M&Ms Releases Bored Ape Candy

For all their popularity in the NFT space, the Bored Ape Yacht Club has fully leveraged its imagery for licensing. We’ve seen the Bored Apes partner with Casetify, release a limited edition Rolling Stone cover, and are even being turned into themed restaurants. 

But now, we are getting one of the more unusual and perhaps the tastiest Bored Ape collaboration yet; M&Ms. It was announced on August 25, 2022, that the Bored Ape Club will be appearing on some limited edition M&M sweets. This is thanks to a collaboration between the  Universal Music Group and the Yuga Labs-founded IP. 

Eat the Ape 

As the official press release for the product explains, this is being done specifically with ‘Kingship’ a virtual band that is made up of several Bored and Mutant Ape characters. All the NFTs that make up the band are owned by businessman Jimmy “j1mmy” McNelis. 

Since the band was formed, a digital presence has been created for them and there are even plans in place to create music to be released under the Kingship name. Now, the M&M sweets are being launched in honour of their rider. 

Within rock and music culture, a rider is a list of items that an artist or band asks to have backstage at shows. The Kingship specifically requests M&Ms and this is the basis of the collaboration. 

“To honor their rider, M&M’S® is releasing 3 limited edition products. These exclusive packs include all 6 colors of M&M’S®, custom printed candies with KINGSHIP™ group members Captain, KING, Arnell and Hud,” the product page says. 

The candies to be released include a limited edition gold 100 gift box (which is sold out as of the time of writing), a limited edition celebratory gift box, and a limited edition gift jar. 

Those who already held one of the band’s NFT key cards had priority access to buying the M&Ms and will likely enjoy similar perks when more collaborations come out. 

This is an example of not only a limited edition item from M&Ms but also a fusion of two brands that have a solid place in popular culture. 

“Consumers’ expectations for what they want from their favourite brands [have] shifted, and at Mars, we know we need to be more innovative than ever with such a culturally famous brand like M&M’s,” says Mars Wrigley Global Vice President Jane Hwang about the announcement. 

Ape in the Wild

This is yet another example of a Bored Ape owner leveraging their IP with a popular brand to offer a unique product to fans. It is, of course, something we can expect to see even more of these moving forward. 

Ultimately, this benefits the consumers who love collections like the Bored Ape Club. for those who already have Bored Apes, this is a way to further indulge in them and perhaps inspiration to leverage their own assets. For those who don’t or can’t afford to buy a Bored Ape, it is a way to participate without breaking the bank.