The Bored Apes Want Their Choco Fix
M&M’s Releases NFT-Inspired Candy
A licensing deal between Mars and music label UMG means Bored Ape NFT images are now printed on M&M’s chocolate candies.
Bored Ape Yacht Club owners have exercised their permissive commercialization rights to turn their Ethereum NFT imagery into everything from apparel to toys, alcohol packaging, and restaurants. But now you can actually eat a few Bored Apes via limited-edition M&M’s. Let the choco fever commence!
Candy brand Mars today announced that it has signed a deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) label 10:22PM to create limited edition M&M’s based on Kingship, its virtual band made up of Bored Ape Yacht Club and Mutant Ape Yacht Club avatars.
Jane Hwang, global vice president at Mars Wrigley, says that the company wants to be “more innovative than ever.”
Mars, the American manufacturer of confectionery, has announced the release of a new limited edition of M&M’s themed after the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection. It will contain pictures of the members of the KINGSHIP metaverse band, which was formed in early November. The band, which is backed by music industry giant Universal Music Group, is comprised of four characters that come from the Bored-and-Mutant Yacht Club NFT universes. Notably, each band member is supposed to have a unique personality.
In July, the “NFT supergroup” launched its first NFT collection, which ended up being a success in spite of unfavorable market conditions. In April, Coinbase announced that it had started producing animated short films that revolve around the Bored Ape franchise. “The Degen Trilogy,” the first part of the project, premiered in June.
KINGSHIP™, the NFT supergroup created by 10:22PM™, consisting of three Bored Apes and one Mutant Ape, today announced they will appear on limited edition boxes of M&M'S® in honor of KINGSHIP's mythological tour rider containing required backstage items, which always includes M&M'S candies of all colors.
Music critics and operations experts have debated the rationale for decades – was it rock n' roll extravagance? Or were the clauses a brilliant way for artists to quickly check if they were playing a buttoned-up venue with detail-oriented management?
In all cases, M&M'S were involved and necessary accessories to some of the greatest moments in rock history. KINGSHIP — Captain, KING, Arnell and Hud — are seriously smart and of discerning taste, making sure to request bowls of colorful M&M'S within their precious show rider. But were they checking to see if the venue can follow directions? Or did they just need the taste of delicious morsels of fun ahead of their concert?