J.O. Parker
The Planters NUTmobile is rolling from the east to the west coast making stops along the way, including Grinnell and Newton, July 9 -15.
The large nut-shaped vehicle is under the direction of Peanutters, as they are called, Ryan Connors, Jessie Carl and Katie Krupinski. The trio is spending a year traveling in the lower 48 states sharing good will and talking all things nuts.
This is the 11th year that the NUTmobile, which is owned by Hormel, has been touring the United States. It is currently the only vehicle of its type on the road.
The trio, known as brand ambassadors or Peanutters, left Austin, Minn. (Hormel headquarters), in mid-June and have already made nine stops including Rochester Hills, Mich. (Carl’s hometown), Gettysburg, Pa., Hoboken, N.J., Long Island, N.Y. (Connors’ hometown) and Washington, D.C., where they met the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile while in the Nation’s Capital.
“That’s a lot of bologna,” said Connors with a chuckle.
While in Grinnell, the trio stayed at Hotel Grinnell and ate at local eateries. They also visited with and had photos taken with curious on-lookers who stopped to check out the NUTmobile.
As part of their stay in Grinnell, the trio is spending July 12 – 14 at the Hy-Vee Indy Race in Newton where the 108-year-old Mr. Planters is slated to make daily appearances and race fans can stop for photos and receive free salty Planters goodies from the operators.
“When we stop, we handout peanut stickers and peanuts and when we can, we take pictures,” said Krupinski.
“We love to take photos of people and tell them all about the NUTmobile,” said Carl.
While on the road, the Peanutter’s carry nutty names.
Connors is “Honey Roasted Ryan.”
Carl is “Peanut Butter and Jessie.”
Krupinski is “Maca-Katie-A.”
The NUTmobile is 26-foot long, 11.5-foot tall and 8-foot wide and according to Connors, weighs three-million (13,000 pounds) peanuts. The 2017 NUTmobile currently has 132,000 miles and seats six people. The Peanutters do not sleep in the NUTmobile and there is no restroom onboard.
The ceiling of the vehicle features the timeline of Mr. Peanut and company.
According to Wikipedia, Planters Peanut Company was founded in 1906 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. by Amedeo Obici, and incorporated two years later as the Planters Nut and Chocolate Company.
In 1916, youngster Antonia Gentile submitted drawings of an anthropomorphic (relating to or characterized) peanut to a design contest.
“When his design was chosen, commercial artist Andrew S. Wallach added the monocle, top hat and cane to create the iconic image,” noted Wikipedia. “Gentile’s family originally received five dollars for winning the contest.”
Obici later paid Gentile and four of his siblings’ way through college and also paid for Gentile to attend medical school.
Connors, Carl and Krupinski all share duties driving the NUTmobile.
The Hormel office plans about a half-dozen major events during the year that the trio is on the road. The Hy-Vee Indy Car Races is one of the planned stops. The rest of the trip is self-planned.
“We are in a different city every 3 – 5 days,” said Krupinski.
“The goal is to stop at all 48 continental states,” said Connors.
Last year, the NUTmobile crew visited 39 states and in 2022, the crew visited 46 states.
The current Peanutters, who did not know each other prior to joining the NUTmobile crew, learned about the road trip in different ways.
Krupinski, a native of the Chicago area and current resident of Texas, learned about the NUTmobile opportunity from a friend who was on the crew two years ago. She holds a degree in public relations and a minor in business administration from Texas State University.
“My favorite part about being a Peanutter is exploring new cities and spreading joy across the country,” said Krupinski.
Carl, who is from Rochester Hills, Mich., learned about the NUTmobile opportunity from her mom, who sent her a newspaper clipping she received from friend about the joining the NUTmobile crew.
“It said ‘Mr. Peanut is looking for the next class of Peanutters,’” said Carl of the ad. “My whole family is excited for me.”
Carl holds a degree in musical theater from the University of Northern Colorado.
“My favorite part of being a Peanutter is the opportunity to see the entire country and bring smiles to people,” said Carl. “I’m so excited.”
Connors, a native of Manhasset, N.Y., is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he earned a degree in communications with a minor in journalism.
“I was looking for a job where I could travel,” said Connors. “I learned about the NUTmobile job through an ad on Instagram.”
Connors has a life goal of visiting all 50 states before he turns 25. He’s already visited 31 states and has 19 more to go. The NUTmobile doesn’t travel to Alaska nor does it visit Hawaii.
“My favorite part of being a Peanutter is being able to visit states I’ve never been to before,” said Connors. “I’m looking forward to meeting people from all over the country.”
The NUTmobile will leave Grinnell and Newton on Monday, July 15. The next stop is the Chicago area then they will make a stop in Beloit, Wisc., Canterbury, Minn., Winston-Salem, N.C., Bentonville, Ark., Cincinnati, Ohio; and Suffolk, Va.
“It’s a lot of nutcracking fun,” said Krupinski of the journey.
For more information on the NUTmobile, visit https://www.plantersnutmobile.com/schedule/
