Mr. Peanut Has Died!

                                                                    Oh No...

                                                 Mr. Peanut has died! 

If you watched the Super Bowl last night, you saw what happened to cause his demise.

He had been the mascot/icon of Planters Peanut Co. for 104 years. Poor ole soul. That's a long life. 

I moved to Suffolk, Virginia five years ago and of course, I became acquainted with Mr. Peanut. And, now he is gone. 

                                  But, let me give you a little history of this 'famous icon'. 

Amedeo Obici founded Planters Peanut Company in 1906, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. A few years later Mr. Obici moved his peanut company to Suffolk, Virginia. (yes, there is still a plant and gift shop here) even though the company now is owned by Kraft.

In 1916, a young schoolboy, Antonio Gentile, submitted drawings of a peanut to a design contest and his design was chosen to be Mr. Peanut. While Gentile's family originally received five dollars for winning the contest, Obici befriended them and paid Antonio’s, and four of his siblings', way through college. After Obici paid Antonio's way through medical school, he became a doctor in Newport News, where he died of a heart attack in 1939. (This info came from Wikipedia)

We were so sad to think that The Planters Peanut Company was throwing Mr. Peanut to the wind. It didn't seem fair. 
But, in the Super Bowl  commercial .... ta da... 
                                    A New Baby Peanut appeared. (click on link)

Frankly, I loved the old one! It will take some getting used to this Baby thingofamagig!!