M&M's New Name Will Convince You An Epic Super Bowl Ad Is Coming

It’s only been a few days since M&M’s put its original spokescandies on an “indefinite pause,” but the brand is already entering its new era. After announcing Maya Rudolph would be taking over as the new face of the brand on Jan. 23, the candy giant released a video on Jan. 26 featuring the superstar comedian — and it looks like she’s the new name of the brand, too. M&M’s is in the middle of a major rebrand, but the new name (and look) might just convince you an epic Super Bowl commercial is on the horizon.

The 15-second spot shows Rudolph sitting at a desk in an office that looks like it was lifted straight from your grandmother’s house in Florida. There’s also a taxidermy squirrel in the background, and a graphic with her name and the signifier “Lady Awesome,” which I’d like to believe are some kind of clues about the ad for the big game, but perhaps they’ll make more sense as the campaign unfolds. “Since we all love M&M’s — and let’s face it, me — it only makes sense that I’m renaming America’s favorite chocolate candies, Ma&Ya’s,” Rudolph says.

In the video, the newly crowned spokeswoman holds up a pack of Ma&Ya’s to reveal the company has swapped the spokescandies for Rudolph’s face on the packaging and has replaced the classic M&M’s logo to read “Ma&Ya’s.” There’s even a rendering of Rudolph’s face on the candies.

“It’s a play on my name,” Rudolph says at the end, in case that wasn’t clear in the course of the Green M&M erasure.

The teaser may be filled with potential clues for the upcoming Super Bowl commercial, but don’t expect the IG caption to give anything away. “Another cool change to your favorite candy,” it reads. M&M’s big change wasn’t a total surprise: The brand teased the logo swap on Jan. 25, but still, it’s a big change from the original spokescandies.

Before you write off the name change as another false Super Bowl stunt, you might want to check the Ma&Ya’s website first: They’re real, and the rebranded pack is available online for $4.99 while supplies last. On the package, the brand replaced the classic “M” stamp on the candies to “Ma” and “Ya,” and according to the website, every candy-coated chocolate features Rudolph’s face.

OK, the Ma&Ya’s do exist, but if all the change out of nowhere screams “Super Bowl commercial” to you, you might not be off track. Mars Wrigley CMO Gabrielle Wesley confirmed the brand’s return to the Super Bowl in December 2022, and shared that the spot will put the brand in “creative new territory.”

“We can't wait for our fans to see what's about to unfold,” Wesley said at the time.

An M&M’s spokesperson seemingly confirmed all will be answered on Feb. 12. “Maya Rudolph is starring in the upcoming M&M’S Super Bowl LVII commercial and the humorous lead-up campaign, where the joke is that the company has released our beloved spokescandies to explore outside interests,” a spokesperson told Elite Daily in an email. Some of those “passions” include the Orange M&M exploring meditation and the Yellow M&M pursuing a job as the new Snickers spokesperson.

In the meantime, fans have taken to Twitter to share their theories on how it’s all gonna go down:

Whether or not these predictions come true, it’s clear M&M’s has something sneaky up its sleeve for the 2023 Super Bowl. It looks like you’ll just have to wait to see the full spot on Feb. 12 to find out what’s going on — and probably keep an eye on the Ma&Ya’s socials leading up to the big game.