M&M's 'spokescandies' return after Maya Rudolph Super Bowl spot

Tom Brady may be retired (again), but the beloved M&M's "spokescandies" are back on the job. After briefly being usurped by Saturday Night Live star Maya Rudolph, the candy brand confirmed on its official website that Red, Yellow and the rest of the multi-colored candy cast have replaced their replacement. The news followed a Rudolph-anchored Super Bowl spot that featured a desperate cameo from Red hinting at some seriously unsweet behind-the-scenes drama. (Watch the spot above.)

In case there was still any lingering doubts — or confusion — about what exactly was happening, a 15-second post-game spot featured the spokescandies making their return official. "I can't believe we were actually put on 'pause,'" Red says, clearly still incredulous about the way things played out.

The saga began last month, when the beloved candy brand made national headlines by announcing Rudolph as the new face of M&M's. "We have decided to take an indefinite pause from the spokescandies," the brand posted on Twitter.

An M&M's spokesperson confirmed the switch to Yahoo Entertainment at the time, adding that the spokescandies would continue to exist in other venues. "Maya will serve as the brand's new spokesperson, allowing the colorful cast of M&M's spokescandies to step away and embrace a new path to pursue other passions." (Sure enough, Yellow was seen on Instagram auditioning for a job as a Snickers spokescandy, while Orange dropped a Spotify playlist to aid with guided meditation.)

But it didn't escape public attention that the move followed M&M's controversial attempts to create a "fresh, modern take" on the animated candy characters, including the introduction of an all-new purple cast member last October. In January, the brand debuted an all-female M&M's package that was designed to "celebrate women everywhere who are flipping the status quo." (Mars announced that a portion of sales would be donated to nonprofit organizations like She Is the Music and We Are Moving the Needle.)

That particular campaign also inspired an outcry from conservative critics, who suggested that M&M's had gone "woke." Those critics included Fox News's Tucker Carlson, who took issue with the more empowered depiction of the female spokescandies, complaining that Purple appeared "plus-sized" and suggesting that the Green character was coded as a lesbian.

When M&M's announced that Rudolph would be stepping in for the spokescandies, many assumed that the brand's decision was directly influenced by Carlson's attacks. But an M&M's spokesperson told Yahoo Entertainment that Rudolph's involvement pre-dated the Fox News-generated controversy. "It isn't a reaction to but rather is in support of our M&M's brand, which we will always continue to evolve to bring people together through the power of fun."

Once she stepped into the job, Rudolph made big, bold moves that strongly hinted that the whole arrangement was a pre-Super Bowl gag. In her first commercial, M&M's "Chief of Fun" renamed the candy "Ma&Ya's" after her name and put her face on each shell in place of the traditional "M."

The Super Bowl spot itself continued the extreme makeover, with Rudolph apparently deciding that the chocolatey taste would be replaced by a clam flavor. That's when Red issued an SOS, holding up a "Help!" sign that indicated her term as Chief of Fun was nearing its end.

On the official M&M's website, the brand tipped its hat to the turbulence of the last few months even as they celebrated the return of the spokescandies. "Over the past year, the conversation around our iconic spokescandies reached new heights but at times got a bit 'lively,'" the brand's statement reads, in a likely allusion to the Carlson-generated fracas.

"We wanted to positively redirect the passion of that conversation to bring the fun back into it, and help people laugh and move on together with our latest Super Bowl campaign," the statement continues, noting the progressive charitable organizations that the brand has championed. "Now, we can get on with what we are here to do: Create a world where everyone feels they belong." Everyone... and every spokescandy.