Planters’ monocled peanut mascot introduced in 1916 is Mr. Peanut.
Mr. Peanut was created for Planters after a schoolboy, Antonio Gentile, submitted a drawing to a company contest. Planters refined the design by adding the top hat, cane, gloves, and monocle that became his signature look. The character gave a packaged peanut brand a recognizable human-like identity.
The mascot’s formal name is Mr. Peanut, rather than simply “the Planters peanut.” He is commonly shown as an anthropomorphic peanut in formal evening dress. His appearance has changed slightly in advertising over the decades, but the basic accessories have remained strongly associated with the brand.
Mr. Peanut is one of the oldest continuously recognizable food mascots in the United States. Planters itself began in 1906, when Amedeo Obici and Mario Peruzzi established the company in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The mascot helped distinguish Planters products from other packaged nuts and snacks.