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

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."

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.

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.

Leadership

7 Telltale Signs of a Weak Leader

Whether a bully or a people pleaser who can't tell hard truths, poor leadership takes many forms.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

'Everyone Can Profit From It': What Is DeepSeek? China's 'Cheap' to Make AI Chatbot Climbs to the Top of Apple, Google U.S. App Stores

DeepSeek researchers claim it was developed for less than $6 million, a contrast to the $100 million it takes U.S. tech startups to create AI.

Business News

Elon Musk's DOGE Is Hiring People Eager to 'Work Long Hours' to Eliminate 'Waste, Fraud and Abuse' in the Government. Here's How to Apply.

The Department of Government Efficiency is hiring U.S. citizens to help cut spending and headcounts in the federal government.

Business News

'I Love Doing Product Reviews': Bill Gates Stepped Down from Microsoft in 2020, But Admits He Still Spends 15% of His Time Working at the Company

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gates also said he is still close with Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella.

Leadership

Strong Leaders Thrive in Complexity — Here Are 5 Leadership Level-Ups for 2025

Leadership isn't static. It's a journey of continual learning and evolution. Here are some lessons for leaders this year.