美国国家公共电台 NPR--Maya Rudolph is the new face of M&M's ad campaign

Maya Rudolph is the new face of M&M's ad campaign

Transcript¹

M&M is withdrawing its "spokescandy" ads after Fox's Tucker Carlson railed about the candies' de-sexualization — as part of a push for a "woke" society. (Story aired on ATC on Jan. 24, 2023.)

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Big news at the M&M's Store. The maker² of M&M's says the colorful cartoon versions of the candies that appear in its ads are taking a break. NPR's David Folkenflik reports that Fox News' biggest star made them part of the primetime culture wars.

DAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE³: You've probably seen a fair bit of those saucy⁴ characters we're talking about here.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Hey, the new M&M's dulce de leche caramels.

J K SIMMONS: (As Yellow) Nope.

BILLY WEST: (As Red) Not us.

SIMMONS: (As Yellow) No way.

FOLKENFLIK: Plots, jokes, celebrity⁵ cameos - things got a touch racy, even a bit meta.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PATRICK WARBURTON: What are you doing?

FOLKENFLIK: The character actor Patrick Warburton there coming across three animated⁶ M&M's.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

WEST: (As Red) What?

WARBURTON: You're eating M&M's.

WEST: (As Red) Yeah? So are you.

WARBURTON: I'm not an M&M. You don't eat your own kind. It's unnatural⁷.

FOLKENFLIK: The M&M campaign stretches back more than two decades. No one had found recent iterations more unnatural than Fox News' Tucker Carlson.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT")

TUCKER CARLSON: The Brown M&M has, quote, "transitioned from high stilettos to lower block heels." Also less sexy - that's progress.

FOLKENFLIK: Here was Carlson on his primetime show a year ago. Parent company Mars Wrigley also swapped⁸ out the go-go boots on the feminine-appearing green M&M for a pair of sneaks⁹. The company had announced it wanted to create a world in which everyone feels they belong.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT")

CARLSON: M&M's will not be satisfied until every last cartoon character is deeply unappealing and totally androgynous, until the moment you wouldn't want to have a drink with any one of them. That's the goal. When you're totally turned off, we've achieved equity¹⁰. They've won.

FOLKENFLIK: So we have a case of candy cancel culture on our hands here. Tucker Carlson gets to notch¹¹ the win, I guess. Funny thing - usually, Carlson is the guy telling viewers he's the champion of those who say they are canceled by critics like this conservative comic.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT")

CARLSON: So we opened this show by telling you about the comedian¹² Josh Denny, who has been silenced...

FOLKENFLIK: And so many others.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT")

CARLSON: So now you're not even allowed to buy a used copy of Dr. Seuss' books. It's just too dangerous.

FOLKENFLIK: Even given we're talking about cartoon chocolates here - kind of ironic¹³. Last fall, Mars introduced a new spokes-candy.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Hey, Purple, 10 minutes till your big debut¹⁴.

AMBER¹⁵ RUFFIN: (As Purple, singing) I'm the new M&M's candy. Do I have what it takes?

FOLKENFLIK: And Carlson made sure his audience knew of the disturbing developments.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT")

CARLSON: Woke M&M's have returned. The Green M&M got her boots back but apparently¹⁶ is now a lesbian maybe? And there's also a plus-sized, obese¹⁷ Purple M&M. So we're going to cover that, of course, because that's what we do.

FOLKENFLIK: Carlson told the conservative British magazine The Spectator he was just making fun of the campaign but said women can wear sexy boots and still be in leadership positions - noted¹⁸. Speaking of women in leadership positions...

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")

MAYA RUDOLPH: (As Kamala Harris) Good evening, America. I'm Vice¹⁹ President Kamala Harris.

FOLKENFLIK: That's actually not Vice President Kamala Harris. It's comedian and actor Maya Rudolph, M&M's new spokeswoman. For its newest face, the company turned to a biracial woman performer who helped raise money for Harris and other Democrats²⁰ that Carlson routinely blasts. She'll kick off M&M's new commercials - where else? - during the Super Bowl, which Mars says were already in the works. Looking forward to Carlson's postgame analysis. Last night, Carlson took a victory lap of sorts. He couldn't help but take advantage of one last chance to own the libs.

David Folkenflik, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 saucy   

adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的

参考例句：

• He was saucy and mischievous when he was working.他工作时总爱调皮捣蛋。
• It was saucy of you to contradict your father.你顶撞父亲，真是无礼。

5 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

6 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

7 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。

8 swapped   

交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来）

参考例句：

• I liked her coat and she liked mine, so we swapped. 我喜欢她的外套，她喜欢我的外套，于是我们就交换了。
• At half-time the manager swapped some of the players around. 经理在半场时把几名队员换下了场。

9 sneaks   

abbr.sneakers (tennis shoes) 胶底运动鞋（网球鞋）v.潜行( sneak的第三人称单数 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状

参考例句：

• Typhoid fever sneaks in when sanitation fails. 环境卫生搞不好，伤寒就会乘虚而入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Honest boys scorn sneaks and liars. 诚实的人看不起狡诈和撒谎的人。 来自辞典例句

10 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

11 notch   

n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级

参考例句：

• The peanuts they grow are top-notch.他们种的花生是拔尖的。
• He cut a notch in the stick with a sharp knife.他用利刃在棒上刻了一个凹痕。

12 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

13 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

14 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

15 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

16 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

17 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

19 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

20 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》