Peanut butter
and bread
Skippy peanut butter is a brand available in the United States. According to the official Skippy website, 90 million jars are sold every year. Rights to the Skippy trademark belong to Unilever, despite continuing litigation from the descendants of the creator of the "Skippy" comic strip.
History of Peanut Butter
Peanut butter was introduced by Dr. Ambrose Straub, a physician from Missouri, to provide protein for toothless elderly patients in the 1890s. In 1903 he patented the machine he used to produce his peanut butter.
Skippy Beginnings
The Skippy trademark was first used by the Rosefield Packing Co. in 1933. A year later, the creator of the "Skippy" comic strip, Percy Crosby, had the trademark invalidated. Rosefield continued using the Skippy trademark, and successive companies have retained the rights to it.
1940s to 1980s
Throughout the 1940s, production of Skippy peanut butter increased, with plants opened in Minneapolis in 1940; Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1945; Dallas in 1956; and Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1977.
In 1945, the Rosefield Packing Co. acquired the patent for making peanut butter and was sold to the Best Foods in 1955. The Skippy brand become better known through advertising and sponsorship of the "Dennis the Menace" TV show.
1990s to Present
The 1990s saw Skippy Peanut Butter broaden its range, introducing Reduced Fat Creamy and Chunky Peanut Butter in 1994 and easy-to-spread peanut butter in 1998. In 2004, Skippy Natural Creamy and Skippy Natural Superchunk were added, and a peanut butter with honey was introduced in 2010.
The Skippy official website claims that since 2005 the brand has been America's best seller. However, the Jif website claims this accolade actually belongs to Jif.
Tags: peanut butter, Skippy trademark, comic strip, creator Skippy, creator Skippy comic, Peanut Butter