Welcome to the Vancouver Lexicon. Its purpose is to pin down the patois of the City of Vancouver by recording its toponyms, nicknames, slang terms, personalities, places, and other Van-centric things. Full A-Z here.

Mr. Peanut | person, artist, Mayoral candidate | As part of an ongoing performance art project, Vancouver artist Vincent Trasov took on the persona of the Planters Peanuts mascot Mr. Peanut in the early 1970s. Trasov’s performance art project culminated in his Mr. Peanut Campaign for Mayor in 1974 that he devised with fellow artist John Mitchell.

As a registered candidate for Mayor of Vancouver, Mr. Peanut participated in all-candidates debates and meetings (often joined by the tap-dancing Peanettes), interacted with the public and gave press interviews. His mayoral campaign drew international attention with features in Esquire and Interview magazines and a formal endorsement by Beat writer William S. Burrows.

The Mr. Peanut campaign motto was “Elect a nut for Mayor,” and his campaign platform was “P for performance, E for elegance, A for art, N for nonsense, U for uniqueness, and T for talent.”

Mr Peanut was ultimately rewarded for his efforts with 2,685 votes, or 3.4% of total votes cast. He lost to incumbent Art Phillips.

Usage: “Considering the number of candidates running for Mayor in this election, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Peanut threw his hat into the ring too.”