Candy company Mars has announced a deal with music label Universal Music Group to make limited edition M&M’s that feature select Bored Apes and Mutant Apes avatars.
Candy company Mars has sealed a licensing deal with Universal Music Group’s (UMG) 10:22OM label that will see a few Bored Apes and Mutant Apes images printed on M&M’s chocolate candies. The prints will be based on characters from Kingship, a virtual band composed of avatars from the Bored Ape Yacht Club and Mutant Ape Yacht Club NFT projects.
“Consumers’ expectations for what they want from their favorite 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,” said Mars Wrigley Global Vice President Jane Hwang, in a press release.
Melt in Your Mouth Bored Apes
The permissive commercialization rights that have been granted to Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFT holders allow them to use their NFT images on almost everything, from clothing to toys and alcohol labels to restaurants. This time, the same rights will see selected avatars from BAYC and MAYC printed on limited edition M&M’s candies.
The select avatars are from Kingship, a Metaverse band formed in November of last year that features BAYC and MAYC NFTs owned by Jimmy “j1mmy” McNelis, an investor and businessman. Kingship follows in the footsteps of Gorillaz, a famous virtual band.
The founder of Universal Music Group’s 10:22PM label, Celine Joshua, formed Kingship and based its characters on illustrations of Bored Apes. The label is now writing original music for the Metaverse band that will be played in concerts in the Metaverse space.
A page on M&M’s website is dedicated to Kingship, and there it explains what the Metaverse band stands for. According to the website, Kingship “is all about inclusivity and paying homage to rock ‘n’ roll legends.” They have a “rider,” which is a list of stuff that members of the band request to have backstage, and as you may have rightly assumed, it always includes all colors of M&M’s chocolate candies.
The collaboration between Mars and UMG is in honor of Kingship’s rider. Three limited edition products will be released, and these feature all six M&M colors custom printed with Kingship group members Captain, King, Arnell, and Hud.
First Dibs on Bored Apes M&M’s
Kingship has made its own NFT “key cards,” granting holders exclusive access and benefits. Only NFT owners got first dibs on the Bored Apes M&M’s.
As part of the deal between Mars and UMG, the candy company has released limited quantities of M&M’s chocolate candies that feature Bored Apes images and Kingship iconography. Mars will sell a total of 10,000 candy packages spread between gift boxes and jars.
The Bored Apes have given rise to follow-up and spin-off NFT projects that have collectively generated over $5.6 billion in secondary trading.
And while Yuga Labs nor the BAYC NFT brand, in general, are not involved in this M&M deal, it’s safe to assume that 10:22PM did them good with this endeavor. Through the permissive commercialization rights that Bored Ape NFT holders acquired upon purchase of their digital assets, they were given the right to use their owned images any way they please.
As already mentioned, McNelis owns the four Bored Apes used as inspiration for the members of the Kingship Metaverse band. McNelis signed his four Bored Apes to Joshua’s 10:22PM record label through a licensing agreement; thus, Kingship was born, giving way to this collaboration with Mars.
This isn’t the only time Bored Apes have made a big splash in the music scene. Producer and musician Timbaland has already released music with his Bored Ape avatar as inspiration. He also launched a record label for other artists to do the same.
Renowned rappers Eminem and Snoop Dogg have also released a music video featuring their Bored Apes, which they premiered during ApeFest 2022.
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