Planters Nut and Chocolate Company, based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, established a peanut processing factory in Suffolk in 1913. Amedeo Obici, the company’s co-founder, moved to Suffolk and in 1916 sponsored a contest to develop a mascot for Planters. Antonio Gentile, an Italian-American schoolboy who lived with his family in the Hall Place neighborhood, submitted the winning drawing, a peanut with arms, legs, and a cane labeled “Mr. P. Nut Planter.” The character, refined by a commercial artist, began appearing in advertisements by 1917. Mr. Peanut became one of the most widely recognized advertising icons in the United States.

Photo: Photograph by Cynthia L. Clark

Photo: Cynthia L. Clark

Photo: Cynthia L. Clark

Photo: Cynthia L. Clark

Photo: Cynthia L. Clark

Photo: Cynthia L. Clark

Photo: Cynthia L. Clark

Suffolk, Virginia · USA