innocent answer shows his childish sincerity. And the fact that his favorite color is aquamarine further emphasizes his naivety.

After all, how do you think if Yellow could pick any other career besides being a spokescandy what would it be? Well, chances are you couldn’t guess since this M&M character dreams of being a ghostwriter as he adores scary stories. Leaving aside the character and moving on to the taste qualities, the crunchy peanut core, and the milk chocolate filling is a combination that is hard to leave us indifferent to.

3. Blue M&M

Like other M&M characters, Blue’s color reflects his personality to some extent and expresses calmness and confidence. Therefore, this character shares a personality similarity with Red. But still, Blue manages to remain calm and steady in complicated situations.

Currently, Blue’s preferences are moonlit nights, jazz, and ladies, but he has been dreaming just to be happy, so it’s a delicious irony that he is always blue. Yes, it can truly be said that Blue is a real-life Don Juan, voiced at various times by Robb Pruitt and Bill Rogers.

Along with the impressive taste of dark chocolate, Blue M&M is also associated with almond, raspberry, and hazelnut spread, and it is exactly this taste imprint that makes it one of the most beloved American candies.

4. Orange M&M

The introduction of Orange M&M’s has an interesting prehistory, according to which in 1976 the Mars company replaced Red M&M’s with Orange ones to satisfy public concerns about the carcinogenic coloring. M&M’s did not contain the harmful pigment, although the company considered this action reasonable to satisfy concerned consumers. Ten years later, despite Red M&Ms being reproduced, Orange M&Ms continued to exist.

Interestingly, the company chose an extraordinary, but funny character for the Orange spokescandy. This M&M character always seems certain that something will go wrong at any moment and as a result, he finds it hard to leave the house without panicking.

5. Green M&M

As the first female spokescandy, charismatic Green joined the M&M characters on January 12, 1997, with the “Green’s Arrival” commercial. This 90s candy character quickly captivated fans with flavors of dark chocolate, mint, and peanut butter. The phrase “I melt for no one” best describes the self-confidence and strong character of Green which is further described by her life motto, “Live, learn, and move on.”

From the moment of creation, the personality of Green is expressed by Cree Summer and Larissa Murray with their pleasant and sonorous voices.

If you ask Green what’s her best quality, she will unquestionably answer that she is a hype woman for her friends and will add that she thinks we all win when we see more women in leading roles, so she is happy to take on the role of supportive friends when they succeed. This answer is the exact reason why we can kind of say that Green is one of the most interesting M&M characters. No wonder that it has even become a role model for real-life women.

6. Brown M&M

Brown M&M appeared in 2012 and immediately caught the attention of the general public with her professional appearance and confident personality, not to mention her unforgettable dark/milk Chocolate and Fudge Brownie flavors.

Of the M&M characters, Brown is the only one who wears glasses, thus supporting the well-known stereotype that wearing glasses is associated with a high level of intelligence. Brown is wise and witty and it is because of this that she keeps things only professional. However, she never loses her femininity — she always wears beautiful professional heels.

With all this in mind, who do you think could voice this strong, independent, and confident version of a woman? Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s Vanessa Williams and once you listen to her, you’ll unquestionably agree that choosing her for Brown was a great decision.

7. Purple M&M

Mars Company introduced a new Purple M&M in September 2022 and used the power of music to show that Purple is driven by authenticity, honest self-expression, and confidence. Purple’s musical debut, “I’m Just Gonna Be Me,” voiced by American actress and comedian Amber Ruffin, features a festive mood celebrated by all the M&M characters.

“Dance like nobody’s watching, until you realize that someone is. Then stop immediately and pretend a fly was just attacking you.” – after reading this piece of advice from Purple, you’ve probably already figured out how much her role enriches the team of M&M characters.

How Do M&M Characters Embrace Inclusivity?

With a series of changes mainly concerned with clothing, in January 2022, Mars began redesigning the M&M characters to be more representative of a wider range of personalities and backgrounds. For example, Green M&M began to wear sneakers instead of high-heeled boots. As a result, she showed more confidence as a strong woman. On the other hand, Brown has gone from high heels to professional heels.

To promote general respect and acceptance, Brown and Green, which were previously antagonistic, now have a friendly relationship, while Orange, traditionally represented by unusual anxieties, is now calm and cautious rather than anxious. As for Red, he is now kinder and less self-centered.

Thus, the M&M characters focus more on the positive aspects of their personalities, and to that end, they no longer have any gender-specific prefixes in front of their names. Their mannerisms of standing and movement are also more welcoming. This, in turn, shows that the brand decided to make each member of society feel as if they were part of the crew.

Final Thoughts

Before appearing on our screens, M&M put a lot of effort into the characters’ inner worlds as well as their appearances, personalities, and stories to be more representative of today’s society.

Today, M&M’s characters perfectly represent the brand’s mission. With every bite of this delicious color-varied sugar-coated chocolate, they convince us that their goal is to purposefully use the power of fun and playfulness for positive change.

Thanks to the company’s marketing efforts, M&M’s characters these days are mainly focused on creating a world where society will be especially tolerant and accepting.