Skippy (peanut butter)

Skippy is an American brand of peanut butter spread manufactured in the United States and China. First sold in 1932,[1] Skippy is currently manufactured by Hormel Foods,[2] which bought the brand from Unilever in 2013.[3] It is the best-selling brand of peanut butter in China and second only to the J.M. Smucker Company's Jif brand worldwide.[4]

Skippy
Product typePeanut butter
OwnerHormel Foods
CountryUnited States
Introduced1932 (1932)
MarketsUnited States
Previous ownersJoseph L. Rosefield
Unilever
Websitewww.peanutbutter.com

Brand name

Percy Crosby, creator of the popular "Skippy" comic strip (1923–1945), which had been adapted into the 1929 novel Skippy, the daytime children's radio serial Skippy (1932–1935), and the Oscar-winning 1931 film Skippy, had trademarked the name "Skippy" in 1925.

In 1932, the Alameda, California food packer Joseph L. Rosefield began to sell its second hydrogenated peanut butter, which it labeled "Skippy" without permission,[5] Crosby successfully had the trademark invalidated in 1934. Rosefield persisted using the name and after Crosby was committed to an asylum and after the passage in 1946 of the Lanham Act, Rosefield was granted rights to the trademark.[6]

Product

In 1955, Rosefield sold the brand to Best Foods.[7] Its successor companies, most recently Unilever and Hormel, claim rights to the trademark over the objection of Crosby's heirs, and much litigation has occurred on this point over the decades, some of which has continued into the 2000s.[8][9][10][11]

Skippy is sold in many different sizes, including a 4-pound (1.8 kg) jar, known as the "Family Jar". In late 2000, Skippy reduced their standard jar size from 18 ounces (510 g) to 16.3 ounces (460 g) by adding a "dimple" in the bottom of the jar while retaining the jar's height and diameter.[12]

Production

Skippy has factories in Little Rock, Arkansas,[13] and Shandong Province, China.[4] About 750,000 pounds of peanuts are brought daily to the Skippy Peanut Butter plant in Little Rock, Arkansas, resulting in over 3.5 million pounds of peanut butter produced each week.[14]

There are 14 different varieties of Skippy Peanut Butter Spread.[15]

  • Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter
  • Skippy Super Chunk Peanut Butter
  • Skippy Roasted Honey Nut Creamy Peanut Butter
  • Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter
  • Skippy Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter
  • Skippy Peanut Butter Blended with Plant Protein Creamy
  • Skippy Peanut Butter Blended with Plant Protein Chunky
  • Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter Spread No Sugar Added
  • Skippy Chunky Peanut Butter Spread No Sugar Added
  • Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread
  • Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter Spread with Honey
  • Skippy Natural Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread
  • Skippy Natural Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread with Honey
  • Skippy Natural Creamy 1/3 Less Sodium & Sugar Peanut Butter Spread

Skippy is also available in a 6 oz. squeeze pack in Creamy or Natural Peanut Butter Spread and 1.15 oz. individual squeeze 8 packs in Creamy or Natural Peanut Butter Spread.[8]

In 2018, Skippy added Skippy P.B. Fruit Bites[16] to their Skippy P.B. Bites that were already available in Double Peanut Butter, Pretzel and Graham Cracker.

On September 12, 2018, Skippy announced a new line of Skippy P.B. & Jelly Minis in Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly, Natural Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly and Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jelly.[17]

Nutrition

Skippy Peanut Butter is a cholesterol-free and gluten-free food. All varieties of Skippy Peanut Butter are also kosher except the Skippy P.B. bites.[8]

References
  1. Michaud, Jon (2012-11-28). "A Chunky History of Peanut Butter". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  2. Hormel. "SKIPPY® Brand". www.hormelfoods.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  3. Hormel (31 January 2013). "Hormel Foods closes acquisition of U.S. Skippy® peanut butter business". www.hormelfoods.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  4. Isidore, Chris (January 3, 2013). "Spam maker buys Skippy peanut butter". CNN Money. CNN. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
  5. Cronin, Brian (March 12, 2009). "Comic Legends Revealed". #198 (column), ComicBookResources.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010.
  6. "Skippy v. Skippy: The Great Peanut Butter Trademark Wars". Trademark and Copyright Law Blog .com. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  7. Krampner, Jon (2014). Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food. Google Books: Columbia University Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-231-16233-3.
  8. Skippy.com website
  9. "The Sad Song of Skippy". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  10. Tibbetts, Joan Crosby (1998). "Prologue". Skippy, Inc. Archived from the original on September 11, 2010.
  11. Turley, Hugh (April 2009). "A Tale of Two Cartoonists". Hyattsville Life and Times. Hyattsville, Maryland. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010 – via DCDave.com.
  12. Hirsch, Jerry (2008-11-09). "Objects in store are smaller than they appear". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  13. "Success is peanuts for skippy facility: the sole packager of a Unilever flagship brand uses hard work and flexibility to adapt to new demands". Food & Drug Packaging. May 2004.
  14. "Success Story - Skippy". Metro Little Rock Arkansas.
  15. "All Products".
  16. "Hormel Foods Launches Skippy P.B. Fruit Bites". Hormel Foods. August 3, 2018.
  17. "The Makers of Skippy Peanut Butter Introduce New P.B. & Jelly Minis". Hormel Foods. September 12, 2018.
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