Iron Man? Eh. Sherlock Holmes? Moderately famous. But now Robert Downey Jr.'s got a gig with some real bite.
And natural salty goodness.
The geniuses at Kraft-owned Planters have tapped the resurgent star as the voice of a redesigned Mr. Peanut—the dapper top hat-wearing, monocle-sporting, cane-carrying mascot of the Planters brand.
First off, an animation upgrade has made the character peanut-brown, so it no longer looks like Mr. Peanut is suffering from jaundice.
No walking around naked for Downey, either. His Mr. Peanut wears a shirt, tie and gray flannel suit jacket. (Still no pants, though.)
And, by the way, Mr. Peanut has never talked before. He now sounds like Tony Stark.
"At Planters, we know how to throw a remarkable holiday party," he says in the new ad. "Just serve classy snacks and be a gracious host, no matter who shows up."
He then is rather startled to see that Richard the Nutcracker has shown up, as he pats the bandage on his cracked peanut shell.
"Well, forgive and forget," Mr. Peanut replies, though he is then forced to wallop the menacing nutcracker with his trusty cane.
Naturally remarkable, indeed.