It’s appropriate that the Post acknowledges Mr. Peanut this February 23. After all, his national ad campaign was launched in our magazine exactly 100 years ago with the page below.
He was the product of a contest held by the Planter’s Nut and Chocolate Company. They offered a $5 prize for the best idea for a new trademark. The winning idea, created by a 14-year-old boy, was further developed by the company, which wanted to present Planter’s as a higher class of nut. So they added aristocratic touches to his minimal wardrobe: a top hat, spats, and monocle.
This article is featured in the January/February 2018 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.
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Comments
Woops, just looked for the Planters TV ad I referred to, and can only find the 15 second version which is nowhere as good as the longer one, but is better than nothing. I SAW the 30 second one fairly recently on YouTube; hopefully they’ll make it available again! I apologize.
Great ad from 100 years ago! If you want to see a GREAT TV ad for Mr. Peanut, check out the one where’s he’s dancing to The Bay City Rollers 1975 hit “Saturday Night”, from the 2000’s.