If you've watched tv during the holiday season during the last thirty years, chances are you've stumbled upon the Hershey's Kisses holiday commercial. If you haven't, the holiday ad features Hershey Kisses acting like Christmas bells ringing out "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in the shape of a Christmas tree. Standing up to the test of time (like the Coca-Cola polar bears and M&M's seeing Santa), the Hershey's kisses Christmas ad is timeless and reminds many of great holiday memories. But this year some people are getting upset because the Hershey Kisses Christmas commercial has had a makeover.
Hershey's Kisses New Christmas Commercial Upsets Many
Instead of the commercial focusing on the stop-motion animation of the candy, the new version named "Bells to Blossoms" cuts the performance short as a little girl grabs one of the Hershey kisses bells and places it in a peanut butter cookie (hello peanut butter blossoms!), showcasing how important the candy is in holiday baking and holiday tradition.
That Hershey Kisses commercial that comes on during the holidays was just on, and I got excited. Then a hand grabbed one of the Kisses. pic.twitter.com/NxLLjpkiud
— Adam (@AKaun6899) November 23, 2020
When the commercial aired for the first time back in November, candy enthusiasts took to social media to show their distaste. The Hershey company even released a statement about the new ad with The Today Show:
We made the decision to make a slight update to the original that kept the opening holiday melodies and incorporated another holiday tradition, baking—melding together these two time-honored traditions. From playing the bells to baking peanut butter blossoms, it's Hershey's Kisses that have stood the test of time. For viewers who love the original version—don't worry, it hasn't gone away for forever. Our hope this season is that our updated version not only harkens back memories of the original Kisses bells tune but also brings the genuine feeling of heartwarming to life with images of holiday baking between a father and daughter.
They also released another statement sharing that the original ad will be played as well as the new ad.
Our Kisses Bells commercial marks the arrival of the holiday season. This year, we kicked off the season airing the original version of the ad on November 9th before introducing our new Kisses holiday ad "Bells to Blossoms" on November 23rd. Our newest ad incorporates the original holiday melodies and another holiday tradition, baking - melding together two time-honored traditions. From playing the bells to baking peanut butter blossoms, it's Hershey's Kisses that have stood the test of time.
For viewers who love our original - don't worry, we'll be running both holiday ads this season. Keep your eyes peeled for our classic and iconic Bells spot as well as the newest "Bells to Blossoms".