Famed Planters mascot Mr. Peanut has been officially declared dead following a tragic Super Bowl ad in which the animated nut gets in a car accident with actors Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh. While taking a road trip, Wesley, Matt, and Mr Peanut cruise through a narrow road on the edge of a cliff in the NUTmobile. After an armadillo blocks their path, Mr. Peanut instinctually swerves the vehicle, and the trio must escape the danger. They fly off the cliff before each grabbing hold of the same hanging tree branch that immediately begins flattering under their combined weight. Wesley and Matt insist he doesn't, but Mr. Peanut makes the decision to sacrifice himself in order to save his two friends, releasing his grip and falling to his death. He lands on the crashed NUTmobile, which promptly explodes and results in Mr. Peanut's death.
While the ad (and Mr. Peanut, for that matter) is obviously fictional, Planters brand manager at Kraft Heinz, Samantha Hess, confirmed the official death of the beloved snack food character in a statement. “It’s with heavy hearts that we confirm Mr. Peanut has passed away at 104 years old,” she stated. “He will be remembered as the legume who always brought people together for nutty adventures and a good time." The Estate of Mr Peanut echoed these sentiments in a tweet, writing, "In the ultimate selfless act, he sacrificed himself to save his friends when they needed him most. Please pay your respects with #RIPeanut."
According to Hess, fans can "tune into Mr. Peanut's funeral" during the third quarter of the Super Bowl on February 2nd when Planters' full ad will premiere. Matt Walsh also released a statement about his fallen friend, saying, "I'll do my best to honour his legacy and be there for my friends like he was always there for me even until our last wild ride together." He also encouraged viewers to "pay their last respects" during the Super Bowl. However, Mr. Peanut has a surprising amount of die hard fans, and many have already begun publicly mourning the loss of the nutty icon.
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Even the official Mr. Clean Twitter account joined in.
Some are refusing to pay their respects to the late nut because of what they believe Mr. Peanut represents.
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Many Twitter users are simply not buying the events of his demise, instead choosing to believe that Mr. Peanut was murdered by the government in the vein of the conspiracy theories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's reported suicide.
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Make sure to tune into the Super Bowl on February 2nd to watch Mr. Peanut's funeral, and some football, of course.