Brands are torturing their animated mascots, and we can't stop watching

Remember when brands used to be so protective of their mascots. These days, some have become more laidback parents. Callous some might even say.

Pillsbury apparently once rejected a pitch for an animated ad that saw its Doughboy get trapped in an oven. But a recent darkly comic campaign for Kraft Heinz's Jet-Puffed marshmallows is a perfect example of how some brands no longer have any qualms about showing their mascots getting cooked or consumed, and even enjoying the experience.

The shift appears to be an attempt to appeal to Gen Z's irreverent humour and appreciation of authenticity, but I wonder if AI trends on social media may also have played a role in convincing brands to torture their mascots.

In the 'Love 'em to Death' campaign by GUT Miami, Jet-Puffed marshmallows get sliced, skewered, roasted, burned and melted without ever letting the smile slip from their faces. The soundtrack to this brutality is Nazareth's Love Hurts.

But as PR Week has pointed out, it's not the first major consumer food brand to use animation in which its mascots realise that they're edible. Pop-Tarts has hosted Bowl Events where the winners eat its mascots and Cinnamon Toast has decided its mascots are psychotic cannibals.

GUT hasn't clarified whether it used AI to create the animations for the Jet-Puffed campaign. They do have an AI look, as many people are pointing out in the comments on social media (compare that to the recent success of traditionally animated adverts like the Intermarché Christmas ad.)

But beyond the execution, the trend itself may have been influenced by types of AI-generated content that have been trending on social media. We noted last year the flood AI-generated 'food eating itself' videos on TikTok and YouTube, as well as AI ASMR videos designed to provoke shivers of queasiness more than pleasure: think people chewing blocks of smoldering metal or kneading molten lava.

For brands to take up this trend, they have to walk a fine line. It could easily become nightmare fuel that unsettles people, but surreal shock humour also keeps people watching, creating memorable, shareable ads.

Murdering your mascot also shows a self-awareness, acknowledging the obvious fact that mascots represent edible products while also making them more relatable, even as they meet a grisly end. It seems we've come a long way from Patrick Warburton admonishing the M&Ms for cannibalism.

For more animation inspiration, see our pick of the upcoming animation in 2026.