Old peanut butter brands have a surprisingly deep history in American food culture — and the roster of names that have come and gone over the past century is longer than most people realize. From regional grocery staples to big national players, the peanut butter aisle has always been more competitive than it looks.
Peanut butter’s origins in America go back further than the familiar modern jar. By the late 1800s, it was already being described in the press as a food with serious commercial potential. A 1899 report quoted in the San Francisco Call cited a Philadelphia businessman making the case that peanut butter was “rapidly becoming an important commercial product” — calling it nourishing, pure and affordable for everyday families. That framing stuck. Within a few decades, brands like Beech-Nut and Heinz were running full-page ads positioning their versions as wholesome pantry staples, with Beech-Nut boasting that one medium jar could spread 26 slices of bread.
The postwar boom years were peak peanut butter territory. The 1950s brought a wave of competing brands — Peter Pan, Planters, Holsum, Beverly, Swift’s and Big Top among them — each with its own angle. Swift’s leaned into nutrition, listing vitamins and minerals right in the ad copy. Big Top promoted a “Roto-roasting” process that supposedly unlocked superior flavor. Planters, better known for snack nuts, briefly got into the jar game too, pitching a “chill-packed” version meant to preserve that fresh, old-fashioned taste. Meanwhile, Laura Scudder’s staked its identity on the opposite of innovation — just peanuts and salt, the way it had always been done, with instructions to stir and refrigerate.
By the 1960s and ’70s, the category had consolidated around a handful of major brands, and the advertising got sharper. Skippy ran a 1966 campaign built entirely around the science of melting — explaining that its “exclusive patented process” allowed the spread to release more peanut flavor at body temperature. Jif positioned itself as the choosy mom’s pick. And some brands tried novelty: Big Top bundled in collectible Early American glassware with each jar, and Superman Peanut Butter offered free comic books with two labels. Even Reese’s — already synonymous with peanut butter cups — jumped into the spread market in the 1990s.
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Here, we’ve gathered a collection of vintage ads and original source material spanning from 1899 through the early ’90s, covering more than a dozen old peanut butter brands. Some are still on shelves; others are long gone. Either way, flipping through them is a solid reminder of just how much energy once went into selling America on the perfect spread.
1. The new “peanut butter” is not a fad food (1899)
Excerpted from the San Francisco Call (San Francisco, California) December 27, 1899
Washington Post: “Peanut butter is not a fad, but is rapidly becoming an important commercial product,” said Charles B. Fancher, of Philadelphia, at the National last night.
“Peanut butter is made by grinding peanuts very fine and reducing the mass to a pasty substance, a portion, at least, of the large amount of oil contained being removed.
“Some salt is added for flavoring, and the result is a cheap and nourishing ‘spread’ for crackers or bread, the nutritious value of which is now recognized by many physicians…
“Another value added to peanut butter is its absolute purity, there being no likelihood of germs as in the case of butter made from cream, and moreover the product is an excellent one for the poor, in that it can be made at a fraction of the expense of cream butter.
“The industry is growing rapidly, and peanut butter is extensively used in the large cities today.”
2. Old peanut butter brands: Vintage Beech-Nut peanut butter (1926)
26 slices can be spread by one medium-sized jar of Beech-Nut Peanut Butter
You actually spread the bread with flavor. Delicious Spanish and Virginia peanuts are blended — a necessary step to Beech-Nut flavor.
They’re roasted evenly, until the kernels are a rich, warm brown. They’re crushed smooth and creamy. And finally they’re lightly salted — to bring out the full, enticing flavor.
One medium-sized jar will cover 26 slices. Youngsters make many trips to the Beech-Nut Peanut Butter jar when they’re hungry between meals. And by always keeping an extra jar on hand, you can make a whole pile of popular sandwiches in a few minutes — enough for everybody.
Beech-Nut Peanut Butter is healthful, nourishing, easy to digest. It sets off the flavor of other sandwich-fillings by its own captivating flavor. Spread one slice with Beech-Nut and the other with cream cheese, olives, jam, bananas. A pleasantly different taste. Beech-Nut Peanut Butter comes in vacuum-sealed clear glass jars only — never sold in bulk.
ALSO SEE: 20 delicious retro recipes for old-fashioned peanut butter cookies
3. Heinz peanut butter (1926)
Confidence.
When Grandmother was a little girl “her own self”, she knew the Heinz label always meant the most delicious flavors. Then when she grew up and children of her own came to ask her for something good to eat, she confidently turned to Heinz. Now that still another generation of hungry little folks has come to make the same demands upon her, she still turns confidently to Heinz…
For 57 years the Heinz label to her and millions of others has been a symbol of freshness, purity, cleanliness and flavor — and utmost value for the money.
4. Holsum Peanut Crunch Peanut Butter (1950s)
“Look Mommy! We left some for you!”
Peanut Crunch Peanut Butter is a great thrill for kiddies… a great treat for mom and pop! With meals — or in-between, everybody likes Peanut Crunch Peanut Butter, the blended combination of crispy, toasted peanut bits and smooth, delicious peanut butter. Contains essential vitamins that help build strong bodies. Look for Peanut Crunch Peanut Butter on your grocer’s shelves.
5. Beverly Peanut Butter (1950s)
Out of this jar comes the peanut butter that tastes like fresh roasted peanuts!
Why is our new stabilized Beverly so wonderfully good? Beverly’s famous flavor comes from the finest eating peanuts: U.S. 1st Grade. We roast them a special way, grind fresh daily, pop into jars and hustle to stores for you and your family to enjoy.
Taste Beverly at our risk. Buy a jar of our Chunk Style or our Regular Grind with this guarantee: You agree Beverly is the freshest, best-eating peanut butter you ever tasted — or the grocer will give your money back.
6. Swift’s peanut butter (1950s)
New wham in your slam!
Only Swift’s Peanut Butter gives you a smartly styled crystal plastic coaster with every jar you buy. In choice of four beautiful colors — and just the right size to fit nearly any glass.
There’s a powerhouse of energy in Swift’s Peanut Butter — the sensational new energy food you’ve heard so much about. It’s the one and only that gives all the nourishing wealth of plump, rich peanuts. Abounds in top-quality vegetable protein plus Vitamins B12 / B2 and Niacin, plus the essential minerals Iron, Calcium and Phosphorus.
Truly a “Gold Mine” of nutrition. So easily digested everybody can eat his fill. Delicious. Super-smooth. Get it by name — Swift’s Peanut Butter — The one with restored Vitamin B, values.
7. Youngsters prefer Peter Pan Peanut Butter (1950)
Here’s Why Peter Pan stays fresher and smoother:
1. Packed fresher! Just seconds from grinder to jar. None of its delicious just-made flavor is lost!
2. Fresher when you buy it! It’s vacuum-sealed to keep all the fresh flavor in. The only leading peanut butter with the flavor-guarding vacuum-sealed cap.
3. Stays fresher in your pantry, after you open the jar! The oil never separates — so Peter Pan doesn’t get rancid, never gets dry or lumpy.
It stays fresh-tasting and smooth — keeps all its energy value and vitamins. No waste — it’s smooth and creamy right down to the bottom of the jar!
Try both kinds of delicious Peter Pan smooth Peter Pan in the Red Top Jar — the smoothest peanut butter made… and Peter Pan Crunchy Peanut Butter (with crisp peanut bits mixed all through) in the Green Top Jar. The youngsters love ’em both!
8. Old-fashioned Planters peanut butter (1955)
For fall parties… fall good eating… of course you’ll want the peanuts the whole world loves. Only Planters gives you this top quality — the very biggest, selected Virginia peanuts, toasted and salted to crisp, delicious perfection.
Planters Peanut Butter: Now in 12 oz. refrigerator-freezer jar. Super-smooth… chill-packed for the truest, old-fashioned, rich peanut flavor you ever tasted… spreads so easily! Also in vacuum packed tumblers.
DON’T MISS: 20 delicious retro recipes for old-fashioned peanut butter cookies
9. Retro Big Top Peanut Butter with Early American glassware you can collect (1957)
The peanut butter with the fresh-roasted flavor of peanuts at the circus!
Big Top’s Roto-roasting — that’s the secret that brings out all the golden goodness of the peanuts… gives Big Top Peanut Butter its delicious fresh-roasted flavor.
Get this exclusive Early American Glassware every time you buy Big Top Peanut Butter.
10A. Skippy: The peanut butter that melts in your mouth (1966)
The result? Extra flavor… true, fresh-roasted peanut flavor. That’s why Skippy is different. It’s specially made to melt in your mouth.
You’ve noticed how the flavor of some foods is increased as they melt? Like chocolate or cheese? Well, the same thing is true of peanut butter.
Skippy, thanks to its exclusive patented process, melts easily and quickly at body temperature. That’s why Skippy releases so much more true peanut flavor.
‘Course, if you’re running a fever of 107 degrees, or grabbing a snack in your sauna bath, there are other peanut butters that will melt for you.
But any other time, if you are a normal human being, with a normal temperature and a normal hankering for the full, fresh-roasted flavor of U. S. Grade No. 1 peanuts, may we suggest Skippy — the peanut butter made especially for people.
DON’T MISS THESE STARS: Celebrities sell out for Skippy Peanut Butter (1960)
10B. Put love in lunch with Skippy peanut butter (1985)
Serving Skippy is a loving way to give your kids the good nutrition they need. Because it’s the only leading national brand to give them both high protein and less sugar.
And kids really go for the taste of Skippy. Now that’s a combination any mother can love!
For good nutrition straight from the heart.
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ALSO SEE: Easy Skippy peanut butter ice cream (1973)
1985 Skippy Peanut Butter commercial
(This TV ad features Mickey Mouse Club member/actress Annette Funicello)
11. Laura Scudder’s Old Fashioned Peanut Butter: Cool it. (1977)
Ever wonder why we recommend that you keep Laura Scudder’s Old Fashioned Peanut Butter in the refrigerator? Here’s the story, in a nutshell.
Not too long ago, all peanut butters were made the old-fashioned, natural way: freshly roasted peanuts and a little salt were ground together to make a delicious, creamy mixture.
You got great-tasting peanut butter, one that was full of rich, natural peanut flavor. And you also got oil that would separate from the mixture and rise to the top of the jar.
The advent of stabilizers changed all that. Most peanut butters changed from using only natural ingredients to also using stabilizers to prevent oil separation. The taste wasn’t exactly the same as before, but lots of people liked the results.
Laura Scudder’s didn’t change. We make ours the same old-fashioned, natural way — just peanuts and salt — nothing else!
We think it’s still the best-tasting peanut butter there is, because there’s nothing to get in the way of the rich, full natural peanut flavor. And, you guessed it, the oil can still come to the top. That’s why we suggest that you stir it up and keep it in the refrigerator. Then it won’t separate.
Next time, get Laura Scudder’s Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter. Then, cool it.
ALSO SEE: Pillsbury Space Food Sticks, the vintage snacks for astronauts that kids loved
12. Comic book food: Vintage Superman Peanut Butter (1983)
The first action-packed Superman adventure! Free with two labels from Superman peanut butter.
13. Vintage Jif and Simply Jif peanut butter (1992)
Wholesome twosome.
Simply Jif: It has less added sugar and salt than any leading regular peanut butter. But can anything this wholesome taste really good? One taste will tell you, Simply Jif is simply delicious.
Original Jif: It’s bursting with fresh-roasted peanut taste and aroma. More than any other leading regular brand. In fact, it’s America’s best-selling peanut butter.
Two Wholesome Choices for Choosy Moms.
MORE: Kudos granola bars: What happened to these popular kids’ snacks from the ’80s & ’90s?
14. Reese’s creamy & crunchy peanut butter (1992)
May the bologna sandwich rest in peace.
Reese’s Peanut Butter. Creamy or Crunchy. Spread the word. Hershey Foods Corporation.
TRY THIS: Get your retro Reese’s cookies here with this recipe from the ’80s
3 Responses
Interesting that Heinz once made a peanut butter, though it shouldn’t be surprising.
I remember Peter Pan, Skippy, and Jif brands of peanut butter. I can’t recall the rest of them.
My favorite was always Jif, although Skippy wasn’t bad. I didn’t like Peter Pan, though. I always loved Jif with Marshmallow Fluff (Fluffenutter) and/or with homemade jam.
Nowadays, I use Jif and a new Skippy brand called “Skippy Natural”. It tastes nearly identical to Jif…at least, to me, it does. I love Skippy Natural far more than regular Skippy.
Growing up in Canada in the seventies our most favorite brands were:
* Empress Peanut butter
It came in a large tin with a picture of a cartoon Sombrero wearing Mexican Peanut riding a mule on 2nd was,
* Squirrel Peanut butter
Also came in a large tin with a cartoon Squirrel on it and third was,
* Kraft peanut butter
It came in a large glass jar shaped like a Teddy Bear
All these peanut butters had to be stirred like crazy and put in the refrigerator to keep the oil from separating again. PB was all natural back then. Empress and Squirrel disappeared and Kraft took over top spot in Canada which they still maintain to this day. Funny they don’t have Kraft PB in the US. I remember we went on holiday in the US in ’76 and since we rec’d American cable channels the year before, all us kids wanted to try JIF and Skippy which at the time was not available in Canada at the time. So our mom bought a jar of each for us to try out. Us kids were so disappointed in the taste it was not nearly as good Empress PB. Not even close. That was the first bit of news we had to report at school after summer break. Ahh the seventies when PB seemed to be the was most important food in our lives.