Bill Text: VA HR146 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Mr. Peanut.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-03 - Bill text as passed House (HR146ER) [HR146 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-HR146-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Mr. Peanut, the 104-year-old mascot for the snack food company Planters and a treasured icon of American advertising with roots in the Commonwealth, was revitalized as Baby Nut in February 2020; and
WHEREAS, three years after Planters opened a facility in Suffolk to be closer to peanut farmers in the region, Mr. Peanut was designed in 1916 by Antonio Gentile, a local student, as a part of a contest to find a new mascot for the company; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Peanut has become a mainstay of American popular culture for more than a century, and the original drawings reside in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History; and
WHEREAS, in January 2020, Mr. Peanut heroically sacrificed himself to save the lives of two friends in a viral social media video featuring actor Wesley Snipes and comedian Matt Walsh; and
WHEREAS, Baby Nut subsequently made his debut in a commercial during Super Bowl LIV on February 2, 2020, that brought together other recognizable mascots like Mr. Clean and the Kool-Aid Man and ushered in a new era for the character and the Planters brand with Mr. Peanut's rebirth as the newborn nut; and
WHEREAS, Planters and Mr. Peanut remain an important part of the Suffolk community, contributing to the economic vitality of the city and its status in the peanut industry; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Mr. Peanut, a symbol of the importance of the peanut industry to the Commonwealth and the United States, hereby be commended on his return as Baby Nut; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Planters as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the continued success of Mr. Peanut as a facet of Americana.
