Brothers Frank and Dan Carney took advantage of the "pizza craze" sweeping the country by opening the first Pizza Hut in Wichita on June 15, 1958. A year later the first franchise opened in Topeka, and the move to become a national chain was on.
One of the first symbols of the company was "Pizza Hut Pete," shown here in the form of a bank that was a promotional giveaway to customers. "Pete" was used by the company into the mid-1970s, when the familiar red roof logo began to appear. "Pete" might have outlived his usefulness, or perhaps he was seen as too much of an Italian stereotype to be an effective image for the company.