Oh, nuts! 2 icons and 1 big honor

WILKES-BARRE – Minutes before the unveiling of the historical marker honoring Amedeo Obici and Planters Peanuts, Michael Chmiola was in a panic.

Chmiola, the 23-year-old Wilkes University senior who fought for five years to get the marker approved, couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

While waiting for Mr. Peanut to arrive courtesy of Kraft Foods, Chmiola noticed another Mr. Peanut already posing for pictures and signing autographs for an adoring crowd gathered at 632 S. Main St.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to have two Mr. Peanuts,” Chmiola said. “I just called (Kraft’s) Mr. Peanut and told him another one was here.”

The Mr. Peanut that Chmiola telephoned is the current Planters Peanuts corporate icon – a rather large, bright yellow version of the affable peanut. The “other” Mr. Peanut arrived in the older, more traditional version – a tan, peanut shell-like covering, much like the one that patrolled Public Square in years gone by. Both wore their signature top hats, monocles, white gloves, fancy shoes and cane.

When the two met face-to-face they shook hands and embraced. The crowd of 100-plus laughed and applauded as the two icons – perhaps the best known corporate logos ever created – bridged the gap of several generations to come together to celebrate the historical event.

Andrea MacDonald, chief of the division of preservation services for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which approved the marker, brought regards from Gov. Ed Rendell and she addressed the crowd.

“Amedeo Obici was clever in his marketing strategy,” MacDonald said. “Thanks to the Mr. Peanut trademark, Planters Peanuts became a household brand worldwide.”

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton presented proclamations to Jolyne Dalzell, Obici’s great niece, and to Chmiola. The mayor proclaimed Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007, as Amedeo Obici and Planters Peanuts Day and Michael Chmiola Day.

“Mr. Peanut put Wilkes-Barre on the map as his humble birthplace and he became synonymous with snacking,” Leighton said. “Americans gobbled him up, making Planters a household word and propelling the company to enviable heights in the American food industry – no small feat for a little peanut who got his start on the back of a horse-drawn wagon peddled by two humble Italian immigrants in the heart of Wilkes-Barre.”

Dalzell and Chmiola each thanked the mayor and the crowd for attending the event. Several former Planters employees attended the event.

Al Oliver, a former personnel manager for Planters while its corporate headquarters was in Wilkes-Barre, pointed to a window of the only building left of the Planters complex.

“That was my office right there,” Oliver said. “This honor should have come years ago.”

Also attending was Connie Peruzzi Mayock, who traveled from Gladwyne to be at the ceremony. She is the granddaughter of Mario Peruzzi, Obici’s partner and brother-in-law.

The marker

“Amedeo Obici, 1877-1947, founded Planters Peanut Company in 1906 with fellow Italian immigrant Mario Peruzzi. Arriving in America at 12, speaking no English, Obici worked at a local fruit store before opening his own peanut cart. An entrepreneur, he invented new peanut production methods. Planters grew into one of the most widely distributed peanut brands; its Mr. Peanut trademark is universally recognized. Corporate headquarters was located here, 1925-1961.