Mars announces M&M characters have been redesigned for a ‘more dynamic, progressive world’

M&M’s famous characters — six different coloured “lentils” with its own personalities — have been updated for a “more dynamic, progressive world,” according to Mars. The new design emphasises the characters’ “personalities, rather than their gender,” in order to create a sense of belonging and community.

The green M&M’s revamp, which will replace the white heeled go-go boots she was given in 1997 with “cool, laid-back sneakers to reflect her effortless confidence,” is one of the most notable modifications. Mars has been chastised for the sensual portrayal of the green M&M. “better represented to reflect confidence and empowerment, as a strong female, and known for much more than her boots,” says the green M&M.

The brown M&M and the green M&M will have a more friendly relationship, displaying a more cooperative attitude “force supporting women ” The two characters’ chemistry will have them “throwing shine and not shadow” together, according to the studio. In advertisements, the two figures have been regarded as rivals, but they’ve also been perceived as friends — or more than friends — in other instances, such as this popular tweet from 2015 showing the two holding hands on a beach.

The brown M&M’s heels will also be adjusted to a professional heel height, according to Mars.

The red M&M, who has been known to be a bully in the past, will be more gentle with his co-stars.

Mars will also feature visuals of M&Ms in a variety of forms and sizes, moving away from a single body size, and it will remove prefixes from the characters’ names to emphasis on “their personalities, rather than their gender.” On the M&M website, only the brown M&M has a prefix — Ms. Brown — at the moment.

The organisation expects that the improvements will demonstrate the value of “self-expression and power of community.”