They Do Exist: What Year Did The M&M's Fainting Santa Commercial Originally Air?
The question of when the holiday season begins is a debate as old as consumerism itself. Some say the season starts November 1st. Others would argue that seasonal cheer is ushered in after Thanksgiving ends or when holiday movies begin popping up on TV and streaming services. Real ones know that the true beginning of the holiday season is marked by the airing of one specific commercial from the '90s: M&M's original ad known as "Faint."
Created by the advertising agency BBDO and debuting in 1996, "Faint" is a fifteen-second broadcast spot that tells a simple story. A regular M&M and a peanut M&M — colloquially known as Red and Yellow — walk into a living room to set out a bowl of Christmas-colored M&Ms for Santa. Yellow asks Red if he thinks Santa will like them, and Red responds, "I don't know, I never met the guy." At this point, Santa — who is already in the room setting up gifts — turns around, and the three spot each other. Santa and Red are so freaked out upon realizing that the other exists that they both faint, leaving Yellow alone.
As far as comedy ads go, this one is concise, funny, and intensely nostalgic after airing for almost three decades. The casting has held up too: Red is voiced by "Futurama" actor Billy West, Yellow is voiced by Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons and the role of Santa Claus is played by American stage actor Robert Machray.
Over two decades later, M&M's created a sequel to their beloved ad
The original "Faint" ad ended on a cliffhanger — so 21 years after it first premiered, the company decided to share how the story ended. Released on November 29, 2017, and dubbed "Faint 2: A Very Yellow Sequel," this collaboration between CLM BBDO in France and BBDO New York starts with Yellow realizing that with Santa and Red unconscious, it's up to him to save Christmas.
Yellow does his best to fill Santa's boots, but his work as a peanut M&M has not prepared him for this level of seasonal pressure. He struggles to operate Santa's sleigh, delivers presents to the wrong recipients, and unintentionally creates Christmas chaos wherever he goes. Santa awakens and is aghast at what he sees, leaving Yellow concerned that he ruined Christmas. But as strangers spill out of their homes to deliver the misplaced gifts to their rightful owners, it becomes clear that Yellow has, as Red points out, made Christmas even better.
"Faint 2" premiered during the Christmas Tree Lighting Broadcast from Rockefeller Center, another long-standing holiday tradition. The first tree lighting ceremony took place in 1933, and the ceremony began broadcasting on national TV in 1951. A few days after the ad's initial release, Mars told TODAY Food in a statement that the company was "Excited to check off a gift that's been on our fans' 'wish list' for more than 20 years: an ending to the iconic 'Faint' commercial. We want to bring everyone together with M&Ms once again this holiday season by highlighting the true meaning of Christmas for a new generation of fans."