Skittles' new packaging has some calling to boycott candy company
A closeup of a bowl of Skittles which are kept on the sidelines for running back Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Seattle Seahawks during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field on December 24, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Ot
Skittles candy, which has the slogan, "Taste the rainbow," is the latest company to take heat from consumers because of new packaging that has the phrase, "Black Trans Lives Matter."
Some consumers are now calling to boycott the candy company for its "woke" approach to support the LGBTQ community.
Skittles is a product from the Wrigley Company, which is a division of Mars, Inc.
When visiting Skittles.com, the top of the page has a clickable option titled, "SKITTLES Pride," and when clicked, the animation says, "There’s a story in every rainbow."
"We’ve given up our rainbow so that the LGBTQ+ community can share theirs," the company says. "This Pride Month, we’re amplifying stories within the LGBTQ+ community for all to discover. We begin by showcasing the designs of five talented artists on our SKITTLES Pride Packs, each with their own story to tell."
Five newly designed candy wrappers are on display below, all celebrating pride.
The company swapped the rainbow-colored packaging for LGBTQ-friendly designs created in collaboration with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
This was the fourth year Skittles partnered with the organization.
One of the new package designs has the sun and the moon walking on a rainbow while holding hands, and another has the word "PRIDE" in multiple colors, a mouth with the rainbow pouring out of it, and the words, "bi, ace, lesbian, queer, trans and gay."
But the packaging raising the biggest concern has a few kids on skateboards riding on a halfpipe with the phrases "skate & live," "joy is resistance," and "black trans lives matter" written on it.
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"@Skittles is trying to turn your kids into BLM & LGBTQ+ activists," one online user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Libs of TikTok. "Their packaging also features a drag queen."
Another user posted, "Stop buying Skittles asap," while another said, "Go woke go broke. Time to boycott Skittles."
X user @RWMaloneMD posted, "Read that label carefully - ‘Black Trans lives Matter’ is the middle of a cartoon playground full of kids on the package. This is marketing aimed at children. Skittles are produced and marketed by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, In. It isn’t ‘just’ the brand that is at fault, it is the company. That would be Mars."
Fox News Digital reached out to Mars, Inc. for a statement but did t immediately hear back.
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While many protested the campaign, others were not as concerned.
"To be fair, their slogan is "taste the rainbow," one X user wrote.
Still, some called for Skittles to be given "the ol’ Budweiser treatment."
In April, trans activist Dylan Mulvaney posted to social media that the beer company sent packs of Bud Light featuring the influencer’s face to celebrate a full year of "girlhood" that Mulvaney had reached.
Mulvaney, a biological male, had been openly tracking and celebrating the first full year of identifying as a woman.
The partnership between Bud Light and Mulvaney drew harsh criticism from conservatives on social media, including singer Kid Rock, who posted a video online using Bud Light cans for target practice.
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"F--- Bud Light and f--- Anheuser-Busch!" Kid Rock said in the video.
Since then, Bud Light’s year-to-date sales have dropped 14.5% on a dollar basis and 18.8% in volume, leading other beer brands to capitalize on the situation.