Super Bowl 2020: Planters pauses 'Mr Peanut is dead' ad campaign after Kobe Bryant's death

Superbowl pre-game commercial wherein the Planters brand mascot 'Mr Peanut' gets killed after falling from a cliff has been put on hold following the demise of basketball star Kobe Bryant. The makers have held its release over the fears that it could be insensitive in the aftermath of Bryant’s death.

Scheduled for Sunday

Earlier, the trailer of the commercial was released on YouTube. The ad was scheduled to be aired before Sunday’s clash between Sanfranco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. Another advertisement showing the funeral of Mr Peanut was to be broadcasted in the third quarter. 

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In the 30 second advertisement, which also features actors Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh, an anthropomorphic peanut shell falls from a cliff after being ejected from a ‘Nutmobile’.  Following the ejection, the commercial goes on to show the trio holding onto a branch before the top hat and monocle-wearing peanut shell plummets to the ground and falls alongside the vehicle eventually explodes. 

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Speaking about the advertisement, a Planters spokesman told international media that they are saddened by the weekend’s news and that the company has paused all campaign activities, including paid media, and will evaluate the next steps through a lens of sensitivity to those impacted by this tragedy. 

The NBA has postponed the Los Angeles Lakers' next game against the Clippers on Tuesday night after the death of retired superstar Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash. The league had announced the decision Monday. Bryant's helicopter crashed on Sunday, and the Lakers learned about it while flying home from an East Coast road trip. LeBron James and several other players appeared to be visibly affected by the news when they got off the plane.