To celebrate National Peanut Butter Day, the National Peanut Board secured a few moments with the anonymous Peanut Vendor who runs the Board’s new Twitter and Instagram handles (@PeanutsHere). The hilarious vendor recently made waves overzealously posting a year’s worth of social media predictions in just one day. Now, he’s got the rest of the year to hijack online peanuts/peanut butter conversations, react to real time news, have fun with peanuts and launch the Board’s Instagram. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: How did you decide you were going to be a peanut vendor?
A: Oh, I never decided. It chose me. My father was a peanut vendor. My father’s father was a peanut vendor. And his father…was a cobbler, but he loved peanuts nevertheless. When all my friends we’re in Little League, I was already working the stands, tossing peanuts to their parents. It’s my passion in life.
Q: Do you have any favorite moments as a peanut vendor? Any signature games or big highlights?
A: Oh man, there are so many to choose from. I’ve thrown peanuts to tons of big celebrities while working stadiums from New York to LA. I worked a perfect game once – didn’t drop a bag or customer cash the entire time. I think my absolute top moment was when I threw a bag of peanuts from the lower level to the upper deck from behind my back. I didn’t even ask for the money. I got a standing ovation. It was beautiful. Great, now I’m crying. Excuse me.
Q: So, if you love the vending world, what made you work with the National Peanut Board?
A: It’s a great opportunity. These guys love peanuts as much as me – not more than me – but it’s close. They work from dusk ‘til dawn making sure the world has peanuts. How could anybody not want to work with them?
Q: But to be their voice? That’s a lot of weight to carry.
A: These shoulders can carry a lot of peanuts. Like a bushel each. And now these shoulder are bringing the perfectly powerful peanut to the world. It’s like I’m the Superman of peanuts…or better yet, a caped hero named Supernuts.
Actually…don’t run that. Can you strike that last comment?
Q: So, in early January, you posted a year’s worth of content in one day. Can you tell us about that?
A: I’m still relatively new to Twitter. I spent the holidays drinking peanut flavored eggnog and reviewing what other brands have done. What I didn’t realize was they spent an entire year creating all that content versus one day.
So, I jumped the gun and predicted a year’s worth of possible pop culture moments, gaffes, wins, loses and more and called it “The Peanut Vendor’s Social Almanac.” I hope some of them come true.
Q: I think everyone’s been asking this question, but where did the hat come from in your Twitter avatar?
A: I made it myself. There’s only one and it doesn’t leave my head. I might make more, but for now…it’s 1 of 1.
Q: Favorite food?
A: (sits back, stares at interviewer while eating peanuts) Duh? I also like anything with peanut butter. Next question.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about peanuts?
A: Cracking them open and that feeling when you get when you land the perfect split. The secret’s finding the bump and working your thumb down the spine. I call it the “bump and run.” And there’s nothing like tossing back peanuts during your favorite pastime.
Q: What other hobbies do you have?
A: Does making my own peanut butter count as a hobby? Or roasting my own peanuts? I recently tried to brew my own peanut beer. Still working out the kinks on that one.
Q: What can we expect from your Instagram?
A: Lots of beautiful images of peanuts, peanut butter and hilarious peanut- themed content (like the world’s first ever peanut sitcom or the only peanut news network, but more on that later J. Check me out on Instagram and Twitter by following @PeanutsHere!