its 75th anniversary, and the Whitman's Sampler box had gained a new look. In 1991, the Smithsonian Institution acquired the Whitman's Chocolates Collection of print advertisements. In 1994, Whitman's teamed up with Peanuts characters to introduce its Peanuts-themed Whitman's products. Whitman's Sampler The online Russell Stover history states that the Whitman's Sampler was introduced in 1912, and by 1915 it was the most popular of Whitman's line of candy. Also in 1915 the Messenger Boy molded chocolate piece was added to the assortment. During World War II, servicemen and women who got a Whitman's Sampler from family and friends spread the word about it once they returned home. Over the decades, it reached a level in American pop culture in that it was mentioned in many TV shows, movies, and the like. The stitching design of the package was inspired by grandma's needlework. The package of the box resembles the folk art sampler needlework of a bird on a branch, Pegasus, basket of flowers, rocking horse, rocking elephant, plants, rooster, dog, sailboat, tree, house, and a bear, hence the double entendre name of the product. It was the first box of chocolates to come equipped with an index of all the varieties of the sampler printed under the lid. Early designs of the package had "Whitman's Sampler Chocolates & Confections Started in 1842" written on it. The Sampler's contents vary from box to box, but generally contain milk and dark chocolate-covered caramel, coconut, molasses chew, chocolate-covered peanuts, almonds, cashews, clusters, cherry cordial, maple fudge, chocolate-covered toffee, and nougaty chocolate whipped candies. Seasonal flavors like strawberry cream, pumpkin marshmallow, and mint chocolate patties are occasionally included. The candies' flavors can be determined by their shapes: a square shape denotes caramels; a rectangle means nougat filling; oval chocolates typically contain fudge; the soft-centered flavors, including cherry cordials, are round; and nut clusters are easily identified by their rough surfaces. In popular culture In the early 20th century, Pickaninny Peppermints were a popular Whitman confection. However, the NAACP lawyer and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall took issue with the name. In a 1941 article directed at Whitman's published in the Afro-American, Marshall urged Whitman's Candies to realize its racial insensitivity. Whitman's denied that the term "pickaninny" was racist and responded to Marshall by saying that it meant "cute colored kid". The product was soon dropped. The candy was featured in Issue 32