I LOVE MR. PEANUT

So I'm totally obsessed all of a sudden with Mr. Peanut. 

Sure we know you Mr. Peanut, we have come to love your class, your top hat, your monocle and cane and your white spats but who is the nut behind the mascot? 

My second most favorite food of all time is easily Planters Cheese Balls. A moment of silence please because they no longer make them. Sometimes I'll check the snack food aisle to see if cheese balls will reappear....but they haven't yet. I know what you're saying, "but Andrew, there are cheese balls still." NOT PLANTERS cheese balls, and the taste is unmistakable, all the rest SUCK, they are a sick joke that I will not entertain!!! When I was enjoying cheese balls from that distinct blue can, this guy was always on it smiling back at me. If you ever had any kind of peanuts in your life, then I'm sure you've had Planters, and they really are great. They do more than just peanuts, they do cashews and mixed nuts and almonds and a few other nut related products. Either way, the Mr. Peanut logo mascot is on every item you buy, peanuts or not. 

As you can see, Mr. Peanut has changed over the years but not by much. After all, he is almost 100 years old! In 1916 Planters held a contest to come up with a company logo and mascot for their peanut company. A 14 year old school boy named Antonio Gentile came up with a rendering of a peanut man, he called him "Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe." A company artist later added the top hat, monocle, spats, and cane.....basically creating Mr. Peanut and in addition, what I imagine was, a way of not paying Antonio Gentile a cent for his drawing. Soon Mr. Peanut became more than just a corporate logo, he became the face of the entire peanut industry, Planters or not. Today Mr. Peanut remains one of the most historical and recognizable logo mascots......which makes me wonder....who is number one? Ronald McDonald perhaps? Well number one in my heart would probably have to go to Mr. Peanut. 

Mr. Peanut has remained the same for decades but the most recent change was in 2010 when he was turned into a CGI commercial and spoke for the first time in nearly 100 years. I actually HATE this version of him, I don't think he needed a coat, I don't think he needed friends, and I certainly don't think he needed to talk. Voiced by Robert Downy Jr., a man that has been on so many drugs that he probably actually thought he was having a conversation with a real live peanut man, was just a bad choice in my opinion. It's no secret that I don't care for Robert Downy Jr. but I don't think Mr. Peanut would sound like him, do you? I mean, he looks so classy and refined and regal. A better voice actor to play him would be like, Patrick Stewart or Kelsey Grammar, or someone like that. In 2006 an online survey was conducted by Planters to see if they should add a bow tie, cuff links, or pocket watch, the public voted for NO CHANGE, then what do we see in 2010??? Hey Planters.....are you nuts??

I looked online and turns out if you go to ebay you can find a TON of stuff with Mr. Peanut on it! Which is good because I started to buy stuff left and right! I went nuts. I decided I would start to collect Mr. Peanut stuff, it's a strange new collection and the last thing I needed was another collection but too bad, I already started! I will now be drinking out of a mug in the shape of Mr. Peanut's head, playing darts with a Mr. Peanut Planters dart board, and if I drink beer I'll be using the Mr. Peanut pewter beer mug! I feel I bought more but I can't remember any of it right now. So if you're looking for a gift for Andrew....go nuts! 

They really have slapped this guy on everything, from a giant nut mobile to an actual hot air balloon, which is just really cool. I'm pretty sure anyone can identify Mr. Peanut, and even if they didn't know his name wouldn't the obvious guess be Mr. Peanut? In the ad below for a circus it says you can meet Mr. Peanut in person with his baby elephant....................not sure how they pulled that off. 

Well that's my newest, latest, oddest, obsession. I really like Mr. Peanut because he is so classy, rich, regal, fun-loving, quick-witted, refined, and he has a great smile. A real gentleman! You can tell he would hold the door for you or give a big tip at a restaurant. (I think he shops at the same place as the Monopoly guy.) So the next time you grab your nuts, make sure you take a good look at Mr. Peanut.....he'll be smiling back at you from the can.