Judging by its Super Bowl LIII commercial, Planters wants America to think of its peanuts as a good back-up snack when other game day munchie plans go awry.
The ad begins with Mr. Peanut racing the Nutmobile through a busy part of town. The peanut-shaped car jumps over a construction zone, much to the surprise of disgraced TV star Charlie Sheen, who is sitting on a bench nearby and says, “People think I’m nuts.” Mr. Peanut eventually maneuvers his vehicle to a suburban house where Alex Rodriguez is watching a game with a bunch of buddies. Just as A-Rod is about to dip his hand into a bowl of kale chips, Mr. Peanut slides across the table and replaces the green stuff with a container of peanuts. The former Yankees slugger gives Mr. Peanut a thumb’s up, and the mascot hits the road.
Many of the commercials that are slated to run during Super Bowl LIII feature odd celebrity pairings, but this one beats them all in terms of sheer WTF-ness. For one thing, A-Rod doesn’t even speak in this commercial and his interaction with Mr. Peanut feels oddly tepid. And while Charlie Sheen aces his one line of dialogue, it’s hard to watch him in this commercial and not immediately think of his highly-publicized 2011 meltdown and the allegations of sexual misconduct that surfaced a few years ago.
In addition to the 30-second ad released yesterday, Planters also dropped a teaser featuring A-Rod and Mr. Peanut bro-ing out together, and an extended cut of the Super Bowl commercial with more shots of the Nutmobile racing through town:
• Mr. Peanut [YouTube]
• All Super Bowl Coverage [E]
