These endorsements were loud, ridiculous and full of made-up dialogue that played off each star’s persona. Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion, was shown yelling in disbelief at the idea of a grown man eating peanut butter. Until, of course, he tasted Skippy and supposedly cried out, “It’s edible! It’s incredible!” Basil Rathbone was approached mid-meal and thought the ad men were waiters. Hermione Gingold, in full dramatic mode, claimed she hadn’t touched the stuff since before the war — except to patch a crack in her sundial. Groucho Marx just wanted cash and admitted he hadn’t tasted peanut butter since he was a “precocious child.”
The humor in these ads wasn’t subtle or even especially clever — but that was kind of the point. Skippy leaned into the idea that peanut butter was for kids and that famous adults had to be paid to pretend otherwise. The copy made fun of the whole endorsement process while also trying to sell you on how good Skippy tasted (even to skeptical grown-ups). It was self-aware in a way that stood out, especially in an era when most ads were still pretty straightforward.
Below, take a look at this odd little slice of advertising history. We’ve rounded up the original Skippy ads, featuring Bert Lahr, Basil Rathbone, Hermione Gingold, Groucho Marx and Casey Stengel. Big names, small bills, and a whole lot of peanut butter.
A paid testimonial from Bert Lahr for Skippy Peanut Butter
How did we get Bert Lahr to appear in an ad for Skippy Peanut Butter? Easy. WE PAID HIM. We approached Mr Lahr with a lot of money (really not too much, since we had it changed into small bills and it made quite a fistful). At first Mr Lahr looked incredulous (either that or he’d just backed into something sharp).
“What!” he shouted in his deep persuasive voice. “You ask a full-grown man (5′ 9″) to endorse peanut butter? Peanut butter is strictly for kids, and I haven’t reached my second childhood yet.”
We sent out for more money and at last lured Lahr into tasting Skippy. Results appear in the unretouched photo above. “Oh, goody, goody,” he cried. “Skippy doesn’t taste like peanut butter — it tastes just like peanuts. It’s edible! It’s incredible! I love Skippy to pieces!”
A paid testimonial from Basil Rathbone for Skippy Peanut Butter
Take Basil Rathbone. We approached the suave actor at his table in a small fashionable restaurant. At first he mistook us for the waiter and asked for more French bread…
A paid testimonial from Hermione Gingold for Skippy Peanut Butter
“Peanut butter, did you say?” asked Miss Gingold, tickling us coquettishly with the end of her boa. “Why, my dear, I haven’t touched the stuff since I was a wee babe. Except once, before the War. I believe I used some peanut butter to patch a crack in the sundial.”
A paid testimonial from Casey Stengel for Skippy Peanut Butter
A paid testimonial from Groucho Marx for Skippy Peanut Butter
“I’ll take cash,” said Groucho. “At the rate I eat peanut butter, a 5-year supply would be less than one jar. Matter of fact, I can’t recall tasting the stuff since I was a precocious child.”
