Mars partners with ‘NFT supergroup’ Kingship for limited-edition M&M’s
NFT apes on candy? It was only a matter of time.
The members of Kingship loves M&M’s so much that they printed their faces on them. / Kingship
Mars, International is collaborating with Kingship – a band comprised of NFT apes – to release limited-edition boxes of M&M’s. The partnership is being launched in a nod to Kingship’s tour rider, “which always includes M&M’s candies of all colors,” according to a press release.
A ’tour rider’, or backstage rider, is essentially a list of terms that an artist presents to a venue before they perform. There have been some famously high-maintenance tour riders from A-list performers over the years; Van Halen, for example, was reportedly known for requesting a bowl of M&M’s with all of the brown ones removed. Rihanna apparently demands an animal-print rug for her dressing room.
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“For decades, rock bands notoriously insisted on tour riders to satisfy talent requests for specific backstage beverages, snacks and accommodations,” Kingship said in the press release. “Mars’s iconic candies – including world famous M&M’s – have been included in some of the most discerning requests from some of rock’n’roll’s most illustrious legends.”
The new, limited-edition candies have been imprinted with the faces of Kingship’s four members – three Bored Apes and one Mutant Ape – as well as the band’s logo and typeface. They will come intermixed with the classic ’M’-imprinted candies.
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Kingship – which was created by 10:22PM, a next-gen web3 label owned by Universal Music Group – is apparently known for requesting M&M’s as part of their tour riders. (Unlike Van Halen, they apparently don’t discriminate with regards to the color of the candies.)
The new partnership with Kingship is being positioned by Mars as an extension of the brand’s ongoing efforts to build in the burgeoning web3 space. ”Consumers’ expectations for what they want from their favorite brands has shifted and, at Mars, we know we need to be more innovative than ever with such a culturally famous brand like M&M’s,” said Jane Hwang, global vice-president at Mars Wrigley, in a statement. ”We’re excited to continue our Mars foray into the metaverse through this partnership with 10:22PM and Kingship as a way to engage our fans in a new and exciting space.”
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4,000 limited-edition boxes will be released in total, including 100 ’gold’ editions. 6,000 additional ’gift jars’ have also been released in the US.
Holders of the Kingship Key Card NFTs received early notification about, and access to, the new limited-edition products.
Earlier this year, Kingship purchased another Bored Ape NFT – called Noët All – for a little under $361,000 to “manage” the band.
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