Sunny Jim Peanut Butter 1921 T-Shirt

The peanut butter brand known as Sunny Jim was manufactured in Seattle, Washington by Germanus Wilhelm Firnstahl in 1921 after he moved to Seattle from Wisconsin and bought a peanut roaster. Firnstahl based the apple-cheeked character seen on the jars on his son, Lowell. By the 1950s, the brand accounted for nearly a third of all peanut butter sold in the Puget Sound area. The company was sold in 1979, though the large sign remained on the Airport Way South factory for decades after the peanut butter was no longer in production, resulting in the "Sunny Jim building" becoming a well-known landmark. In 1997, there was a fire at this plant (then owned by the city of Seattle) which destroyed the sign and a portion of the building.