Monday, May 1, 2000
   

ONE NUTTY GUY

Mr. Peanut was introduced to the public in 1916. He began as an animated peanut with arms and legs, designed by a teenage boy who won a company logo design contest. Later, the folks at Nabisco added his now-famous top hat, spats, monocle and cane, which were all in fashion at the time. And so Mr. Peanut was born.

"People have grown up with Mr. Peanut," says John Barrows, director of corporate communication for Nabisco. "He is an enduring icon of our lives who never changes. Nostalgia is a powerful force in our culture, and symbols of our past are often symbols of what we think of as better times, simpler eras."

"There's something reassuring about Mr. Peanut's continued vitality that is quite compelling," Barrows continues. "And he's clearly one very cool customer."

Indeed, Mr. Peanut is in a shell above the rest.

THE PEANUT GALLERY

Mr. Peanut is Planters' official Mr. Peanut site.

Peanut Pals club This club is for fans and collectors of Mr. Peanut.

Mr. Peanut Collection Page This site is run by collector Mike Lockhart and features over 400 Mr. Peanut items.

Roger and Ginnie's Planters Peanut Collectibles Roger and Ginnie have a variety of Mr. Peanut items.

Bonnie Burton, creator of Grrl.com, writes about dating dilemmas, online auction addictions and Internet culture for various magazines and Web sites including MissClick, Wired, Yahoo! Internet Life and Excite@Home.

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