Mr. Peanut leaves us at the ripe age of 104
Less than a month after his final performance with “Beach Blanket Babylon,” which ended its decadeslong run in San Francisco in December, Mr. Peanut was pronounced dead by the Planters company, for which he had been the spokesman for more than 100 years.
Mr. Peanut had been featured in “Beach Blanket Babylon” since the 45year musical revue created by
Steve Silver debuted in 1974, and appeared in the last show on New Year’s Eve along with other iconic characters. It is unknown whether his death was in any way connected to the end of the revue, but the Estate of Mr. Peanut confirmed the news via tweet on Jan. 22. He was 104 years old.
The death of Mr. Peanut, of course, is part of an elaborate marketing campaign by the snack company leading
up to Super Bowl LIV, when the San Francisco 49ers face off with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Feb. 2.
The campaign launched last week with a short commercial showing Mr. Peanut and his buddies, actors Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh, being ejected from the Nutmobile during a road trip. As Snipes and Walsh are dangling off a cliff, Mr. Peanut falls and, upon impact, the Nutmobile explodes.
“Mr. Peanut died doing what he did best — having people’s backs when they needed him most,” officials from his estate said.
The full series of commercial spots — complete with a funeral for Mr. Peanut — is still expected to debut on Super Bowl Sunday, though Planters recently announced that the company is rethinking its strategy in the wake of the death of famed NBA player Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers legend who died along with his 13yearold daughter, Gianna, and seven other people in a helicopter crash on Sunday, Jan. 26.
“We are saddened by this weekend’s news and Planters has paused all campaign activities, including paid media, and will evaluate next steps through a lens of sensitivity to those impacted by this tragedy,” the brand said in a
“He was never difficult. He was always the easiest person to work with.” Jo Schuman Silver, producer, “Beach Blanket Babylon”
statement Monday, Jan. 27.
In the meantime, those who remember Mr. Peanut from his years onstage with “Beach Blanket Babylon” continue to mourn the end of the show and Mr. Peanut’s performance career.
Famous in San Francisco and beyond for his style — top hat, monocle and cane — Mr. Peanut was a natural pop culture icon for Silver to include in “Beach Blanket Babylon,” says Silver’s widow and the show’s 25year producer, Jo Schuman Silver. She describes Mr. Peanut as a kind of mascot for the longrunning revue. The show has featured versions of Mr. Peanut as a surfer, a hippie and more, but Schuman Silver says he always came out in his blacktie attire for special occasions. For the final show, he added gray sequins, she notes.
When asked about rumors of Mr. Peanut being “nutty” backstage or professionally demanding, Schuman Silver refutes the claims. “He was never difficult,” she says. “He was always the easiest person to work with.”
Mr. Peanut has represented Planters since 1916 — originally conceived by Antonio Gentile, who submitted drawings of an anthropomorphic peanut to a design contest for the Planters company. Gentile’s drawing was selected, and commercial artist Andrew S. Wallach added Mr. Peanut’s signature dapper outfit.
Over the years, Mr. Peanut starred in print ads and television commercials, and was even animated for television. On Saturday, Jan. 25, he was featured in a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that acknowledged his death.
Actor Bill Kendall was the first to perform as Mr. Peanut in “Beach Blanket Babylon,” completely covered in a foam peanutshaped body, and celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. and Bill Hader have voiced the character on television in recent years.
Schuman Silver says that to her knowledge, there was never a Mrs. Peanut, but adds, “He was very active. It’s possible there’s lots of little peanuts running around out there.”
Fans are encouraged to pay their respects on social media with the hashtag #RIPeanut.