Mr.
Peanut - The sophisticated image of Mr. Peanut with
his top hat, monocle (over his right eye), spats, white gloves
and cane was the result of a contest held in 1916 by the
Planter's Nut & Chocolate Company of Sulfolk, Virginia
(originally located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania). The company
hoped to find just the right image to use as a trademark to
promote their salted Virginia peanut products. The contest
winner was a 14-year-old schoolboy named Antonio Gentile.
Planters awarded the teenager a grand prize of $5. His design, a
crude peanut person with arms and crossed legs dubbed "Mr.
Peanut," became the permanent trademark of Planters Peanuts.
After, of course, a professional graphic artist added a top hat,
monocle, white gloves and cane to Gentile's original concept.
The first TV commercials with the debonair Mr. Peanut were seen
in the 1950s. Founded in 1906 (incorporated in 1908), the
Planter's Company began in 1896 as a small fruit stand business
created by an Italian immigrant named Amedeo Obici
(born in 1876 in the small town of Oderzo near Venice, Italy).
In 1918 Planters first advertised in the Saturday Evening
Post magazine. In 1942, the Mr. Peanuts billboard first
appeared in New York's Time Square (returned in 1999). In 1961
Standard Brands purchased Planters Peanut and Chocolate Company
(Nabisco merged with Standard Brand in 1981). In 1962 Planters
introduced Dry Roast Peanuts (1985 for Honey Roasted). In 1997
Mr. Peanut appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In
1999 Mr. Peanut became the "official snack" of NASCAR.
Currently, Planters Peanuts
is a subsidiary of Kraft
Foods North America, Inc. in
Glenview, IL 60025. The
company's campaign in recent years has been handled by the
Benton & Bowles Advertising Agency.
