Why the Smiling Peanut Still Matters
The funny thing is, the Smiling Peanut wasn’t supposed to become famous. It wasn’t dreamed up by an artist trying to create the next big landmark. It wasn’t built because Plains needed a tourist attraction. It was campaign-season Georgia, 1976, and someone had the idea to roll out a giant peanut as a nod to Carter’s farming roots and the town’s peanut pride. That could’ve been the end of it. But…













