Sunny Jim was the name of a brand of peanut butter produced in the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

area. It was manufactured in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, by the Pacific Standard Foods company. The company was founded by Germanus Wilhelm Firnstahl in 1921 after he moved to Seattle from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and bought a peanut roaster. Firnstahl based the apple-cheeked character seen on the jars on his son, Lowell, after taking photos of all his children and selecting the best photograph as model (allegedly because Lowell was the only child with all his teeth at the time). During the 1950s the brand accounted for nearly a third of all peanut butter sold in the Seattle area. The company was sold in 1979 for $3 million to the

Bristol Bay Native Corp Bristol Bay Native Corporation, or BBNC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Bristol Bay Native Corporation was incorp ...

. A large sign on the factory building made the "Sunny Jim building" on Airport Way South a familiar landmark to motorists passing on nearby

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

which Firnstahl had purchased during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. In 1997, there was a fire at this plant (by then owned by the city of Seattle) which destroyed the sign and a portion of the building.Fire Destroys I-5 Landmark -- Warehouse That Housed Sunny Jim Plant Burns
by Leyla Kokmen, Dee Norton, Tyrone Beason, and Dave Birkland; ''

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

''. 21 February 1997. Accessed 28 June 2020. On September 20, 2010, a massive fire finished off the Sunny Jim plant as well as a vacant building on the factory site.120 firefighters battle Sodo blaze; 1 firefighter injured
Christine Clarridge and Jennifer Sullivan, ''

''. Updated 21 September 2010. Accessed 28 June 2020.) The main advertisement for Sunny Jim was "Sunny Jim has underground peanuts with a flavor that's outta sight".

References

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External links

Seattle Times stories about Sunny Jim peanut butter (registration required):
Fire Destroys I-5 Landmark -- Warehouse That Housed Sunny Jim (Peanut Butter) Plant BurnsCeleste F. Rogge, Who Inherited The Sunny Jim (Peanut Butter) Fortune, Dies At 84
*

by Eileen Margerum in ''Sextant'', the journal of

Salem State College Salem State University (Salem State or SSU) is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore and is p ...

(cereal) *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 17. Since the word 'sunny' is not capitalized in this instance, this could simply be a greeting in the UK and not a reference to this character. Peanut butter brands 1921 establishments in Washington (state)