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."
MORE: Happy Birthday Oreo! We're celebr-eating with this dad's creative cookie designs and recipesThe 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.
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 pic.twitter.com/VFnEFod4Zp
— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020
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.
Thanks for love, buds. This is all pretty heavy. https://t.co/UvAorqNMY0
— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020
Food-based vehicles till the end of time. Thank you, @OscarMayer 💛 https://t.co/LpweOUWRJz
— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020
We can't think of a butter tribute, thank you @Skippy. #RIPeanut https://t.co/JYA9HheyOp
— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020
While the shock of his death still stings, we appreciate the love 💛 https://t.co/6uI4OBY97R
— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020
Oh, yeah 😭... #RIPeanut pic.twitter.com/zdc0NCxQmN
— Kool-Aid (@koolaid) January 22, 2020
Bean recognizes bean. Thank you @Sabra, we'll get through this. https://t.co/nsd9g62A7Q
— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020
No, he's dead. Thank you for checking in though. https://t.co/uZNNHEMZXl
— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020
Who else is feeling like a shell of a human? #RIPeanut
— SHAKE SHACK (@shakeshack) January 22, 2020
There's nuttin' he loved more than spending a day at the track with his friends. https://t.co/fhlcwSXMcq
— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020
Gone too quik. https://t.co/Vv9ghCsCsT
— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020
Help us give a 21 dunk salute to our nutty and sweet friend #RIPeanut
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) January 22, 2020
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🥛 https://t.co/XdG0MoRUCr
Our hearts are feeling the burn today from the loss of our favorite nut man mascot @MrPeanut. #RIPeanut
— TUMS (@TUMSOfficial) January 22, 2020
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.
MORE: Here are all the Super Bowl LIII ads people are talking about"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."
