Skippy (peanut butter)

Skippy
Product type Peanut butter
Owner Hormel
Country U.S.
Introduced 1933
Markets U.S.
Previous owners Unilever
Bestfoods
CPC International
Best Foods
Rosefield Packing Co.
Tagline "Skippy! Yippee!"
Website www.peanutbutter.com

Skippy is a brand of peanut butter manufactured in the USA. First sold in 1933, Skippy is currently manufactured by Hormel Foods, which bought the brand from Unilever in 2013.

It is the best-selling brand of peanut butter in China and second only to The J.M. Smucker Company's Jif brand worldwide.[1]

History

"Skippy" was first used as a trademark for peanut butter by the Rosefield Packing Co., Ltd., of Alameda, California, in 1933. Percy Crosby, creator of the "Skippy" comic strip, had the trademark invalidated in 1934, but Rosefield persisted. Its successor companies, most recently Unilever and Hormel, claim rights to the trademark over the objection of Crosby's heirs. There has been much litigation on this point over the decades, some of which has continued into the 2000s.[2]

Skippy comes in many different sizes, including a 4-pound (1.8 kg) jar, known as the "Family Jar". In late 2008, 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.[3]

Production

Skippy, the best-selling peanut butter in China, on the shelves of a Kai Bo Food Supermarket in Hong Kong.

Skippy has factories in Little Rock, Arkansas[4] and Shandong Province, China.[1]

Advertising

Skippy has used several cartoon and celebrity spokespeople in its advertising, including Dennis the Menace, Annette Funicello and speed skater Bonnie Blair.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Isidore, Chris (January 3, 2013). "Spam maker buys Skippy peanut butter". CNN Money. CNN. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
  2. ↑ Skippy.com website
  3. ↑ Hirsch, Jerry (2008-11-09). "On store shelves, stealthy shrinking of containers keeps prices from rising". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  4. ↑ "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.

External links