Print ad for Planters Pennant Salted Peanuts, featuring Mr. Peanut (1920s)
“Eat them daily for hunger and health.”
“Everywhere in the Red Pennant Bags 5ȼ”
In 1916, the Planters Peanut Company held a design contest to create a mascot for their brand. A young schoolboy named Antonio Gentile from Suffolk, Virginia, submitted a drawing of an anthropomorphic peanut. His design was chosen, and a commercial artist named Andrew S. Wallach added the iconic monocle, top hat, and cane to complete the look.
Antonio received a $5 prize for his winning design, but the story doesn't end there. Amedeo Obici, the founder of Planters, befriended Antonio and his family, even paying for Antonio's education and medical school. Antonio went on to become a doctor in Newport News, Virginia.
Mr. Peanut quickly became an enduring symbol of the Planters brand, appearing on almost every package and advertisement. His sophisticated and gentlemanly appearance has made him one of the most recognizable mascots in advertising history. It’s amazing how a simple schoolboy's drawing turned into such an iconic brand symbol.
[Sources: Wikipedia.org, Wikiwand.com and The DailyMeal.com]
[Note: Growing up in New England, I remember Mr. Peanut often walking the streets in my hometown handing out bags of peanuts -- a pleasant memory from childhood.]
Print ad for Planters Pennant Salted Peanuts, featuring Mr. Peanut (1920s)
“Eat them daily for hunger and health.”
“Everywhere in the Red Pennant Bags 5ȼ”
In 1916, the Planters Peanut Company held a design contest to create a mascot for their brand. A young schoolboy named Antonio Gentile from Suffolk, Virginia, submitted a drawing of an anthropomorphic peanut. His design was chosen, and a commercial artist named Andrew S. Wallach added the iconic monocle, top hat, and cane to complete the look.
Antonio received a $5 prize for his winning design, but the story doesn't end there. Amedeo Obici, the founder of Planters, befriended Antonio and his family, even paying for Antonio's education and medical school. Antonio went on to become a doctor in Newport News, Virginia.
Mr. Peanut quickly became an enduring symbol of the Planters brand, appearing on almost every package and advertisement. His sophisticated and gentlemanly appearance has made him one of the most recognizable mascots in advertising history. It’s amazing how a simple schoolboy's drawing turned into such an iconic brand symbol.
[Sources: Wikipedia.org, Wikiwand.com and The DailyMeal.com]
[Note: Growing up in New England, I remember Mr. Peanut often walking the streets in my hometown handing out bags of peanuts -- a pleasant memory from childhood.]