"It is with heavy hearts that we confirm that Mr. Peanut has died at 104. In the ultimate selfless act, he sacrificed himself to save his friends when they needed him most. Please pay your respects with #RIPeanut." That's the official word from the Twitter account of Mr. Peanut's "estate," and a rep for Planters—for whom Mr. Peanut has served as the mascot since 1916—confirms the news to Ad Age. "It’s with heavy hearts that we confirm Mr. Peanut has passed away at 104 years old. He will be remembered as the legume who always brought people together for nutty adventures and a good time." If all of this seems really baffling and odd to you, her next line will explain it all: "We encourage fans to tune in to Mr. Peanut’s funeral during the third quarter of the Super Bowl to celebrate his life."
Yes, Mr. Peanut was killed in a pregame advertisement in which he took a road trip in his Nutmobile with Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh and ended up giving his life to save them. "He died doing what he did best – having people’s backs when they needed him most," the estate tweeted. Viewers were initially led to believe Tuesday that the commercial was the actual Super Bowl ad, leaked early, but Planters has since confirmed it's a pregame ad and that the in-game commercial will feature the mascot's funeral, allowing the world to "mourn the loss of the beloved legume together." Apparently the ad campaign is working; Complex reports that after Mr. Peanut's death was first announced, he was the No. 1 and No. 2 trending topics on Twitter. (More Super Bowl ads stories.)
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