Mr. Peanut
Mr. Peanut serves as the iconic mascot for Planters, a snack-food brand owned by Hormel. Designed as an anthropomorphic peanut, he is depicted wearing classic gentleman’s attire, including a top hat, monocle, white gloves, spats, and a cane. Known for his refined style, Mr. Peanut has a British heritage and bears the full name Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe. This distinguished persona aligns with his formal, polished appearance, adding an air of sophistication to the brand’s image.
| Names | Mr. Peanut, Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) |
| Occupation | Mascot for Planters |
| Origin | Planters Nut and Chocolate Company Design Contest (1916) |
| Alignment | Good |
| Age | 104 at death, 21 as Peanut Jr. |
| Created By | Antonio Gentile, Andrew S. Wallach |
| Height | Not Stated |
| Weight | Not Stated |
Appearance[edit | edit source]
Mr. Peanut is depicted as an anthropomorphic peanut in its shell, sporting a classic and distinguished look. His appearance features:
- Attire: He wears a formal outfit typical of a gentleman, including a tall top hat and spats, which adds to his refined persona. He also dons a monocle over one eye, enhancing his sophisticated image.
- Facial Features: Mr. Peanut has a friendly and approachable face, often characterized by a wide smile, which reflects his charming personality. His eyes are expressive, contributing to his animated and lively character.
- Accessories: In addition to the top hat and monocle, he carries a cane, which further emphasizes his gentlemanly traits.
- Color: Mr. Peanut is typically portrayed in shades of light brown, representing the color of peanuts, with his shell texture detailed to appear realistic.
Personality[edit | edit source]
Mr. Peanut is characterized by his sophisticated, suave demeanor, embodying the traits of an old-fashioned gentleman. He is often portrayed as refined, intelligent, and witty, reflecting a playful confidence that resonates with consumers. Mr. Peanut's personality combines charm and humor, making him an endearing figure in advertising.
Despite his polished exterior, he often engages in light-hearted antics, displaying a mischievous side that adds to his appeal. He represents qualities like creativity and resourcefulness, often depicted solving problems in clever ways. His persona is also tied to themes of friendship and community, as he is frequently shown interacting with other mascots and characters in a congenial manner. Overall, Mr. Peanut's character serves to create a memorable and relatable image for the Planters brand.
History[edit | edit source]
Planters Peanut Company was founded in 1906 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, by Amedeo Obici and was incorporated two years later as the Planters Nut and Chocolate Company. In 1916, a young boy named Antonio Gentile submitted drawings of an anthropomorphic peanut to a design contest. His design was selected, and commercial artist Andrew S. Wallach enhanced it by adding the iconic monocle, top hat, and cane. Gentile's family initially received a prize of five dollars for the winning entry. Obici formed a friendship with them and subsequently paid for Antonio and his four siblings to attend college. He also supported Antonio through medical school, allowing him to become a doctor in Newport News, where he passed away from a heart attack in 1939.
There is a disputed claim that artist Frank P. Krize Sr., head of the Suffolk plant, contributed to the design by adding the monocle, top hat, and cane. Wallach's daughter, Virginia, asserts that Krize was involved after Mr. Peanut was already created. However, neither Planters' official history nor other reliable sources have definitively identified the artist behind the character.
By the mid-1930s, Mr. Peanut had become a symbol of the peanut industry and has appeared on nearly every Planters package and advertisement, making him one of the most recognizable icons in advertising history. He has starred in numerous television commercials, often animated, with more recent spots featuring stop-motion animation in real-world settings.
In 2005, Mr. Peanut was featured in MasterCard's "Icons" commercial during Super Bowl XXXIX, showcasing several well-known advertising mascots dining together. In 2006, Planters conducted an online poll to decide whether to add a bow tie, cufflinks, or a pocket watch to Mr. Peanut's attire, but the public chose to keep his look unchanged.
Traditionally, Mr. Peanut was accompanied by an accented narrator in commercials but never spoke. On November 8, 2010, Planters announced that actor Robert Downey Jr. would be the first to provide a voice for Mr. Peanut. In 2011, to promote Planters Peanut Butter, a "stunt double" named Peanut Butter Doug was introduced, voiced by Kevin Dillon.
In 2013, comedian Bill Hader, known for his work on Saturday Night Live, was cast as the voice for a campaign promoting Planters Nut-rition. The Virginia General Assembly honored Mr. Peanut in 2017 with a joint resolution. In 2018, Mr. Peanut was redesigned for the first time since 2009 and returned to being a silent character.
Baby Nut and Peanut Jr.[edit | edit source]
On January 22, 2020, Planters teased its Super Bowl LIV commercial featuring Mr. Peanut alongside Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh. The scene depicted the trio clinging to a branch after accidentally driving the Nutmobile off a cliff to avoid hitting an armadillo. Mr. Peanut chose to let go, falling to his demise onto the Nutmobile, which subsequently exploded. The teaser suggested that his funeral would be central to the Super Bowl ad.
Following the tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas on January 26 that claimed the lives of all passengers, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant, Planters briefly suspended the campaign. They later resumed it with the Super Bowl commercial, which portrayed Snipes and Walsh officiating Mr. Peanut's funeral, attended by other mascots like Kool-Aid Man and Mr. Clean. As Kool-Aid Man's tears mixed with sunlight, a younger version of Mr. Peanut, named "Baby Nut," sprouted from the soil.
After the commercial aired, Planters' Twitter account began posting in-character tweets as Baby Nut, even retweeting posts from various Baby Nut meme accounts created prior to the ad's release. This led to Twitter suspending these accounts under the assumption they were part of a coordinated marketing effort violating the platform’s terms of service.
The campaign received mixed reactions, with some viewers drawing comparisons between Baby Nut and other youthful character adaptations, such as Grogu from Star Wars and Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. A spokesman for Planters' advertising agency explained that the campaign aimed to resonate with audiences, drawing parallels to superhero deaths in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to foster a connection with viewers and potential customers.
In August 2020, Planters introduced a continuation of the campaign, revealing that Baby Nut had aged into a 21-year-old character named "Peanut Jr." This transition sparked even more polarized reactions, with a tweet urging others to block Peanut Jr.’s account going viral.
Nut Above: 2021 Refresh[edit | edit source]
The Baby Nut campaign concluded in February 2021, marking the return of Mr. Peanut to adulthood. Planters announced it would not spend $5 million on a dramatic character shift, like dropping him off a cliff. Instead, the company introduced a new campaign titled "A Nut Above," aimed at highlighting individuals who made the world "a little less nutty" in 2020. As part of preparations for the sale of Planters from Kraft to Hormel, Mr. Peanut was relaunched in May 2021 with new commercials featuring a two-dimensional, animated version of the mascot, focusing on the nutritional benefits of its products.
In Popular Culture[edit | edit source]
In the 2010 novel Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross, a character fantasizes about killing his peanut-allergic wife by force-feeding her peanuts. The narrative reflects on the iconic Planters mascot: “He poured out a handful and ate them and then wiped the salt from his empty hand on his pants. He looked at the chipper Planters Peanuts man tipping his top hat hello and thought about how one bite could kill Alice dead.”
Additionally, artist Vincent Trasov humorously ran as a joke candidate dressed as Mr. Peanut during the 1974 civic elections in Vancouver, British Columbia.
