Millions of viewers gathered to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 2, and little did they know they were also attending the funeral of Mr. Peanut — and the birth of Baby Nut. The new tiny mascot has already become an Internet darling, with many fans even going so far as to say that the Super Bowl's Baby Nut is the new Baby Yoda.
Baby Nut was born on Sunday evening, the product of a buried Mr. Peanut and a tear from the Kool Aid Man (yes, really). Mr. Peanut died tragically on Jan. 22, as announced via Planters' official Twitter account. In what was an early lead up to their Super Bowl commercial, the @MrPeanut account tweeted the sad announcement, saying that Mr. Peanut "sacrificed himself to save his friends when they needed him most." Planters later released other Super Bowl teasers starring Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh, showing Mr. Peanut sacrificing himself so that the two humans might survive after a particularly terrifying car crash. It's a pretty morbid origin story for the new mascot — one that was almost scrapped following Kobe Bryant's death in a helicopter crash last week — but it appears the brand went forward with their original plan, and thus, Baby Nut was born.
Most online reactions have been positive. Who could resist those big eyes and that tiny, round, peanut body? Baby Yoda stans, for one. The Mandalorian's breakout star, Baby Yoda, has become synonymous with Internet cuteness, and he's not ready to be dethroned just yet. In fact, word of a Baby Yoda and Baby Nut rivalry is already spreading on Twitter, inspiring a brand new meme.
It's unclear how long this Baby Nut will remain a Baby. In the commercial, he already spoke with his grown up Mr. Peanut voice. But in the meantime, Planters has given us all the Baby Nut anyone could ever want (and nobody asked for). Shortly after premiering the Baby Nut ad, @MrPeanut launched a livefeed of Baby Nut, where fans can submit suggestions for what Baby Nut does in his nursery.
Enjoy the attention while you can, Baby Nut.
