When it comes to candy cliffhangers, it turns out that it's never too late to come out with a sequel. An iconic M&M's holiday commercial from 1996 is now being revived, and Mars just delivered the answer to one of life's greatest mysteries ... 21 years later.
You know the one: On Christmas Eve, Red and Yellow (personified M&M's characters) happen upon Santa Claus coming down the chimney. Red, also known as the plain M&M, sees Santa and immediately pass out proclaiming, "He does exist!" But Santa, apparently overwhelmed by talking candy, also passes out, exclaiming, "They do exist!"
Take a moment first to reacquaint yourself with the 1996 original:
But did you ever wonder what happened to Santa and Red after the fainted? Were the hospitalized? Did anyone get to eat any Christmas cookies? And what happened to all of those presents in Santa's sleigh?
Twenty-one years later, Mars has given us all the answers:>
Spoiler alert: After Santa passes out, Yellow declares, "I have to save Christmas!" and finishes Santa's route, frantically tossing gifts out of the sleigh, alarming elves back at mission control ("Get me Santa!" one demands).
After Santa and Red come to, they find out (via the elves from Santa's smart phone — it is 2017, after all), that the presents went to the wrong people. All is well, however, when everyone comes out from their homes to exchange the gifts with their neighbors, thus bringing people even closer together.
Because it is the Internet, people already have things to say about the follow-up spot.
One YouTube commenter pointed out, if the story is picking up from that 1990s moment, "why does Santa suddenly have a smart phone?"
Ok, good question, but to be fair, the commercial has been airing forever, which is why the original feels more recent than it really is.
But spotting the ad, which debuted during the Christmas Tree Lighting broadcast from Rockefeller Center, is sure to make an M&Ms fan's day:
So why come out with a sequel now?
"We’re 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,” Michael Magee, vice president of growth acceleration for Mars, told TODAY Food in a statement.
“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.”
We're pretty excited to see this holiday mystery come to a sweet end.