PETER PAN

A jar of Derby's Peter Pan peanut butter with a vintage label featuring a woman in a green outfit and a red background.

FROM STORYBOOK CHARACTER TO PANTRY STAPLE

Peter Pan peanut butter was invented in 1915 by the E.K. Pond Company, a subsidiary of Derby Foods in Chicago. Inspired by the famous J. M. Barrie character, Peter Pan, the company changed the product name to Peter Pan Peanut Butter in 1928. Peter Pan utilized a process created by chemist Joseph L. Rosefield to prevent the peanut oil from separating from the spread, making it more liquid smooth. The innovation helped extend shelf life and was so successful that they patented it and made Peter Pan one of the first nationally recognized peanut butter brands in the United States.

Vintage advertisement for Derby's Peter Pan peanut butter featuring a woman dressed as a leprechaun sitting on a large jar of peanut butter, holding a piece of bread with peanut butter, with a cheerful smile.
Two vintage cans of Derby's Peter Pan peanut butter stacked on top of each other, showing an original red and yellow label with a woman in a green dress.
Vintage advertisement for Peter Pan Peanut Butter featuring a smiling young boy with a slice of bread with peanut butter, an image of a jar of Peter Pan Peanut Butter, and a plate with peanut butter sandwiches, oranges, and a candy cane. The text promotes the freshness of Peter Pan peanut butter and mentions its vacuum-sealed cap and long-lasting flavor.
Vintage advertisement for Peter Pan Peanut Butter featuring a smiling young boy with a slice of bread with peanut butter, an image of a jar of Peter Pan Peanut Butter, and a plate with peanut butter sandwiches, oranges, and a candy cane. The text promotes the freshness of Peter Pan peanut butter and mentions its vacuum-sealed cap and long-lasting flavor.
Three vintage cans of Peter Pan Peanut Butter, with beige and black labels, showing an illustration of a woman sitting and the product name, one can is open and the other two are closed.

THE ENDURING APPEAL
OF PETER PAN

Peter Pan was originally packaged in tins with a turn-key lid before the company was forced to switch to glass jars due to the wartime metal shortage. Peter Pan then became the first brand to mass produce their peanut butter in plastic jars in 1988. Much later in 2007, Peter Pan entered a licensing agreement with Disney that allowed them to use the animated Peter Pan character as its official mascot on their products. Throughout the 50s and 60s, the brand heavily advertised on television, paper ads, and promotions featuring characters from Disney's Peter Pan. Peter Pan kept up with competing brands by expanding their product line to include different types of peanut butter and remains a top-selling brand to this day.

Vintage advertisement for Peter Pan peanut butter featuring a woman dressed in green with a feathered hat, smiling and pointing to a jar of Peter Pan peanut butter.
Vintage advertisement for Peter Pan peanut butter featuring a woman dressed in green with a feathered hat, smiling and pointing to a jar of Peter Pan peanut butter.