[22][23], Explaining the intent of the campaign, a spokesman for Planters's advertising agency cited the examples of superhero deaths in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for how such a death could connect with viewers and potential customers. Kraft Foods, the parent of Planters Peanuts, introduced the new ad on the Internet Tuesday. LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Robert Downey Jr. has traded his metal suit for a peanut shell. Editing by Zorianna Kit Beyond his role as Mr. Peanut, Downey Jr. is also pitchman for car company Nissan. They eventually resumed the campaign with the Super Bowl commercial, which showed Snipes and Walsh presiding over the funeral of Mr. Peanut, also attended by fellow mascots Kool-Aid Man and Mr. Clean. [20], Since the premiere of the commercial, the Planters Twitter account has been used to make posts in-character as Baby Nut. [14][15][16], On January 22, 2020, Planters released a teaser for its Super Bowl LIV commercial featuring Mr. Peanut, Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh. [4] While Gentile's family originally received five dollars for winning the contest, Obici befriended them and paid Antonio’s, and four of his siblings', way through college. (Downey is also the announcer in commercials for Nissan North America). Plans are to show it later in movie theaters and on television. He is reportedly of British heritage and has the proper name of Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe. Throwing a great party is easy, says Mr. Peanut in a tone reminiscent of Tony Stark. In 2006, Planters conducted an online contest to determine whether to add a bow tie, cufflinks, or a pocketwatch to Mr. Peanut. While Gentile's family originally received five dollars for winning the contest, Ob… [6][7], By the mid-1930s, the raffish figure had come to symbolize the entire peanut industry. That’s when Richard barges in. The “Iron Man” actor stars in a new commercial as the voice of the iconic Planters Peanuts mascot, Mr. Peanut. Mr. Peanut was the advertising logo and mascot of Planters, an American snack-food company and division of Kraft Heinz based in Chicago, Illinois. [9], While the character's television commercials were often accompanied by an accented narrator, Mr. Peanut never had dialogue. Mr Peanut used to be yellow, but the incarnation voiced by Downey Jr. is brown. The character is voiced by Kevin Dillon. It’s the first time the anthropomorphic nut with a top hat, monocle and cane has ever spoken. Mr Peanut used to be yellow, but the incarnation voiced by Downey Jr. is brown. After Obici paid Antonio's way through medical school, he became a doctor in Newport News, where he died of a heart attack in 1939. Mr. Peanut was created in 1916 after Planters Peanuts held a contest to create a logo and a 14-year-old boy drew a nut with human features. Mr. Peanut has appeared on almost every Planters package and advertisement. [13], In 2018, Mr. Peanut was once again revamped, albeit for the first time since 2009, he became speechless again. The trio were shown hanging onto a branch after accidentally driving the Nutmobile off a cliff to avoid an armadillo, with Mr. Peanut electing to let go and fall to his death onto the Nutmobile, which then explodes. [17][18][19], Planters suspended the campaign shortly after the 2020 Calabasas helicopter crash which resulted in the death of everyone on board the flight, including former NBA player Kobe Bryant on January 26. [26], "The father of Mr. Peanut - The Suffolk News-Herald", "Planters History of the Planter Nut: Timeline", "Mr. Peanut Now Selling Planters Peanut Butter", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRM4r1DRk3o, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fvJzELX19E, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdblnG7JAe8, "Planters really has killed off Mr. Peanut, with a funeral planned for the Super Bowl", "Mr. Peanut Is Killed in Teaser for Planters Super Bowl Ad", "Super Bowl commercials 2020: Mr. Peanut dies and Bill Nye makes a green plea", "Here's How Mr. Peanut Was Resurrected During the Super Bowl", "Twitter boots Planters' Baby Nut meme accounts for violating its rules", "Baby Nut or Baby Yoda? Mr. Peanut has been a Super Bowl commercial staple in recent years, with the character making a push into pop culture a decade or so ago when Robert Downey Jr. began voicing him for TV ads. The ad introduces a smaller, sidekick peanut who is attending the party with guests that include a turtle and a grasshopper. Beyond his role as Mr. Peanut, Downey Jr. is also pitchman for car company Nissan. More recent commercials have shown him stop motion animated in a real-world setting. In 1916, a young schoolboy, Antonio Gentile, submitted drawings of an anthropomorphic peanut to a design contest. Just serve classy snacks and be a gracious host, “no matter who shows up.”. You might want to sit down for this one: Mr. Peanut now has a voice and it belongs to Tony Stark aka Robert Downey Jr… The company's social media outlets stated that his funeral would be the subject of Planters' Super Bowl ad. Neither Planters' history nor other sources still in circulation positively identify the artist. He’s a nutcracker. Mr. Peanut has appeared in many TV commercials as an animated cartoon character. It also retweeted posts from several Baby Nut meme accounts created before the ad aired, prompting Twitter to suspend them under the presumption that they were created by the company's agency to manipulate the platform in violation of its terms of use. He is depicted as an anthropomorphic peanut in its shell dressed in the formal clothing of an old-fashioned gentleman: top hat, monocle, white gloves, spats, and a cane. [3] After Gentile's design was chosen, the commercial artist Andrew S. Wallach added the monocle, top hat, and cane to create the iconic image. Watch: Robert Downey Jr. Is Mr. Peanut In New Commercial. [11], On July 1, 2013, Planters cast comedian and Saturday Night Live alumnus Bill Hader as the voice for a campaign focusing on its Planters Nut-rition product line. On November 8, 2010, Planters announced that actor Robert Downey Jr. would become Mr. Peanut's first-ever voice actor. This year is so strange that the Planters character is now 21", "A shellebration turns salty: Why #BlockMrPeanut is trending", "Mr. Peanut's lasting impact on Vancouver", Planters.com: History of the Planters Nut, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mr._Peanut&oldid=991053761, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The artist Vincent Trasov, dressed as Mr. Peanut, ran as a, This page was last edited on 28 November 2020, at 00:49. [5], There is a disputed claim that Frank P. Krize Sr., a Wilkes-Barre artist and head of the Suffolk plant, made the additions of the monocle, top hat and cane. Peanut. Planters' Super Bowl commercial sparks debate", "The internet wants to grind Baby Nut into peanut butter for Baby Yoda", "Planters ad agency VaynerMedia explains why they killed off Mr. Peanut", "Remember Baby Nut? In 1916, a young schoolboy, Antonio Gentile, submitted drawings of an anthropomorphic peanut to a design contest. However, Kool-Aid Man's tears combined with sunlight cause a new, younger incarnation of Mr. Peanut, dubbed "Baby Nut", to grow from the soil. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni. After Gentile's design was chosen, the commercial artist Andrew S. Wallach added the monocle, top hat, and cane to create the iconic image. The public voted for no change. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. [21], The campaign faced a mixed reaction from viewers, while comparisons were drawn between the character and other juvenile incarnations of characters seen in media, such as "Baby Yoda" of The Mandalorian, and Groot. He is now one of the best-known icons in advertising history.[8]. Planters Peanut Company was founded in 1906, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, by Amedeo Obiciand was incorporated two years later as the Planters Nut and Chocolate Company.