Just Nuts

Okay, so why is Mr. Peanut on the packaging for Planters Cashews? It's bad enough he's selling his family — his whole species, in fact — urging you to purchase and devour his kind. But shouldn't that be sufficient for him?  Why is he on the cashews? And why isn't there a Mr. Cashew?

Or was there once and he was murdered, shoved into the roasting pits by some unidentified goober with a top hat, cane, gloves and a monocle?  Thereafter, Mr. Cashew's family was horrifyingly chopped up into halves and pieces, and now Mr. Peanut is selling them, too.  Has anyone looked into this?

Is his goal here to boost cashew sales so that peanut sales will diminish?  Is he like Daffy Duck urging Elmer Fudd to shoot rabbits instead of ducks?  Somebody help me with this.  I can't be the only person sitting up night after night wondering about this kind of stuff.