Planters Peanuts (History, Pictures, Commercials)

Planters Peanuts are a brand of various types of peanuts in a variety of preparations. Planters Peanuts have been around since the beginning of the 20’th century, and are often considered a classic staple of peanut brand snacks. Consisting of varieties such as Honey Roasted or Dry Roasted, Planters Peanuts are a humble yet happy reminder that not all snacks have to be extreme to be enjoyable or successful.

History

Planters Peanuts were initially sold in the year 1906 after the Planters Company was founded from a partnership between its creators Amedeo Obici and Mario Peruzzi. Planters Peanuts are notable for doing away with shells, husks, and skins of peanuts, and instead focusing on selling the easy to eat and work with the inner part of the nut. The methods and equipment used to make Planters Peanuts without shells was the brainchild of Mario Peruzzi’s, who came up with a way of blanching whole roasted peanuts. Mario Peruzzi’s paired up with Amedeo Obici, who owned peanut toasters and marketed himself as a peanut specialist. After creating the company planters, Amedeo Obici focused on brand-name and customer retention to help sell Planters nuts, and after 2 years of doing well, the firm was incorporated as Planters Nut and Chocolate Company. In the year 1913, Amedeo Obici moved to Suffolk, Virginia, known for its peanuts, and then opened Planters’ first mass production plant and facility in the location. In 1930, Planters Peanut stores were open across the United States.

Planters Peanuts today has become a popular and well-known snack food, with several types of varieties. The Planters name brand now sells peanuts that are dry roasted, honey roasted, salted, non-salted, hot peanuts, and other types of “nuts” such as almonds and cashews. In 1998, Planters introduced trail mix as a new product to buy under its brand’s lineup, with new varieties being added over time. in 2004, Planters began selling NUT-rition, a line of snack nuts specifically blended to meet the higher nutrition and wellness desires of some consumers. Much like its founders Amedeo Obici’s original plan, Planters follows an ethos of a good clean brand of peanuts that people want to come back to. The flavors tend to be simple, but tasty and filling, at a low price. Planters often will offer 2 for 1 deals, making the product even cheaper and easier to access. Today you can find Planters Peanuts in many stores and gas stations, and it has become a staple snack product in many stores. 

Today Planters Peanuts is owned by Kraft Heinz as of 2015, who acquired the rights to the product from Nabisco after the former company was bought out by Kraft. Nabisco itself acquired the Planters brand and the right to produce Planters Peanuts from its merger with Standard Brands, which acquired Planters Nut and Chocolate Company in 1960, about 50 years after the company really took off to make a name for itself and its product. 

Planters Peanuts remains a common and cheap snack, that comes in multiple varieties. They are easy to find in many stores, and the product is simple but tasty. Planters peanuts are the first roasted nut ever advertised, with their first advertisement being in the Saturday evening post in 1918. Planters mascot, Mr. Peanut, is a well-known and often well-liked figure for the product, and commercials still actively run as of 2019 advertising Planters Peanuts and often feature Mr. Peanut to the audience. Mr. Peanut was thought up in 1916 by 13-year-old Antonio Gentile in a sketch he submitted to win a contest for a brand icon. The original Mr. Peanut did not contain a cane, nor a monocle, with both being added by a commercial artist later on. The first TV commercials featuring Mr. Peanut aired nationwide in the United States. In the 1960s Mr. Peanut was a star attraction at the New York World’s Fair. Planters nuts have had numerous other advertisements for the Planters, with one being when Planters introduced the “Nickel Lunch” campaign, selling one-ounce bags of freshly packaged peanuts for 5 cents.

The Company That Makes Planters Peanuts

The Company that creates Planters Peanuts is… Planters, an American snack food company, and a division of Kraft Heinz based in Chicago. Planters specialize in making processed nuts and peanut snacks. Planters were founded by Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

The Year Planters Peanuts Were Invented

Planters Peanuts was invented in the year 1906, after the creation of its producing company, Planters. The manner, method, and equipment Planters Peanuts needed to be produced were invented by Mario Peruzzi, one of the owners of the company Planters.

Slogans

Some slogans for Planters Peanuts are “The Nickel Lunch!”, “Instinctively Good”, and “Planters is the word for (good) Peanuts.”

Flavors and Types

This list will detail the different types and flavors of Planters Peanuts.

• Classic Planters Peanuts
• Chipotle flavor Planters Peanuts
• Salted Caramel flavor Planters Peanuts
• Smoked
• Sweet N’ Crunchy peanuts
• Cocoa flavor peanuts
• Dry Roasted
• Honey Roasted Planters Peanuts
• Cocktail peanuts
• Sea Salt and Vinegar flavored
• Planters Crunchers (Crispy Coated Peanuts) – Hot and Spicy
• Planters Crunchers (Crispy Coated Peanuts) – Mesquite Barbecue
• Planters Crunchers (Crispy Coated Peanuts) – Sea Salt and Black Pepper
• Planters Crunchers (Crispy Coated Peanuts) – Cinnamon Brown Sugar
• Salted Planters Peanuts
• Heat Peanuts
• Chili Lime Peanuts
• Redskin Spanish Peanuts

Information on Buying

Planters Peanuts are found in many store locations, such as Target and Staples. The popularity and success of Planters mean that many stores often have a wide variety of stock available. You can generally find multiple varieties of Planters peanuts in stores, but not all will be available everywhere. Sometimes stores can run out of stock, and some flavors are not always available or not available everywhere. You can see a list of stores that sell or have sold Planters Peanuts below this section. You can online buy Planters Peanuts online, a good option for those seeking to buy in Planters in bulk or those looking for a specific flavor of the brand. You can see offers to buy Planters peanuts online by checking a few sections below.

Stores That Sell

Here is a list of stores that sell or have sold Planters Peanuts

• Dollars General
• Sam’s Club
• S&S MINIMART
• CVS
• Citgo
• Office Depot
• Walgreen’s
• K Mart
• Target
• Rite Aid
• Staples

Mascot Mr. Peanut

Mr. Peanut has been very prominent for the Planters brand, with the mascot being well known among many individuals due to the success of its marketing presence. Mr. Peanut, a yellow peanut-shaped man sporting a monocle and cane with a top hat, is a very recognizable form to behold. With a striking and easy to recall appearance, the pleasantly humorous character has been sported in numerous advertisements for Planters peanuts. First dreamed up in 1916 by a 13-year boy named Antonio Gentile, Antonio submitted his idea in a sketch for a contest for a brand icon for Planters. Mr. Peanut was well received, and later a commercial artist added the cane and monocle to Mr. peanut, creating the mascot everyone is now familiar with today. There is a disputed claim that Frank P. Krize, Sr., a Wilkes-Barre artist and head of the Suffolk plant, made the additions of the monocle, top hat, and cane. Andrew Wallach’s daughter, Virginia, maintains that Krize joined the project after Mr. Peanut was created. Neither Planter’s history nor other sources still in circulation positively identify the artist who made the additions. Mr. Peanut, who had his 100th year mascot birthday in 2016, has been well received by the public as a likable and memorable character and is easy to associate with the Planters nuts brand name. Mr. Peanut is often featured as a sophisticated, confident, and outgoing type of guy (Peanut). In commercials, Mr. Peanut is often seen lecturing others, competing, dating, and of course, promoting Planters Peanuts.

Mr. Peanut has been featured in a staggering number of advertisements for the Planters brand. Starting with Planter’s first advertisement in the Saturday evening post in 1918, where Mr. Peanut was seen standing in front of the product as he would always do. Mr. Peanut has been displayed in what appears to be the vast majority of Planter’s peanut advertisements. The first Mr. Peanut billboard appeared in Times Square in 1937-1938. Mr. Peanut was a star attraction at the New York 1964-1965 World’s Fair, and In addition to numerous appearances in print form, Mr. Peanut survived the successful transition to television commercials in the 1950s, including being portrayed in Planters first television commercial. Mr. Peanut was first displayed as a silent mascot, never speaking and just being a silent protagonist in Planters commercials, however on November 8, 2010, Mr. Peanut was given a voice and began to speak during commercials. Mr. peanuts voiced revamp caused a positive stir among media and consumers, with 208 broadcast placements and 231 online and print placements disusing the new Mr. Peanut, who was voiced by Robert Downey Jr. In more modern times Mr. Peanut can be found performing his mascot duties behind the wheel or inside of one of Planters NUTmobile tour vans that visit various communities.

Mr. Peanut has become a cult icon, and as one of the best-known icons in advertising history, has surpassed the typical expectation one would have of a snack food mascot. A large painting of Mr. Peanut was located in Planter’s former corporate headquarters on South Main Street. In 1997, Mr. Peanut appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. in 2004, Mr. Peanut received a spot on Madison Avenue’s Advertising Walk of Fame. In 2017, the Virginia General Assembly passed a joint resolution commending Mr. Peanut.

Virginia General Assembly stated in its commendation that:

WHEREAS, Mr. Peanut, designed by Antonio Gentile as the mascot for Planters, was created in 1916 and remains a cherished facet of Americana with unique roots in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, in 1913, Planters opened a facility in Suffolk to be closer to the peanut farmers in the area, and in 1916, the company’s founder, Amedeo Obici, hosted a contest for schoolchildren to submit drawings for a company mascot; and

WHEREAS, Antonio Gentile, a child of Italian immigrants, submitted 11 drawings of a peanut with arms, legs, and a face doing various activities, such as serving peanuts, singing, riding a horse, and walking with a cane; and

WHEREAS Antonio Gentile’s winning submission was modified by an artist who added other iconic details, such as Mr. Peanut’s top hat and monocle, and the design was an instant hit in nationwide advertising campaigns; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Peanut has remained the instantly recognizable mascot of Planters for 100 years, and the original drawings reside in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History; and

WHEREAS, in 2016, Mr. Peanut still calls Suffolk home, and Planters is an important part of the Suffolk community, contributing to the economic vitality of the city and its status in the peanut industry; and

WHEREAS, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of Mr. Peanut in 2016, the Suffolk Public Library and the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society hosted a series of talks on the subject, and a historical marker was placed near the site of Antonio Gentile’s home in Hall Place Park; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Mr. Peanut, a well-known symbol of the importance of the peanut industry to the Commonwealth and the United States for 100 years; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to the family of Antonio Gentile and Planters as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the importance of this cultural icon.

It should be noted that the Virginia General Assembly stated that when Antonio Gentile submitted his designs for Mr. Peanut, at least some of his 11 pictures depicted Mr. Peanut with a cane. However, on the planters’ official site, it claims that the cane was added later. This may just be due to only a limited amount of the drawings submitted possibly having a cane in them. Either way, this information may add to the mystery of the origins of Mr. Peanut.

Advertising

The Planters Peanuts brand has had a spectacular advertising run. The brand has had a very high amount of advertising in general, and Planters advertising has been well received by the population helping the brand’s success. Planters have had numerous billboards established, with the first billboard advertising planters being in New York Times Square during 1937-1938. The first billboard created for Planters nuts was clearly visible from Times Square on New Year’s Eve in 1938 and featured peanuts spilling out of a container. Mr. Peanut, Planters mascot, was included on the first billboard for the brand, however, he was diminutive in size and was not as prominent as many billboards by Planters in modern times where he is often very large and a prominent figure. In addition to billboards, soon after its Inception, Planters Peanuts began to run numerous types of print advertisements and continues to do so up to this day. in 1918, Planters had its first advertisement in the Saturday Evening Post, becoming the first roasted nut ever to be advertised.

Planters have also released a wide variety of TV commercials featuring its lineup of peanut-inspired products and promoting the Planters brand itself. The first TV commercials for Planters began airing in the 1950s, featuring both Planters products and Mr. Peanut as the mascot for the brand as well. The many commercials for Planters nuts often have a more mature theme tuned to adults than many of the more children-oriented snacks out there, with Planters often having a wittier mature sense of humor in its advertisements. The more adult-oriented commercials may be due to Planters peanuts being a more healthy snack option with less sugar and chocolate than many other options out there that often appeal to younger consumers. However, sometimes Planters Peanuts commercials are geared to younger or family audiences as well, typically with a heartwarming theme to it. The TV commercials for Planters has a wide variety of scenes, from Mr. Peanut lecturing people on the nutritional value of Planters peanuts, to intense competitions featuring various Planters products, and the advertisements will often take a creative flare such as featuring Mr. peanut with a variety of side-cast members and their antics as they promote various Planters products.

In addition to print ads, billboards, and television, Planters nuts have engaged in multiple other types of advertising. Some of these advertising strategies included sales campaigns, such as “The Nickel Lunch”, a 1923 campaign that advertised one-ounce freshly packaged bags of Planters Peanuts selling for 5 cents. Planters have also engaged in media campaigns to promote its snacks, such as with the addition of a voice to Planters mascot, Mr. Peanut, that drew a massive amount of media attention to the snack. Another media campaign was called “The Power of the Peanut”, a campaign by Planters to show that the nuts it sells have lots of nutrients and are healthy. Planters have also had many in-person events to advertisement its peanuts, such as Planters NUTmobile’s, a fleet of peanut-shaped vans/buses that go around advertising Planters peanuts. The NUTmobiles go around to communities to do special events and pass out Planters Peanuts. Another notable advertising event included Planters having its mascot appear in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997. From 1964 to 1965, Planters Peanuts was advertised at the New York World’s Fair with Mr. Peanut being a star attraction.

Logo

Review

This review is for the Honey Roasted version of Planters Peanuts:

Honey Roasted Planters Peanuts are lightly coated with the taste of honey, nothing too strong. The blue bag they come in is somewhat eye-catching, but this is not a product that exists to be eye-grabbing or overly attention-getting. The Honey Roasted Planters are sweet, but not too sweet, and covered with some sort of brown sugar-looking and tasting powder. The peanuts are neither hard, nor soft, but are simply mildly crunchy. The product gives off almost no smell, which was surprising, as I expected a sweet aroma, but not nothing more than the faintest whiff of peanuts was detected. Overall Planters Peanuts are a solid snack and the Honey Roasted version is tasty. These snacks can really fill you up and leave you feeling as if you actually ate something after finishing it.

Experiences

I have been eating Planters Peanuts my entire life, even as a little kid I thought they were great. And not just any peanuts, they had to be Planters. There was something about them that satiated me, I could eat those things all day. One of my earliest memories as a child was me eating Planters Peanuts and just thinking, “wow, these are having a big impact on me”. I eat them as an adult also, and while they are not my favorite snack, I do love them.

Why Planters Are Popular

Considering they are just peanuts, why is the Planters Peanut brand so popular? I may have something to do with the advertising, Planters has gone wild with it and their mascot has become very popular. Or maybe it is just that Planters offers a good wholesome snack in the minds of consumers? Something simple, plain, yet tasty? Whatever the reason, this fairly simple food has become a staple snack in the hearts of many people.

Packaging Style

Planters Peanuts have a very characteristic packaging style. The packaging rarely detours from this style, with most of the flavors of Planter having very similar looks for their packages. Planters Peanuts brand prefers to go with a blue color package, that varies in tone from light blue, to dark blue. In order to distinguish flavors and type, there will generally be a second color on the packaging art, to help differentiate it. These secondary colors sometimes will help the customer see what flavor of Planters the product may be, such as “Honey Roasted” flavor Planters having an orange “Honey”-like color to it. On the front of nearly all of the Planters, Peanuts products is the mascot for the brand, Mr. Peanut, being prominently displayed.

Pictures

Commercials

Here are some examples of TV commercials for Planters Peanuts

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ONE OF THE MORE EXCITING PLANTERS PEANUTS COMMERCIALS, FEATURING A NUTMOBILE.

CLASSIC PLANTERS PEANUTS COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENT VIDEO, INCLUDING SMOTHERS BROTHERS AND VICTORIA JACKSON.

Ingredients

• Peanuts,
• Contains Less than 2% of Sea Salt, Spices (Contains Celery), Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Paprika, Natural Flavor, Sugar, Corn Starch, Gelatin, Torula Yeast, Maltodextrin, Dried Corn Syrup.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	28 Grams	% Daily Value *
Calories	160
Total Fat	14g	22%
Saturated Fat	2g	10%
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	150mg	6%
Total Carbohydrates	5g	2%
Dietary Fiber	2g	10%
Sugars	2g
Protein	7g
Vitamin A		0%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		2%
Iron		8%

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Nutritional Information

Nutritional Information for a 2.5 OZ Bag of Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts:

Ingredients: PEANUTS, SUGAR, PEANUT OIL, HONEY, CORN SYRUP, SEA SALT, FRUCTOSE, CORNSTARCH, XANTHAN GUM.

Nutritional Facts: Serving Size: 70 Grams. Calories: 400 CAL, Calories From Fat: 280 Grams, Total Fat: 33 Grams (51% DV), Saturated Fat: 4.5 Grams (23% DV), Cholesterol: 0 mg (0% DV), Sodium: 210 mg (9% DV), Total Carbohydrates: 17 Grams (6% DV), Dietary Fiber: 6 Grams (24% DV), Sugars: 9 Grams, Protein 17 Grams, Vitamin A: (0% DV), Vitamin C: (0% DV), Calcium: (8% DV), Iron: (15% DV). (% DV = Percent of daily value)

Known Allergens: Peanut, SULPHITES

(Information last updated on 3/31/2019.)

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