Mr. Peanut’s death was mentioned again on SNL’s Weekend Update. RIP_Mr_Peanut. Both were Rich, Both were always at sports events, Both "died" in the same month, both were fire roasted. However, following the outpouring of sadness following Bryant's sudden death, the brand seems to believe that trivializing such events to sell mixed nuts may be in poor taste.Matt Schimkowitz is a writer, critic and senior editor at Know Your Meme. The 30-second spot shows a tear from the Kool-Aid Man reviving Mr. Peanut (as a baby) while actor Wesley Snipes delivers a graveside eulogy. Perhaps Mr. Peanut, with his resemblance to the Monopoly Man and subsequent association with greed and hoarded wealth, is no longer an appropriate image in this age of increased skepticism toward capitalism. This is where we are now, where corporate mascots who have grown old and stale must be ritualistically slaughtered and grieved, in order to sell more peanuts.It’s an absurd world we live in, where advertising has been forced to adapt to the chaotic landscape of social media by hiding in plain sight. The attention economy has incentivized the unexpected, and now, it has led to the tragic death of Mr. Peanut.Or perhaps Mr. Peanut is simply suffering a “comic book death,” soon to be revived and revitalized after his funeral. This might well be the first step toward a redesign, the stuffy monocle and top hat to be discarded in favor of something more trendy, to capture some of Wendy’s cheeky, youthful vibe. Those annoying, skippable ads on YouTube (or this very article), are nothing compared to the slow, insidious rise of the “relatable” corporation, parasitically implanting their product in our heads not through intrusive commercials, but by echoing the odd behaviour of humans who spend far too much time online. It wasn’t until brands starting hiring the young, savvy and extremely online to run their social media accounts that a strange new landscape emerged, one in which brands attempted to win the affections of the public by developing a personality. I'm fascinated by all forms of storytelling; movies, television, mythology, fairy tales, and urban legends.Today, Planters announced the tragic demise of their iconic mascot, who met his end at 104 years old, dying on screen, during a commercial intended to draw attention to the mascot’s upcoming funeral, which will be held during the Super Bowl. It’s been fascinating to watch the evolution of “Brand Twitter,” as cold, unfeeling corporations adopt the ironic language of the internet, forced to keep up with meme culture, which boasts an inherent virality, speed and absurd sense of humor that professional advertisers simply weren’t qualified to compete with.