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Mr. Peanut, Beloved Advertising Icon, Killed In Fiery Explosion While Saving Friends
Mr. Peanut lived to the ripe old age of 104 and will be honored during the Super Bowl.
Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe is dead at the age of 104 and the world may well go nuts because of it.
While his proper birth name may not ring a bell, you've certainly come into contact with the beloved British gentleman before. Nicknamed Mr. Peanut, the walking, talking nut was known for representing snack company Planters. Despite the negative connotations associated with the phrase "nuts," Mr. Peanut was always determined to maintain an aura of elegance, wearing an ensemble consisting of a black top hat, gloves, and a monocle, well, all the time.
How did the centenarian Mr. Peanut meet his timely end?
Planters confirmed in a tweet, "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."
And who are these co-called friends? Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh, apparently. A pre-Super Bowl ad reveals the three were driving in the NUTmobile when they had to swerve to avoid an animal and ended up pitching over a cliff. They managed to escape the car and cling to a branch for safety, but then the branch, their one tether to survival, started to crack. The end for all seemed imminent. Luckily, Mr. Peanut, that brave, brave, brave ... legume ... looked death in the eyes and seemingly thought, "I'm not afraid."
He selflessly let go of the branch to give the pair a chance at life, plummeting to his own demise. The car he landed next to then blew up, causing a massive fireball, ensuring Mr. Peanut was nothing more than a roasted snack.
Happily, Planters has confirmed Mr. Peanut's legions of fans will be able to mourn the fallen hero properly, as his funeral will be aired on Planters' Super Bowl commercial.
"I'll do my best to honor his legacy and be there for my friends like he was always there for me even until our last wild ride together," Walsh said in a statement obtained by NBC News. (Least he can do, considering he avoided that fiery demise and all.)
The Super Bowl will air on Feb. 2, and Planters' funeral for Mr. Peanut will air during a commercial in the third quarter of the game.
