One of the most recognizable mascots around is Mr. Peanut from Planters. But where did he come from?
According to legend, he was drawn by a 13-year-old boy. Is this true?
Well, according to Brian Cronin's Comic Book Legends Revealed #544, it is!
The 13-year-old in question is Antonio Gentile. His family was good friends with the Obicis, the guys behind Planters Peanut Company. Amedeo Obici was an Italian immigrant who founded the company in 1906 in Pennsylvania. Obici opened Planters' first mass production center in Virginia, attracting Italian-Americans in the area at the time. There weren't a lot of them so they had a tendency to stick together, despite coming from different walks of life.
This was what brought the Gentiles and Obicis together.
Antonio's father had moved their family to Virginia from Philadelphia a few years earlier to pursue a career as a tailor. After they met, Obici and his wife would often host the Gentiles on their farm, which is how the businessman developed a strong relationship with Antonio.
In 1916, when Antonio was 13, he gave Obici a series of drawings, for which he received $5. According to Planters' official history, the drawings were made by the boy as entries to a contest. However, what kind of contest this is was not specified. Nevertheless, one of the drawings Antonio produced was the anthropomorphic peanut that came to be known as Mr. Peanut.
But Antonio's work was not Mr. Peanut's final form. To be more technical, the Mr. Peanut known today is the work of Frank P. Krize, a staff artist with Planters, who added the monocle and top hat to the walking peanut that Antonio created. The 13-year-old does get credit, however, for inspiring the Planters mascot.
Mr. Peanut made his commercial debut in the Saturday Evening Post on Apr. 20, 1918. And as shown by Planters' success today, the mascot's first reveal was a success. Mr. Peanut debuted in an advertisement for the Planters Pennant Whole Blanched Salted Peanuts.
Obici and Antonio's close relationship continued after Mr. Peanut was born, extending to the Italian immigrant sending the boy to medical school.
Photo: Daniel Olnes | Flickr
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