Onward, Peanut Soldiers

Mr. Peanut has delighted generations of food-with-eyes-loving children. In a 1983 letter to Barbara Reddock, co-author of Planters Peanuts Advertising & Collectibles (1978), my father reminisced:

"I was born and raised in the Wilkes-Barre area and can well remember many visits to 'the peanut store' in the 1940s. Mr. Peanut could usually be found walking around the square, usually within a block of the store. As a child I used the Mr. Peanut whistles (p. 70) as toy soldiers. I had hundreds of them, which I recall coming from a large container and costing 1¢ each. Only four remain."



Sadly, that original peanut store in Wilkes-Barre met it's demise just last year.