A&W Root Beer Hysterically Trolls M&M's Over Mascot Retirement The company poked fun at M&M's decision to retire its "spokescandies" on Monday.

By Emily Rella Jan 25, 2023

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

M&M's made headlines earlier this week when the company announced that it would be "indefinitely" retiring its beloved "spokescandies" mascots in the wake of an uproar over a "women's empowerment" campaign and the changing of the mascots' outfits to make them more diverse.

Now, other companies are following suit. On the heels of M&M's reveal, A&W Restaurants made a cheeky announcement that its beloved mascot, Rooty the Great Root Bear, would no longer be pants-less — he'll now wear jeans.

In an almost word-for-word identical announcement, A&W joked that "even a mascot's lack of pants can be polarizing" and noted that though the bear would now be sporting jeans, he would still remain the company's spokesperson, as the company is confident that he will "continue to champion good food & good times for many years to come."

A message from A&W. pic.twitter.com/WGdF12TSyg
— A&W Restaurants (@awrestaurants) January 24, 2023

Later Wednesday afternoon, A&W admitted that the announcement was, in fact, a shtick and that the mascot would not be changing.

A&W fans and Twitter users joked with the brand upon reading the original Tweet.

I am enraged. A&W has gone woke and I will be boycotting the nones and nones of their restaurants in my area.

I WANT MY BEARS PANTSLESS JUST AS GOD CREATED THEM.

The sweater can stay, tho. God loves sweaters.
— insubordinate and churlish, disillusioned (@DisillusiondRev) January 25, 2023

A&W Restaurants said it would outfit mascot Rooty the Great Root Bear in a pair of jeans moving forward due to the "polarizing" nature of his lack of pants.

I think we can all feel safer now... pic.twitter.com/VgrpvHGWLj
— Back2Source (@NoLight4Me) January 25, 2023

Jeans?!!! At least do leggings
— carly (@fYLRAC) January 25, 2023

Upon M&M's announcement on Monday, the company told fans that the candy mascots would be replaced with comedian Maya Rudolph in what many were speculating was a setup for a Super Bowl commercial. The company did not comment on the rumors.

A&W Restaurants is a fast-food chain based in Kentucky, popularly known for its draft root beer and root beer floats.

There are currently about 600 locations operating in the U.S.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Most Popular

See all

Business News

'It's Extraordinary': This Is the Biggest Bet Google Is Making, According to Its Chief Investment Officer

Google CIO Ruth Porat revealed Google's biggest gamble.

By Sherin Shibu

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

By Amanda Breen

Business Process

How CEOs Can Take Control of Their Emails and Achieve Inbox Zero

Although there are many methodologies that leaders can use to manage their emails effectively, a consistent and thought-through process is the most effective way to systemize and respond to emails and is a step of stewardship for the effective leader.

By Ken Gosnell

Marketing

5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Giving a Presentation

Are you tired of enduring dull presentations? Over the years, I have compiled a list of common presentation mistakes and how to avoid them. Here are my top five tips.

By Cynthia Kay