2020 Super Bowl Commercials: The Death Of Mr Peanut

UPDATE: In the wake of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant’s death, Planters is pausing their campaign involving the death of Mr Peanut. Their SuperBowl ad will still play in full, though, and will reportedly focus on Mr Peanut’s funeral. “We are saddened by this weekend’s news and Planters has paused all campaign activities, including paid media, and will evaluate next steps through a lens of sensitivity to those impacted by this tragedy,” the brand said in a statement.

The original story follows.

Tragedy has struck in the world of legumes. The world’s most iconic groundnut, Mr. Peanut, has died. Planters, the company that created the cane-wielding, top hat-wearing legume, confirmed his death on social media. He was 104.

Mr. Peanut died after the car he was driving–the Nutmobile–attempted to swerve to avoid an armadillo in the road. The snack pitchman was driving with Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh on the fateful day. The three found themselves dangling on a tree. Their combined weight was too great, and Mr. Peanut sacrificed himself to save his friends.

This is all recounted in a Super Bowl 2020 advertisement that Planters released early–check it out below, and stay tuned for more early Super Bowl 54 ads in the run up to the big day next month.

It seems unlikely that this is the end of the story–people are theorizing that Mr. Peanut somehow survived the fall and the ensuing explosion. Others believe Planters might be re-branding, with a new mascot to be announced during the Super Bowl.

What we do know is that Planters is paying big money for this ad campaign. Super Bowl broadcaster Fox is charging $5.6 million for 30 seconds of airtime during the Super Bowl. The game takes place on Sunday, February 2, and sees the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers do battle at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The Mr. Peanut mascot was created by 14-year-old Antonio Gentile in 1916 as part of a contest that Planters put on to create mascot for the up-and-coming peanut company.

Tributes for Mr. Peanut poured in from other popular food and entertainment brands following the announcement of his death.