Tributes pour in for Mr. Peanut ahead of iconic legume's funeral at the Super Bowl
After Planters announced the tragic death of their beloved monocle and top hat-wearing peanut, tributes from other brands, celebrities and fans poured in for the fancy personified nut.
"It’s with heavy hearts that we confirm Mr. Peanut has passed away at 104 years old," Samantha Hess, Planters brand manager at Kraft Heinz said in a statement. "He will be remembered as the legume who always brought people together for nutty adventures and a good time. We encourage fans to tune in to Mr. Peanut's funeral during the third quarter of the Super Bowl to celebrate his life."
The news came by way of an ad, featuring Matt Walsh and Wesley Snipes, as they drove through a canyon and Mr. Peanut plunged to his explosive death after a single car accident in the nutmobile.
From Skippy and StarKist to Budweiser and Oscar Mayer, brands banded together on social media during the dark time that left many feeling like "a shell of a human," as Shake Shack wrote.
The responses from the brand on Twitter were filled with peanuts, puns and fond memories of the beloved snack spokesman.
Nestle Toll House said "peanut butter cookies will never be the same," while Butterfinger tweeted out "he was the crispety to our crunchety. #RIPeanut, old friend."
The relentless online chatter immediately skyrocketed the hashtag RIPeanut to the number one trend on Twitter Wednesday and the commercial is currently the number three trending video on YouTube.
AdWeek deputy editor Diana Pearl told ABC News that the brand's publicity got people talking well over a week in advance of the Super Bowl.
"He's an icon and people love him because he's been around for 104 years," she said. "So to see him die on the world's biggest stage, it being the Super Bowl, is huge."
Vaynermedia, the agency Panters used to create the ad, executed the stunt perfectly, experts said.
"Brands like to do things to drum up attention. They like to get people talking, especially when you make as big of an investment as you make with a Super Bowl ad," Pearl explained. "It's something that you want to capitalize on and keep people talking about it for much longer than just the 30 seconds in which the ad airs."
