Planters’ Mr. Peanut ad campaign depicting mascot dying in car crash put on hold in wake of Kobe Bryant tragedy

Planters puts hold on ad campaign in wake of Kobe Bryant tragedy

Last week, the Kraft Heinz-owned snack brand released an ad campaign announcing the death of Mr. Peanut, the 104-year-old monocled mascot.

LOS ANGELES - Planters has put a hold on its ad campaign featuring the death of its mascot, Mr. Peanut, following the death of NBA star Kobe Bryant.

But the brand says it will continue a planned mock funeral for the animated mascot scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday.

“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 statement.

“At this point, the pause impacts only paid advertising (on channels like Twitter and YouTube) before game day, as well as some other outreach in the immediate wake of this tragedy,” the statement continued. “No change has been made to our plans for Super Bowl Sunday.”

Last week, the Kraft Heinz-owned snack brand released an ad campaign announcing the death of Mr. Peanut, the 104-year-old monocled mascot. The campaign was launched before the accident that killed Bryant and featured a commercial with Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh, depicting Mr. Peanut dying in a car crash.