Revised October 21, 2007
Posted November 16, 2007
This article is intended to address some (most?) of
the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about
Charles Schulz and his Peanuts cartoon strip.
The newest information (although not necessarily new
to the most recent date shown above) can be quickly
located by checking outline headings marked with an asterisk (*).
Please do NOT capriciously amend or "correct" this FAQ.
If you have comments, revisions, or suggestions for
additional topics, e-mail them to me at bang@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
I'll happily incor****ate the pertinent changes myself
(and provide credit where appropriate).
If you have received an older copy of this do***ent,
the most recent version always can be found in the
alt.comics.peanuts newsgroup, or on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.peanutscollectorclub.com/peantfaq.txt
If you're a Japanese Peanuts fan, the Peanuts FAQ Japanese
Workshop maintains a Japanese translation at:
http://harriet2000.cool.ne.jp/peanuts/forum/faq/index.htm
Remember, this FAQ is not intended to answer every possible
question which might be asked about Charles Schulz and
Peanuts...merely the ones mostly likely to be posed by
newcomers to this newsgroup. Some questions are answered here
in their entirety; some provide a partial answer and information
on how to reach other Web-sites where more detailed information
(such as book lists) is meticulously maintained.
The following topics are addressed:
1) GENERAL QUESTIONS
1.1) Is there a club devoted to Peanuts fans?
1.1a) Are there regional meetings?
* 1.1b) When is the next Beaglefest?
1.2) Is there a World Wide Web (WWW) page devoted to
Peanuts?
* 1.3) Is there, or will there ever be, a publication that
reprints ALL the Peanuts strips?
1.4) Are there other relevant WWW sites?
1.5) When was the Snoopy U.S. Postage stamp released?
How many were printed?
* 1.6) Do banks have Peanuts checks available?
1.7) Is there any great Peanuts software "out there" (most
specifically, a screensaver)?
1.8) Collecting
1.8a) Is there a standard Reference/Price Guide
for Peanuts collectibles?
1.8b) Are there definitive lists of ink stampers,
Christmas ornaments, plush toys, magnets, etc.?
1.9) Has anybody compiled a definitive list of
newspaper/magazine articles and interviews with
Schulz, and about his strip?
1.10) Do FTP sites exist where I can download
Peanuts .GIF images?
2) CHARLES M. SCHULZ
2.1) When (and where) was Charles Monroe Schulz born?
When did he die?
2.2) Where did Schulz live? Did he answer fan mail?
2.3) When did Schulz begin Li'l Folks, the strip which
preceded Peanuts?
2.4) Can I get a copy of the BIOGRAPHY episode about
Schulz, which debuted 12/25/95?
2.5) Who is Amy, and why did her name appear in the strip
every August 5?
2.6) Did Schulz draw and write Peanuts to the very end? I heard
somebody else took his place years earlier!
2.7) Just how wealthy was Schulz?
* 2.8) How can I learn more about Charles Schulz?
* 2.9) Did Charles Schulz ever design a quiz to demonstrate
the im****tance of having people who care about you?
3) THE DAILY COMIC STRIP
3.1) When did Peanuts begin?
3.2) How did the strip get its name?
* 3.3) How many Peanuts strips did Charles Schulz produce?
3.4) Into which languages has Peanuts been translated?
3.5) Have all the newspaper strips been reprinted in books?
3.6) Which newspaper strips participated in the May 27, 2000,
tribute to Charles Schulz and Peanuts?
3.7) Did some strips and artists produce tributes on other days?
3.8) Can you help me find a strip I remember seeing
[some time ago], which concerned [fill in the
blank]?
3.9) Haven't I seen that punchline before?
3.10) Where can I find that great IRS Peanuts strip?
3.11) Books about Peanuts
3.11a) The chronological reprint books
3.11b) Anthologies
3.11c) Special books
3.11d) Foreign titles
3.11e) Non-Series or Non-Peanuts books by Charles Schulz
4) THE CHARACTERS
4.1) When did [your favorite character] first appear? And
has anybody compiled a list of all the characters
ever to appear in the strip?
4.2) I don't see certain characters anymore. Where did they go?
4.3) What is the origin of Charlie Brown's name?
4.4) Is Charlie Brown bald?
4.5) What is the origin of the little red-haired girl? Has
she ever actually appeared in the strip?
4.6) Do any of the other characters have "real" roots?
4.7) Which characters have last names?
4.8) When is Snoopy's birthday?
4.9) How many different roles has Snoopy played?
4.10) What are the names of Snoopy's siblings?
4.11) What are the titles of the "Bunny-Wunnies"
books which Snoopy loves so much?
4.12) What's the complete text of Snoopy's novel?
4.13) How old are Charlie Brown and his friends (as "real"
characters)?
4.14) Have adults ever appeared in the strip?
4.15) What is the name of Charlie Brown's schoolteacher?
4.16) Who plays which position on Charlie Brown's baseball team?
4.17) Has Charlie Brown's baseball team ever won a game?
4.18) Sally's School Malapropisms
4.19) What is the name of the infamous "cat next door"
which slashes at Snoopy's doghouse?
4.20) What is the name of the town where Charlie Brown
and his friends live?
4.21) Where do the kids go to school?
4.22) Are Marcie and Clara one and the same?
4.23) The football gags
4.24) My class/church/drama group is putting on a
production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,"
and one of the characters is named Patty. Is this the
same person as Peppermint Patty? And, if not, who
is this Patty person?
4.25) What can be found inside Snoopy's doghouse?
4.26) How are natural laws violated in the world of Peanuts?
4.27) To what uses has Linus' blanket been put over the years?
4.28) At what point did Snoopy quite definitely become Charlie
Brown's dog?
4.29) What type of bird is Woodstock?
* 4.30) Which squadron does the WWI Flying Ace belong to?
5) THE TV SPECIALS
5.1) What was the first special, and when did it debut?
5.2) Who voiced the characters in that first special?
5.3) Has anybody compiled a list of TV specials, and
commented on their availability on video?
5.4) Are any of the TV specials still airing?
5.5) Will there be more new specials? What are they,
and when will they air?
5.6) Were soundtracks released?
5.7) TV commercials -- general information
6) THE MOVIES
6.1) How many movies featured the Peanuts gang?
6.2) Are they available on video?
6.3) Were soundtracks released?
7) THE PLAYS
7.1) "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"
7.2) "Snoopy!"
8) THE MUSIC
* 8.1) What Vince Guaraldi CDs exist?
8.2) Have other artists recorded Guaraldi's Peanuts
music?
* 8.3) How many folks have recorded their own
versions of "Christmas Time Is Here"?
8.4) Does sheet music exist for any of these tunes?
8.5) What are the lyrics to "Joe Cool"?
8.6) Can any of these songs be downloaded in some
format, so I can hear them on my computer?
8.7) Where can I find a copy of "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron"?
8.8) Have musicians recorded songs that mention the
Peanuts characters, or serve as a tribute to them?
9) THEME PARKS/MERCHANTS
9.1) What can you tell me about the Charles M. Schulz Museum?
* 9.2) Are there any Peanuts theme parks?
* 9.3) Are there any stores or dealers devoted exclusively to
Peanuts merchandise?
9.4) What's this about a Snoopy ice show?
10) TRADING CARDS/POGS
10.1) How many sets of trading cards have been
released? Will there be more?
10.2) How many sets of POGs have been released? Will
there be more?
11) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DISCLAIMER
*******************************************************
1) GENERAL QUESTIONS
1.1) Is there a club devoted to Peanuts fans?
Yes, the Peanuts Collector Club is the officially-recognized (by
United Media, the distribution syndicate which handles the
Peanuts strip and all related merchandising) fraternity of
record. The Club was founded in 1983 by Andrea Podley, who still
manages the ever-increasing duties with the sole assistance of
her husband, Phil. She publishes quarterly newsletters, each of
which seems to be larger than its predecessor, every one filled
with articles about various aspects of Peanuts-dom, from bios of
individual members and descriptions of their collections to news
on just-released merchandise, from collectibles to definitive
lists of particular items (refrigerator magnets, for instance),
not to mention the all-im****tant Buy/Sell/Swap pages in the back.
International member****p now stands at roughly 1,500 folks. Further
questions about the Club should be directed to:
The Peanuts Collector Club, Inc.
539 Sudden Valley
Bellingham, WA 98229 USA
Member****p dues are as follows
United States -- $25
Mexico & Canada -- $30
All Other Countries -- $50
These dues entitle an individual to one year's member****p
in the Peanuts Collector Club, which includes four
consecutive issues of the Club Newsletter. Members also
receive modest discounts at Snoopy's Gift Shop & Gallery,
and shops at Knott's Camp Snoopy.
Note: $1 of each subscription fee is donated to Canine Companions
for Independence, an organization near and dear to the hearts
of Charles and Jeannie Schulz
Checks -- U.S. funds only, please -- should be made payable
to the Peanuts Collector Club, Inc., and mailed to the address above.
(A bit more information can be found at the Club World Wide Web
site; see answer to question 1.2 below.)
If you have any member****p questions, e-mail bang@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
1.1a) Are there regional meetings?
Yes, and they're generally announced in the quarterly Club
newsletter...although smaller groups of collectors in a
particular geographic area often call each other and arrange more
intimate gatherings for, say, a Saturday afternoon.
The B*I*G O*N*E, however, is the (usually) bi-annual
Beaglefest. (See next answer.)
1.1b) When is the next Beaglefest?
Beaglefest III brought roughly 350 people to a Santa Rosa,
California lodge for a memorable three days in July 1993;
Beaglefest IV gathered upwards of 700 folks in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul Holiday Inn International, for four equally
fabulous days in July 1995. Beaglefest V, in July 1997,
brought somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 avid fans
back to the Santa Rosa area.
Beaglefest VI returned to Santa Rosa for a fun-filled
four days in July 6-9, 2000. While it was an occasionally
somber gathering, as we all remembered the person we
most wanted to see, who wasn't able to join us, we
nonetheless kept his memory alive by cheri****ng the
ideals that will ****ne forever in his characters, and
in his work. (And, after all, with the actual 50th
anniversary so close, there also was plenty of time
for serious partying!)
Beaglefest VII scaled back to roughly 300 people again,
on July 4-7, 2002, at the Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa.
The date originally was selected to coincide with the
opening of the new Charles M. Schulz Museum (which, at that
point, was scheduled for a spring 2002 debut). Alas,
construction delays kept the Museum from being able to
officially receive visitors, but Beaglefesters got a
"sneak peak" that seemed to please most everybody.
With that as one of many highlights, Beaglefest VII
wound up being one of the best ever.
Beaglefest VIII took place July 1-4, 2004, once
again at the Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa, California.
Attendance once again was 300 or so, and of course this
time the member****p was able to view the Charles M. Schulz
Museum in all its glory (and, in fact, all Beaglefesters
received both a nice entry admission and gift shop discount!).
Special guests included Jeannie Schulz, Judy Sladky,
Craig Schulz, Stan Pawlowski, Don Fraser ... and, of course, Snoopy!
Beaglefest IX took place June 1-4, 2006, once again
in Santa Rosa. (The Club's attempt to move the event to
Mall of America hit a snag because of the ongoing
uncertainties regarding the Mall's relation****p with
Camp Snoopy; we didn't want to be there with no Peanuts
presence!) Indeed, that proved a wise decision, given what
finally happened. Special guests included Jeannie Schulz,
Judy Sladky, Craig Schulz, Don Frasier, Deb Canham,
Tom Bednarek and Francis Toldi ... and, once again, Snoopy!
No date has been set yet for Beaglefest X. Keep watching this space.
Please bear in mind that Beaglefests are Peanuts Collector Club
events, and as such are limited to Club members and their
guests. (It's one of the special incentives to joining the PCC!)
1.2) Is there a World Wide Web (WWW) page devoted to
Peanuts?
Absolutely!
United Media has its own Peanuts web pages, filled with
all sorts of nifty illustrations and information. There's a
trivia contest which changes weekly, an archive of
character profiles, greetings to Charles Schulz from
various celebrities, photos of Peanuts-themed art,
and many, many other features to keep folks amused.
(You can also read each day's comic strip here!)
The page is beautifully maintained, and can be seen at:
http://www.snoopy.com
The Peanuts Collectors Club also has its own web page.
Dubbed the Peanuts Collectors Club WWW Server, it can
be reached at this Internet address:
http://www.peanutscollectorclub.com
Aside from providing information about the Club, and a brief
history of its origins, it also includes links to other folks in
cyberspace who have assembled nifty Peanuts-themed Web
pages. One of the newest comes from MetLife, the insurance
firm long associated with Charlie Brown and the gang. It's
also a lot of fun, so be sure to check it out
1.3) Is there, or will there ever be, a publication that
reprints ALL the Peanuts strips?
Drumroll, please ... YES!
I'll let Fantagraphics speak for itself, via this press release:
50 years of art. 25 books. Two books per year, for 12-1/2 years.
Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce the most eagerly-awaited
and ambitious publi****ng project in the history of the American
comic strip: the complete reprinting of Charles M. Schulz's
classic, Peanuts. Considered to be one of the most popular
comic strips in the history of the world, Peanuts will be,
for the first time, collected in its entirety and published,
beginning in April 1, 2004. Fantagraphics has launched
"The Complete Peanuts" in a series designed by the cartoonist Seth
(Palookaville, It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken) and
produced in full cooperation with United Media, Charles M. Schulz
Creative Associates, and Mr. Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz.
Fantagraphics Books co-publisher Gary Groth said that publi****ng
"The Complete Peanuts" represented the apex of the company's
27-year commitment to publi****ng the best cartooning in the world.
"Peanuts is a towering achievement in the history of comics,"
said Groth. "I can't think of a better way to honor Schulz's
artistic legacy than to make his oeuvre available to the public
in a beautifully designed format that reflects the integrity
of the work itself."
The genesis of the project began in 1997, when Fantagraphics
publisher Gary Groth approached Charles Schulz with the
proposition of publi****ng Peanuts in its entirety. After
Schulz's death on February 12, 2000, Groth continued discussing
the project with Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz.
"It's safe to say that this project wouldn't have
happened if Jean Schulz weren't as enthusiastic and sup****tive
as she's been," said Groth. Added Jean Schulz "This seemed
like an impossible project, considering all the 'lost' strips,
but Gary's determination never flagged, and we are so happy
with the aesthetic sensibility of the Fantagraphics team."
"It's a genuine honor to be designing these Schulz collections,"
said Seth, who went on to describe the premise underlying his
design for the series "I want to emphasize the sophistication
of Schulz's work by creating a package that is both austere
and direct. I would like to try to reflect the quiet and
melancholy of the strip in a package that hopefully, shows
the proper amount of respect for Mr. Schulz. Undoubtedly,
Peanuts is a great newspaper strip and I am humbled and
gratified to help steward this complete strip compilation into the
world."
Each volume in the series will run approximately 320
pages in a 8-1/2" x 7" hardcover format, presenting two
years of strips along with supplementary material.
The series will present the entire run in chronological order,
dailies and Sundays. Since the strip began in late 1950,
the first volume includes all the strips from 1950, 1951
and 1952, but subsequent volumes will each comprise exactly
two years. Dailies will run three to a page, while Sunday
strips will each take up a full page and be printed in black-and-white.
This first volume, covering the first two and a quarter years
of the strip, is of particular fascination to Peanuts
aficionados worldwide. Although literally hundreds of Peanuts
books have been published, many of the strips from the series'
first two or three years never were collected
before -- in large part because they showed a young Schulz
working out the kinks in his new strip and include some
characterizations and designs that are quite different from
the cast we're all familiar with. (Among other things, three
major cast members -- Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus - initially
show up as infants and only "grow" into their final "mature"
selves as the months go by. Even Snoopy debuts as a puppy!)
Thus "The Complete Peanuts" offers a unique chance to see
a master of the artform refine his skills and solidify his
universe, day by day, week by week, month by month.
"The Complete Peanuts" is being sup****ted with an ambitious
advertising and promotional campaign, including public appearances
by Jean Schulz to sup****t the series.
Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 now are available.
For up-to-the-minute details, visit the Fantagraphics Web
site at www.fantagraphics.com/peanuts/peanuts.html
1.4) Are there other relevant WWW sites?
See the answer to 1.2 above.
1.5) When was the Snoopy U.S. Postage stamp released?
How many were printed?
The 34-cent, First Class WWI Flying Ace Stamp first
was released during a special ceremony in Santa Rosa,
California, on Thursday, May 17, 2001. It was quite a party,
and folks lined up all day to be first to purchase the
stamps and special first-day cover "cachets."
The stamp was released to the general public the following
day, on Friday, May 18. Interest was high throughout the
United States, and some post office stations clearly didn't
order enough the first time, as many folks complained about
not being able to get any (no doubt because collectors
snapped up literally thousands!).
The stamp's first printing was 125 million; we're still
waiting to see if it is reprinted.
1.6) Do banks have Peanuts checks available?
Sadly, no longer.
As of mid-September 1995, Peanuts checks became available
from any banking institution which deals
with Deluxe Check Printers (which is pretty much
all of them, in the United States).
Fans of the original 10-design set were unhappy when this series
was discontinued; the 50th anniversary design that replaced them
did not allow use of the 12 "woodcuts" that formerly appeared
in the upper left corner of each check; we were limited
to the "50th anniversary" logo that appears on each one.
Each set did offer two checkbook covers:
a plastic and a fancier leather one.
Another new series was added in 1999, with Tom Everhart designs.
As of roughly mid-2001, both the Everhart and 50th anniversary
designs were discontinued, and replaced by yet another new line.
Four different check designs appeared in the set,
and - good news! - the woodcuts are back. As before, there
were two different checkbook covers, plastic and leather.
Fortunately, Checks Unlimited still has its
Peanuts pattern, and they can be ordered on-line
by anybody. Check our their site at www.Checksunlimited.com.
1.7) Is there any great Peanuts software "out there" (most
specifically, a screensaver)?
Yes, but it comes and goes; no title seems to linger for long.
Individual Software, Inc. produced a marvelous product
called the Peanuts Family Organizer. It kept track of
daily/weekly/monthly/yearly appointments, activities,
and so forth. Each person tracked was represented by a
different character icon, and every day the user was
greeted by a new Peanuts comic strip. Their address was:
Individual Software
5870 Stoneridge Drive #1
Pleasanton, California 94588-9900
(800) 331-3313
And, in Europe:
Individual Software Europe BVBA
Interleuvenlaan 21, Bus 2
3001 Leuven (Haasrode)
Belgium
32 (0) 16-400-444
Image Smith had quite a few different products,
including several clever childrens' educational
activities. They were:
The Snoopy Screen Saver (8 savers, plus sound)
Yearn to Learn Peanuts
Yearn to Learn Snoopy
Snoopy's Geography Games
Master Snoopy's Math
Master Snoopy's Spelling
Master Snoopy's Coloring Book
All these programs were available for Mac and PC- Windows.
Image Smith also had a cute Peanuts Mouse Pad and
Wrist Pad ("Please excuse my typping.")
It must be noted, however, that Image Smith was
absorbed by Philips Media, which promised to
continue sup****t for all the products above.
Their address is:
Philips Media
c/o Startek
111 Havana Street
Aurora, Colorado 80010
(303) 739-4131
(800) 876-6679
However...the Peanuts Screen Saver, the product most
folks seem to want, appears to have gone out of print.
I occasionally hear of folks finding one in a bargain bin,
but I haven't heard of one being "on the shelf" for a
long time. Somebody needs to release a new one...
1.8) Collecting
1.8a) Is there a standard Reference/Price Guide
for Peanuts collectibles?
Great news...as of late 1999, we have TWO new price guides!
PEANUTS COLLECTIBLES IDENTIFICATION & VALUE GUIDE, by Andrea
Podley and your humble FAQ-meister Derrick Bang, is available from
Collector Books at $24.95.
PEANUTS: THE HOME COLLECTION, by Freddi Karin Margolin, is
available from Antique Trader Books at $26.95.
Both books are laden with pictures, information and all sorts
of goodies. If you can't decide between them, do we what did,
and buy 'em both!
The only other book is long out-of-print. (NOTHING stays in
print long enough these days!) It's THE OFFICIAL PRICE GUIDE
TO PEANUTS COLLECTIBLES, by Margolin and Podley, published by
the House of Collectibles Press, New York, in 1990. At that time,
it sold for $9.95. If you can find it at an out-of-print
bookstore at that price, you're doing well. The prices inside
really haven't changed that much yet, so it's still a pretty good
indication of what you can expect. It, too, has lots of pictures,
although not nearly as many as will be found in the new books.
1.8b) Are there definitive lists of ink stampers,
Christmas ornaments, plush toys, magnets, etc.?
Yes, and they're most likely to appear in the Club newsletter.
Various members have devoted hours/days/weeks/months to
comprehensive lists of their favorite collectibles, so back
issues of the newsletter have become historical records in their
own right. The bittersweet truth, of course, is that such lists
go out of date almost the moment they're printed; the world of
Peanuts merchandising is still so active, that new stuff appears
all the time. (Not that we mind, right?)
1.9) Has anybody compiled a definitive list of
newspaper/magazine articles and interviews with
Schulz, and about his strip?
Not that I'm aware of, although several folks are working on such
a compilation. It's a massive task, because Charles Schulz was
quite the popular interview subject from 1960 on.
1.10) Do FTP sites exist where I can download
Peanuts .GIF images?
Well...undoubtedly, yes. But for legal reasons involving
copyright issues, we're not really in a position to share such
information. Sorry 'bout that...
2) CHARLES M. SCHULZ
2.1) When (and where) was Charles Monroe Schulz born?
When did he die?
Schulz was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on November 26, 1922. Two
days later, an uncle gave him the nickname which has stuck to
this day: "Sparky," taken from Sparkplug, the name of Barney
Google's horse (a popular newspaper comic strip of the day).
He died in his sleep Saturday evening, February 12, 2000,
from a heart attack. Although he had been hospitalized in
December 1999 and was undergoing treatment from colon cancer,
his sudden passing came as an unhappy surprise.
2.2) Where did Schulz live? Did he answer fan mail?
During most of the last half of the 20th century, Schulz
and his family lived in Santa Rosa, California, a smallish
community in Northern California that cherished its somewhat
shy but extremely generous local celebrity.
While his home address remained a carefully guarded secret,
fans were able to send him mail in care of his office,
at this address:
Charles Schulz
Number One Snoopy Place
Santa Rosa
California 95403 USA
Over the years, he generously replied to quite a few fans.
When news of his hospitilization hit, the office was deluged
by cards and letters from concerned people.
This outpouring of sup****t and devotion continued during
December 1999 and January and February 2000. The day after
he died, on February 13, 2000, Santa Rosa's Redwood Empire
Ice Arena -- the arena that Schulz had given his community,
and the adjacent Snoopy's Gift Shop and Gallery -- remained
closed. By early afternoon, fans and local citizens already
had left an impressive assortment of flowers, cards, notes
and other items of tribute -- perhaps, most touching, a
hockey stick -- all carefully piled against the doors of
the gift shop and ice arena.
2.3) When did Schulz begin Li'l Folks, the strip which
preceded Peanuts?
Like most so-called "overnight successes," Schulz had been
working hard for years, before he found fame and fortune
with Peanuts.
Although he experimented with a variety of concepts, the
strip "Li'l Folks" deserves special mention.
The feature first appeared as a Sunday panel in the Minneapolis
Tribune on June 8, 1947, and ran twice, for all of two weeks;
the final appearance was on June 15, 1947. Apparently there was
some sort of falling-out between Schulz and his Tribune
editor; details are lost to time. But Schulz rebounded
immediately and signed on to do "Li'l Folks" in in the
St. Paul Pioneer Press (his home-town paper), and the strip
began on June 22. It appeared as a Sunday feature in the
women's section, at the very back of each paper, a few pages
after the classified ads. "Li'l Folks" was a collection of three
to four single-panel cartoons, all featuring children.
The cast of characters included a girl named Patty,
a boy named Charlie Brown, a dog which looked very much
ike Snoopy, and a young piano student who adored Beethoven.
Li'l Folks ran in the St. Paul Pioneer Press for more than two
years. In late 1949, wanting a raise and better exposure for
his work, Schulz approached his editor and requested daily
status, better placement in the paper, and a bit more money. In
true Charlie Brown fa****on, the editor declined, and Schulz
felt obliged to resign. The final Li'l Folks appearance was
January 22, 1950.
These panels were the subject of a book that was
released on February 21st, 2004, by The Charles M. Schulz Museum.
"Charles M. Schulz: Li'l Beginnings," with a foreword by Jean Schulz and
annotations, editorial commentary and an introduction by PCC Web-meister
Derrick Bang, includes all 135 of the strips that Schulz wrote and drew
for the St.
Paul Pioneer Press, his hometown paper, between June 22, 1947, and
January 22, 1950. The vast majority of these strips have been published
in book form for the very first time.
Aside from shedding light on a formative early period of Schulz's
creative output, these Li'l Folks strips also are noteworthy for their
use of characters and themes that later reappeared in Peanuts a
well-dressed young man with a fondness for Beethoven, a dog with a
striking resemblence to Snoopy, and a boy named Charlie Brown, among
others.
The 298-page book also includes Just Keep Laughing.., the two very early
cartoon panels that Schulz produced for the Catholic comic book Topix;
the two Sparky's Li'l Folks panels that ran in the Minneapolis Tribune
and anticipated his series in the St. Paul Pioneer Press; and examples
of his single-panel cartoons that were published in The Saturday Evening
Post in the late 1940s.
"Charles M. Schulz: Li'l Beginnings" is available only through the
Museum's Gift Shop and Web site (www.schulzmuseum.org).
During the time he worked on Li'l Folks, Schulz also published a series
of 17
one-panel cartoons in the Saturday Evening Post.
Although not named, most of these cartoons bore a
strong resemblance to Li'l Folks, and they appeared
in the following issues:
May 29, 1948 -- page 116
July 17, 1948 -- page 42
September 25, 1948 -- page 152
November 6, 1948 -- page 91
November 13, 1948 -- page 179
January 1, 1949 -- page 60
February 19, 1949 -- page 119
May 21, 1949 -- pages 72 and 166
July 16, 1949 -- page 114
November 19, 1949 -- page 132
February 11, 1950 -- page 45
February 18, 1950 -- page 129
April 29, 1950 -- pages 87 and 140
May 6, 1950 -- page 79
July 8, 1950 -- page 54
Although most libraries are unlikely to archive back
issues of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (unless you live
in St. Paul!), it shouldn't be hard to track down bound
volumes of the Saturday Evening Post. The research is
its own reward; these vintage strips give ample evidence
of the emerging genius just months from greater renown.
2.4) Can I get a copy of the BIOGRAPHY episode about
Schulz, which debuted 12/25/95?
Alas, no. Not any more.
The 60-minute program (less commercials) debuted on
Christmas Day, 1995, on cable's Arts & Entertainment Network,
and was an instant hit with fans. The tape was available for purchase
during the next few years, but sadly now is off the market.
2.5) Who is Amy, and why did her name appear in the strip
every August 5?
Well, maybe not EVERY August 5...but quite a few!
Amy, one of Charles Schulz's daughters -- along with Jill
and Meredith (the other two children being sons Monte and
Craig) -- is married to John Johnson and now lives in Alpine,
Utah, with a large and happy family, where she rides horses
and runs an LDS bookstore.
Sharp-eyed readers have noticed, over the years, that on
August 5 Schulz often penned the words "Happy Birthday Amy"
somewhere into the strip, usually along one of the margins.
For many years, even Schulz's syndicate editors didn't
know the message was meant for his daughter, but they
found out one year when some poor soul removed the greeting,
and subsequently learned that Schulz does nothing accidentally.
The message never was erased again.
Amy has several original strips, including those that mention her,
tucked away safely in a vault.
The question, then, is how long did this go on?
The greeting did not appear in 1999, although it did in
1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1991 (this one can be seen at the
base of Snoopy's doghouse in NOW, THAT'S PROFOUND, CHARLIE BROWN),
1986 (at the bottom of the final panel, in TALK IS CHEEP, CHARLIE BROWN),
1984 (on Charlie Brown's chair in the third panel of a Sunday strip,
in THE WAY OF THE FUSSBUDGET IS NOT EASY), 1979 (the final panel
of a Sunday strip, thus far reprinted only in the Series 1 trading
cards),
One wonders, of course, whether we should worry if the various
publishers were as faithful about reproducing the message
as the syndicate...particularly since British fan Julian
points out that the 1973 strip does including the greeting
on Snoopy's dog house, although there's absolutely no evidence
of this in YOU'RE THE GUEST OF HONOR, CHARLIE BROWN.
(Apparently it survived its reprint in a British collection.)
I'm afraid, therefore, that nailing this with certainty will
involve checking every August 5 strip since Amy's birth at
a newspaper archive, and I'll let somebody else tackle that job!
(I can say with certainly, however, that it didn't happen in
1958, 1965 or 1968.)
Further evidence of this problem was just caught by faithful
archivist Tim Chow, who noticed that when the 8/5/74 strips
was reprinted in newspapers in 2000, Amy's birthday greeting
was intact...although it definitely had vanished when that
strip was collected in SPEAK SOFTLY, AND CARRY A BEAGLE.
Shame on Holt, Rinehart and Winston...
By the way, in the December 17, 1972 Sunday strip (reprinted
in THOMPSON IS IN TROUBLE, CHARLIE BROWN), Amy becomes the
recipient of a Christmas card from Snoopy, when he has only
one stamp; and on September 5, 1971 (unreprinted in the
United States), Lucy boasts of knowing all the people in
the entire world, and mentions Amy, Jill and Meredith by name.
2.6) Did Schulz draw and write Peanuts to the very end? I heard
somebody else took his place years earlier!
Of all the thoughtless and silly questions that sometimes pop
up, this has to be the worst. How can you examine any single
Peanuts strip and not KNOW, without question, that they
always were rendered by the same hand?
For the record, Charles Schulz was -- and ALWAYS was - the
only person to draw, write, and letter his beloved newspaper
comic strip. While it is true that other daily strips are drawn
and/or written by "consortiums" overseen by the strip's
creator, this has never been the case with Peanuts.
It is true, on the other hand, that other unsung
individuals handled the writing and artwork chores
when the Peanuts gang appeared in Dell and Gold Key comic books
during the late 1950s and early 1960s. For full details,
visit www.peanutscollectorclub.com/comicboo.html.
Schulz always made it plain that the strip would retire with him.
Now that he is no longer with us, nobody else will take over.
That is absolutely as it should be.
2.7) Just how wealthy was Schulz?
As my grandmother would have said, upon hearing such an
impertinent question, that was nobody's business but his. Let's
just say he probably could afford to eat more than jelly-bread
sandwiches.
2.8) How can I learn more about Charles Schulz?
Aside from scouring your local library for old magazines
with interviews in them, the best place to start would be
David Michaelis' new biography, "Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography,"
which was published on October 16, 2007. It's a large and thoroughly
detailed book, with plenty of pictures and newspaper strips that
reveal precisely to what degree Schulz's comment about "knowing
him through his work" was true!
You also can look for this older book:
GOOD GRIEF: THE STORY OF CHARLES M. SCHULZ
by Rheta Grimsley Johnson
(paperback), 262 pages
Andrews & McMeel; ISBN: 0836280970
It's an enjoyable and informative read, and provides
all sorts of nifty background on Charlie Brown and
his "mentor."
2.9) Did Charles Schulz ever design a quiz to demonstrate
the im****tance of having people who care about you?
No, no, a thousand times no!
This is an Internet legend, folks, and it's spreading
faster than it can be contained ... more's the pity.
Well-meaning friends often send these to each other,
and Peanuts fans are particularly vulnerable, because their
friends think they'll find it especially sweet.
It's often headed "Charles Schultz [sic] Philosophy,"
and usually arrives with an introduction that reads something like this:
"You don't actually have to take the quiz.
Just read this straight through and you'll get the point.
It is trying to make an awesome point!
"Here's the first quiz:
"1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
"2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners, etc."
....
Having punted that ****tion, you're then asked to list
a few teachers who "aided your journey through school,"
three friends who "helped you through a difficult time,"
and so forth. Eventually, you reach the end, and this final note:
"The lesson: The people who make a difference in
your life are not the ones with the most credentials,
the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today ... It's
already tomorrow in Australia."
And the whole thing is credited to Charles Schulz.
Only one problem. He never wrote it or said it,
and certainly never used it in a Peanuts comic strip.
But don't take my word for it: You can read
the entire debunking entry at the Internet's best source for
exposing such urban legends: www.snopes.com/glurge/schulz.asp
The folks at the Charles M. Schulz Museum have said,
"We [hear about] this about once a month. Though this saying/quiz
is often attributed to Charles Schulz, he in fact made no such
statement."
The "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today ... It's
already tomorrow in Australia" quotation that often appears
at the end of the quiz DID come from Schulz's pen, in the
Peanuts strip originally published on June 13, 1980.
Nobody knows who the real creator of this quiz is,
but it has been circulating on the Internet since at least 2000.
At some point, someone appended Schulz's "tomorrow in Australia"
line to it, an addition that evidently misled a subsequent reader
into believing that Schulz had authored the quiz itself.
But he didn't.
So even if you like the soggy sentimentality -- and I admit,
it's a warm and fuzzy thought -- please don't make the situation
worse by telling anybody else that Schulz had anything to do with it.
3) THE DAILY COMIC STRIP
3.1) When did Peanuts begin?
The first daily strip appeared on October 2, 1950, in seven
newspapers: The Wa****ngton Post, The Chicago Tribune,
The Minneapolis Star/Tribune, The Allentown Call-Chronicle, The
Bethlehem Globe-Times, The Denver Post, and The Seattle Times.
No matter where you live (in the United States), your nearest
public or university library should have at least one of those
newspapers in its microfilm department. Zoom back to 1950, and
you'll be able to see that first strip in all its glory.
The Sunday strip did not begin until January 1952; until then,
Peanuts was a six-day effort. Some newspapers also treated it
rather cruelly during the first several years; the uniform, four-
panel format made it possible to run the strip horizontally or
vertically, or in a squarish box. Frequently, those papers
running the strip vertically would squash the panels on top of
each other, to cram the whole thing into a space much too small.
By the mid-50s, once the strip had really caught on, this
practice (thankfully) stopped.
3.2) How did the strip get its name?
By the late 1940s, Schulz had achieved modest local success
in the St. Paul Pioneer Press with his "two tier," strip,
LI'L FOLKS. (See question 2.3.) He naturally brought this
along to New York when he attempted to broaden his appeal via
a syndicate. The folks at United Features eventually took on
the strip but then, in their infinite wisdom, played around
with the concept a bit; at one point, according to an interview
Schulz granted Gary Groth in the January 1992 issue of Nemo,
the syndicate folks even toyed with the idea of combining
"little kid humor" and "teen humor" in the top and bottom
halves, respectively, of the original two-tier format. But
eventually the decision was made to go just with "the little
kid thing," and in a more traditionally four-panel format
(marketed as a "space-saving strip," because it could be used
horizontally or vertically, according to a newspaper editor's whim).
Schulz wanted to retain the title LI'L FOLKS, but the syndicate
worried that this was too close to a previously copyrighted
feature, Tack Knight's LITTLE FOLKS. UFS production manager
Bill Anderson is credited with coming up with PEANUTS, although
he later insisted that he'd been asked to suggest a kid strip
title without actually having SEEN the strip. He delivered a
list of 10 names, of which PEANUTS was one. He later justified
this selection on the basis of the popular TV children's show
of the time, THE HOWDY DOODY SHOW, where the young studio
audience would sit in a "peanut gallery."
"It was the worst title ever thought up for a comic strip,"
Schulz would insist, every time he was asked. He thought
the title "confusing," with "no dignity."
"I don't even like the word," he'd say. The worst part,
he feared, was that people confuse Charlie Brown with the
name "Peanuts," and in the early days that was true: Schulz
received letters from fans that read along the lines of,
"I love this new strip with Peanuts and his dog."
Fortunately, such confusion didn't linger long.
3.3) How many Peanuts strips did Charles Schulz produce?
From Monday, October 2, 1950, until the final strip appeared on
Sunday, February 13, 2000 -- ironically, the morning after he
died -- Schulz gave the world a total of 17,897 strips: 15,391
daily strips, and 2,506 Sundays.
This takes into account leap years, the fact that Sunday strips
did not begin until January 1952, and the single vacation that
Schulz took, from November 27 through December 31, 1997 (inclusive).
Quite an accomplishment.
And let me be more emphatic: Since Schulz's death, and on
im****tant anniversaries -- such as the 40th anniversary of
the first broadcast of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," celebrated
in December 2005 -- countless media outlets have repeated the
claim that Schulz produced "more than 18,000 Peanuts strips."
This is wrong, wrong, WRONG, as is the even worse statement
that the total number of strips is 18,250. The latter number
seems to have been started by the obituary on Schulz that ran
in The New York Times; it's simply 50 years multiplied by 365
days per year ... which overlooks nagging little details like
leap years and the other issues cited in the second paragraph
above. (Frankly, I'd have thought better of The New York Times.)
Unfortunately, the Times generally is regarded as an
unimpeachable source, so anybody writing a new article, by using
the NYT obit as a reference, further propogates that incorrect total.
Even Lee Mendelson's "A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making
of a Tradition" fluffs this fact; that book cites the even
more unusual (but equally incorrect) number 18,170 as the
total number of strips.
Fortunately, the tide of misinformation is starting to turn.
United Media's official snoopy.com Web site, the Schulz Museum
Web site, the Fantagraphics "Complete Peanuts" books and
David Michaelis' 2007 biography of Charles Schulz all cite
the correct total of 17,897. As time moves along, we hope that
these sources will be used more frequently, thus (eventually)
burying the other incorrect figures.
With luck, anyway!
3.4) Into which languages has Peanuts been translated?
At its peak, Peanuts was published in 2,600 newspapers around
the world, and of course many of these countries collected strips
in books just as in the United States. Going both by information
from United Media and what we've learned from curious and
enthusiastic fans such as Jennifer Prystasz, here's a list
of languages that we know have been used. (If you have evidence
of any others, please let me know!)
Bulgarian
Chinese
Czech
Danish
Dutch
English
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Hebrew
Hungarian
Icelandic
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Latin
Norwegian
Polish
****tuguese
Russian
Spanish
Swedish
Thai
Turkish
Welsh
3.5) Have all the newspaper strips been reprinted in
books?
No ... although the news gets better every six months, thanks
to Fantagraphics' ongoing release of new volumes of "The Complete
Peanuts."
The number of strips that haven't been seen since original publication
now grows smaller every year, and one day in the not-too-distant future,
we'll honestly be able to change the first word answer to this section.
But not yet...
And it remains fascinating to consider how many strips had remained
unseen prior to Fantagraphics' entry. In spite of all the books of
reprinted strips that had been published since 1952, there still
were roughly 2,500 strips which hadn't ever seen the light of day,
since their original newspaper appearance. And yes, that's quite a few!
To get an idea of how many that is, consider that -- as of July 1, 1995
-- Schulz had published 16,296 strips. 2,500 is roughly 15% of that
number!
3.6) Which newspaper strips participated in the May 27, 2000,
tribute to Charles Schulz and Peanuts?
Quite a few!
I'm hoping that the following list is exhaustive, but if I've left
any out, by all means let me know.
Many of these strips have their own Web sites, and therefore
can be viewed at leisure; many also are posted at snoopy.com.
For others, though, you'll eventually be forced to visit a
library microfilm archive (a process with which I am well acquainted!).
Those with an asterisk (*) are included in the Charles M. Schulz Museum
catalog publication, "Tribute to Sparky: Cartoon Artists Honor
Charles M. Schulz."
Here, then, is the list:
Adam @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Home
* Agnes
* Alley Oop
* Annie
Archie
Arlo & Janis
* Ask Shagg
Baby Blues
Baldo
* Ballard Street
* B.C.
Beetle Bailey
* Berry's World
Betty
* Between Friends
Big Nate
The Big Picture
* Bizarro
Blondie
The Boondocks
* The Born Loser
Bottom Liners
Bound & Gagged
Brenda Starr
Broomhilda
The Buckets
Buckles
* Cathy
Cats with Hands
Citizen Dog
Claire
Clan of the Cats
Close to Home
Committed
Cornered
Crabby Road
Crankshaft
* Crock
Curtis
Dennis the Menace
Dick Tracy
Dilbert
Dinette Set
Drabble
Dunagin's People
Duplex
Fair Game
* The Family Circus
Fast Track
Ferd'nand
Flight Deck
* For Better or For Worse
Footrot Flats
Fox Trot
Frank & Ernest
Funky Winkerbean
The Fusco Brothers
Garfield
* Gasoline Alley
Get Fuzzy
Gil Thorp
Grand Avenue
* Grandfather Clause
Grin and Bear It
* Hagar the Horrible
Hamster Alley
* Heart of the City
Heathcliff
Herb 'n' Jamaal
Herman
Hi 'n' Lois
Horrorscope
Hound's Home
I Need Help
* In the Bleachers
* Jane's World
Jumpstart
Kidspot
Kit 'n' Carlyle
The Lockhorns
Lola
* Luann
Mallard Filmore
Marmaduke
Marvin
Meehan Streak
Meg
The Middletons
Mr. Boffo
Mixed Media
* Momma
Mother Goose and Grimm
* Mudpie
Mutts
* Nancy
Nest Heads
9 Chickweed Lane
* Non-Sequitur
* The Norm (the entire week, May 22-27)
Off the Mark
On the Fastrack
* One Big Happy
Overboard
Over the Hedge
PC and Pixel
* Pickles
Pluggers
Pooch CafÈ
Pop's Place
* Raising Hector
Randolph Itch, 2 a.m.
Raw Material
* Real Life Adventures
Reality Check
Red 'n' Rover
Rhymes with Orange
Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not
Robotman
Rose Is Rose
Rubes
Safe Havens
Sally Forth
Scrambled Pancakes
Sherman's Lagoon
Shoe
Six Chix
* Soup to Nutz
* SpaceAge Comics
* Speed Bump
* Stone Soup
Strange Brew
Superosity
* Superzeros
Tank McNamara
That's Life
They'll Do It Every Time
Tiger
* Toby
Tom, the Dancing Bug
User Friendly
Warped (the entire week, May 22-27)
Wee Do Puzzles (Sunday, May 28)
Wee Pals
Where I'm Coming From
Willy 'n' Ethel
* The Wizard of Id
You Can, with Beakman & Jax (Sunday, May 28)
Ziggy
Zippy the Pinhead
Zits
Zorro
3.7) Did some strips and artists produce tributes on other days?
Absolutely, going as far back as November 1999, when Schulz
was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital. Some artists delivered
tributes right away, while others waited until mid-February,
when the final Peanuts Sunday strip was scheduled to
appear...which led to something of a sad irony, since these
gentle farewells took on an additional poignance with Schulz's death.
The following list includes only regular daily or weekly strips;
editorial cartoons follow, in their own list. This is getting
close to definitive, thanks to folks such as Tim Chow and Marcie
Lee, but if you know of any others, by all means leap in...
As before, those with an asterisk (*) are included in the
Charles M. Schulz Museum catalog publication, "Tribute to Sparky:
Cartoon Artists Honor Charles M. Schulz."
DAILY AND WEEKLY STRIPS:
Alice (August 11, 1999; and January 4, 2000)
* B.C. (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine)
* Berry's World (May 28, 2000)
Boondocks (January 7, February 10, April 6, April 23 and July 2, all
2000; December 24, 2001)
Cathy (January 3* and 4, and February 13*, all 2000)
Dilbert (December 24, 1999)
Doonesbury (January 3, 2000)
* Drabble (January 1, 2000)
* Farley (January 3* and February 14*, both 2000)
* Ferd'nand (February 2000)
* Flash Gordon (December 23, 1999)
* For Better or For Worse (December 22, 1999; February 14*, 2000)
Fox Trot (January 3, 2000)
* Garfield (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine)
Heart of the City (March 19, 2000)
Hi and Lois (July 27, 2000)
* The Humble Stumble (February 2000)
* Jugular Vein (January 16, 2000; India)
Jump Start (January 3-8, 2000)
* Luann (April 20, 1999; February 13 and 21, 22, 23*, 24, 25 and 26*,
all 2000)
* Matt & Maynerd (January 3, 2000, in The Toledo [Ohio] Blade)
* Maus (February 6, 2000, in The New Yorker)
* Momma (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine)
* Mutts (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine)
Non Sequitor (February 11 and May 28, both 2000)
* The Norm (January 3* and 4* and April 25, all 2000)
Off the Mark (February 7, 2002)
Over the Hedge (December 22, 1999)
* Pickles (February 1, 2000)
* The Potts (May 2000; Australia)
Real Life Adventures (January 3, 2000)
Reality Check (July 30, 2000)
* Speed Bump (January 4, 2000)
Spex and Wally (February 14, 2000)
* Spiderman (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine)
* Tank McNamara (December 23, 1999)
This Modern World (February 21, 2000; January 16 and March 12, 2001)
Warped (February 14, 2001)
* Wee Pals (February 13, 2000)
Ziggy (February 16, 2000; July 16, 2001)
Zits (August 5, 1999)
EDITORIAL CARTOONS:
* Don Addis, The St. Petersberg [Florida] Times (December 16, 1999)
* Kirk Anderson, The St. Paul Pioneer Press (December 17, 1999)
* Nick Anderson, The [Louisville, Kentucky] Courier-Journal (December
16, 1999)
* Robert Ariail, The [Columbia, South Carolina] State (January 4* and
February 15*, both 2000)
* Chuck Asay, The Colorado Springs Gazette (December 1999)
* Randy Bish, The [Greensburg, Pennsylvania] Tribune/Review (December
16* and 19*, 1999; and February 14*, 2000)
* Jim Borgman, The Cincinnati Enquirer (December 1, 1999)
* Steve Breen, The San Diego Union Tribune (December 16, 1999)
* Matthew Craig, The South Florida Business Journal (February 2000)
* Joe Engesser, The Prescott [Wisconsin] Journal (February 17, 2000)
* Joe Glisson, The Syracuse New Times (December 29*, 1999; and February
16*, 2000)
* Walt Handelsman, The [New Orleans] Times-Picayune (December 1999)
* Joe Heller, The Green Bay Press-Gazette (1999, no date known)
* Etta Hume, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (February 15, 2000)
* Cliff Johnson (2000, no date known)
* Floyd Johnson (May 27, 2000, no source known)
* Kevin Kallaugher, The Baltimore Sun (December 16, 1999)
* Bill Lignante (May 5, 2000, no source known)
* Mike Luckovich, The Atlanta Constitution (December 18*, 1999; and
February 16*, 2000)
* Jim McCloskey, The [Staunton, Virginia] Daily News Leader (December
29*, 1999; and February 14*, 2000)
* Tim Menees, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2000, no date known)
* Pat Oliphant, The Wa****ngton Post (December 27, 1999)
* Michael Osbun, The Sumter County [Florida] Times (February 17, 2000)
* Mike Peters, The Dayton [Ohio] Daily News (December 22, 1999)
* Roy Peterson, The Vancouver Sun (January 4, 2000)
* Dennis Renault, The Sacramento Bee (February 14, 2000)
* Vance Rodewalt, The Calgary Herald (December 16, 1999)
* John Sherffius, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (February 14, 2000)
* Jeff Stahler, The Cincinnati Post (1999*, no date known; and February
2000*)
* Dana Summers, The Orlando Sentinel (December 16*, 1999; and January 4*
and May 27*, 2000, along with another undated one in 2000*)
* Mike Thompson, The Detroit Free Press (December 15, 1999)
* William Valladares, The [New Jersey] Montclair Times (December 23,
1999)
* Peter Waldner (May 27, 2000, no source known)
* Jim Willoughby, The [Prescott, Arisona] Daily Courier (December 1999)
3.8) Can you help me find a strip I remember seeing
[some time ago], which concerned [fill in the blank]?
Depending on how accurately you can describe the strip, and how
small a window of time you can present -- such as "sometime in
1964" -- you'll probably get an answer from somebody following
this newsgroup...perhaps even me. But PLEASE try to be as
specific as possible; don't just describe something as "the
1960s strip where Snoopy tried to get Linus' blanket"...there
must have been hundreds of those!
3.9) Haven't I seen that punchline before?
Charles Schulz has drawn well over 16,000 individual
strips since Peanuts debuted in 1950, and that's a lot
of gags and storylines. It's therefore inevitable that
individual ideas might occur to him more than once over
the years, and nobody's memory is good enough to remember
that much work with perfect clarity. So yes, some
duplications have appeared over the years, and they're
cited below. (Thanks to Tim Chow and Marcie Lee, for a lot of these.)
*** The close shave
Are all little boys in a hurry to shave? They must not realize that,
once they've started, there's no turning back...
At any rate, in the February 23, 1951, strip, Charlie Brown looks at his
face closely in a mirror, and then re****ts to Violet that "It turned out
only to be dirt ... but for one brief, exciting moment I thought I
needed a shave!"
Many years later, on July 15, 1959 (in a strip reprinted in "Go Fly a
Kite, Charlie Brown"), the players have changed, but the gag remains the
same. Linus looks at himself in a hand mirror, decides that he's only
seeing a little dirt, and re****ts to older sister Lucy that "For one
brief, exciting moment I thought I needed a shave!"
*** Predatory sprinklers
Eagle-eyed Marcie Lee spotted this one. Back in the days when
he still was a curious puppy, Snoopy was startled when Charlie Brown
turned off a yard sprinkler, in the June 18, 1952, daily strip.
You'd think Snoopy would have learned from that lesson,
but apparently not; he was nailed the same way in the May 19, 1953,
daily strip (reprinted in "More Peanuts"). The final panels are
remarkably similar in both strips.
*** Matrimonial musings
Jim Dankiewicz deserves the handshake for this one. In the
January 26, 1953, strip (republished in volume 2
of "The Complete Peanuts"), Violet contemplates a possible
future life as Mrs. Charlie Brown, and finally gives up by
saying "Nope, I just can't see it."
Many years later, on October 2, 1963, in a strip reprinted
in "The Peanuts Treasury" and "As You Like It, Charlie Brown,"
Sally plays the same theoretical game after meeting 5,
by picturing herself as "Mrs. Sally 95472." She comes to
the same conclusion: "I can't see it."
*** Hanging one's head in shame
Marcie Lee also gets credit for these two. In the early days, Charlie
Brown
was able to chew Snoopy out a bit ... but the world's most famous beagle
still didn't put up with much. In the March 31, 1954, strip,
Snoopy responds to Chuck's admonition that he "hold his head in shame"
by falling asleep.
Many, many years later, on May 23, 1986 (in a strip reprinted in
"By Supper Possessed"), Peppermint Patty wound up doing the same in
school.
*** So many years!
Australia's David Heslin gets credit for this one.
In the March 23, 1956, daily strip (reprinted in "It's Back to School,
Charlie Brown"), Linus bemoans the fact that he'll be an
"old man" by the time he finally gets out of school.
Many, many years later, in the July 2, 1996, daily strip
(reprinted in "The World According to Lucy"), Rerun is
the one who wails that he'll be an "old man" by the time
he's released from school.
*** Snoopy's deft touch.
No doubt about it; Snoopy is one talented beagle.
In the May 23, 1956, daily strip, he reveals one of his many skills
by retrieving a soap bubble in his mouth and trans****ting
it -- intact -- back to Charlie Brown.
While not absolutely identical, a pretty close variation
on this particular notion reappeared in the June 22, 1998,
daily strip. In this case, Snoopy retrieves a soap bubble
for Rerun. It's nice to see that the world's greatest
beagle hasn't lost his touch!
*** Legal matters
Usagi, an avid Japanese Peanuts fan, got this one:
In the October 30, 1956 strip,
Linus discusses the upcoming Halloween activities with Lucy, who explains
the nature of trick-or-treating. Wanting to be sure that he's on
safe ground, Linus questions the legality of this practice, and
concludes by saying, "I wouldn't want to do anything that might
arouse the FBI."
Apparently Linus has a short memory. A few years later, on
October 30, 1959 (reprinted in "Go Fly a Kite, Charlie Brown"),
he has a quite similar conversation with Lucy, and concludes
by saying, "I wouldn't want to be accused of taking part in a rumble."
*** Blanket woes
Lucy has been pestering Linus to get rid of his blanket
pretty much since he began carrying it around. Most often
he can shrug off her snide remarks, but every so often he
bristles in response. On June 23, 1958, she complains that
he'll probably drag "that thing" around for the rest of his life. "Well,
what's it to you?" he replies. "Maybe I WON'T drag it around
for the rest of my life." He simmers silently in the third panel,
and then adds, "Maybe I'll have it made into a s****t coat!"
Just a few months later, on September 17, 1958, Charlie Brown
approaches the same subject, but much
more compassionately. "What are you going to do when you get
too old to drag it around?" he asks. "Who knows?" Linus replies.
"I've been thinking seriously of having it made over into a s****t coat."
In fairness, this could be a running gag rather than a lapse
on Schulz's part ... and it's also a foreshadowing of things to
come, since Snoopy eventually WILL have it turned into a s****ts coat!
*** Hot blanket woes
Then, too, Lucy sometimes tortures her little brother ... although
perhaps not intentionally. In the February 16, 1959, strip (thus
far unreprinted), she politely tosses him the blanket while
he's looking for it ... but then he reacts in pain and shouts,
"I'm scalded!" "I forgot to tell you," Lucy answers (yeah, right!).
"I just took it out of the clothese dryer!"
Decades later, on January 13, 1984 (in a strip reprinted in
"The Way of the Fussbudget is not Easy"), Lucy pulls the same
mean trick. "Don't say I never do anything for you," she starts
off, and then continues with, "I just took your blanket out of
the dryer." In the third panel, she gets as far as, "Be careful,
it's still a little..." before Linus flies head over heels in
the final panel, much as he had done in 1959.
"...warm," Lucy concludes, rather unnecessarily.
*** Snoopy's consistency
"So here I am starting a new year," Snoopy muses to himself,
in the January 2, 1960 daily strip (reprinted in
"Go Fly a Kite, Charlie Brown"). After a few panels of
reflection on the lack of change in his life, he concludes
by saying, "Sometimes I marvel at my consistency."
Schulz must have gotten a kick out of that gag, because
he essentially repeated it just a few years later,
in the December 31, 1962 daily strip (reprinted in
"You Can Do It, Charlie Brown"). "So this is the last
day of the year," Snoopy reflects, and then considers
his lack of accomplishments during the past year,
as with other years. "How consistent can you get?" he finally asks.
*** "My life has become a bore"
Marcie gets credit for this one:
Snoopy apparently needs action and stimulation, and
who could blame him? It seems like the world-famous beagle
spends a lot of time on top of his dog house.
"My life has become a bore," he muses, in the January 25, 1961,
strip (reprinted in "It's a Dog's Life, Charlie Brown").
"Everything is the same day in and day out. What I need is a
change." And, in the final panel, he's lying with his head
facing the other direction.
Just a little more than a year later, on March 10, 1962
(strip reprinted in "Snoopy, Come Home"), he once again
ponders that "My life has become a bore. Everything I see
I've seen before. I need to set my face toward new horizons."
And so he does ... by facing the other direction.
*** The cone of silence
We all know that Lucy's quite the fussbudget, but sometimes
she gets out of hand by even her own standards. In the
May 28, 1961, Sunday strip, reprinted in "We're Right Behind You,
Charlie Brown," she objects when Linus wanders through their house,
obviously enjoying life to the fullest: by singing at the top
of his lungs and then watching television at too high a volume.
Toward the end of the strip, he retreats into the kitchen and
prepares himself a bread and butter sandwich. Seeing his
crabby sister's glare, he snidely asks, "Am I buttering too
loud for you?"
More recently, poor Rerun has been Lucy's primary
target ... but it's nice to know that little brothers concoct
the same line of defense. In the August 5, 1998, daily strip
(reprinted in "It's a Dog's Life, Snoopy"), Lucy and Rerun are eating
breakfast,
while the little guy attempts to share some of his
experiences. Lucy's not having any, so she asks, "Do you
always have to be so noisy?" After taking a panel to
contemplate a suitable rejoinder, Rerun returns to his toast
and replies, "Am I buttering too loud for you?"
It should be noted, however, that this particular repeat
is most certainly deliberate...because the punchline is
re****ted to have been said by Schulz's daughter, Amy,
years and years ago when she was 3. By way of confirming this,
the last panel of the latter strip bears this message, reading
sideways: "Happy birthday, Amy."
*** Familiarty breeds contempt
Hey, we all get tired of stuff. In the as-yet-unreprinted
August 17, 1962, strip, Linus pauses during his thumb-sucking
to wonder, with an expression of faint dissatisfaction,
whether "...it's possible for a thumb to spoil."
Nearly four years later, on March 1, 1966 (in a strip
reprinted in "The Unsinkable Charlie Brown"), Lucy again
grimaces at his thumb, and -- as Lucy walks past -- asks,
"Do thumbs ever spoil?"
*** The "rather small congregation."
Back when Charlie Brown's younger sister Sally still
was pretty new to the world, she proved quite the
impressionable audience for odd facts and amusements.
On February 8, 1963 (in a strip reprinted in "You Can
Do It, Charlie Brown"), she watches while her big brother
uses his hands to illustrate that old rhyme: "Here's the
church...here's the steeple...open the door...and see all
the people!" After carefully examining his closed fingers,
she announces, "It looks like a rather small congregation!"
Four years later, on April 8, 1967 (in a strip reprinted
in "You're Something Else, Charlie Brown"), Sally watches
as Linus delivers the same rhyme...and then she provides
an almost exact response: "Sort of a small congregation."
*** The pledge of allegiance.
After entering school, Sally finds herself obliged to begin
each day with a pledge to the American flag. On September 11, 1963
(in a strip reprinted in "As You Like It, Charlie Brown"), she
stands at her desk and recites the entire pledge. She then
sits down in the third panel, but rises again in the fourth
to conclude with a heartfelt "Amen!"
Almost a quarter-century later, on September 16, 1987
(in a strip reprinted in "If Beagles Could Fly"), Peppermint
Patty stands behind her desk and recites the same pledge.
She then sits down in panel three, looking quite satisfied,
but bounces up again in panel four, for a hearty "Amen!"
*** Dull tootsies
You'll need a good memory to recall this duplication,
because neither of the strips in question has been reprinted yet.
In the January 24, 1966, daily strip, as Snoopy smoothly glides
along the winter ice, his warm cap trailing behind, he suddenly
slips and flips to a spectacular crash. "Whew," he thinks to
himself, recovering, and then looks suspiciously at his hind
legs: "I think my feet need sharpening."
This one came back the very same year, but the following winter.
In the December 20, 1966, daily strip, Snoopy once again is
skating on a frozen pond, with what looks like the same
fuzzy cap (although a scarf has been added to his ensemble).
He once again slips, this time landing on his back, and once
again we read, "I think my feet need sharpening."
*** The great snowflake shortage
This one's as close to a complete duplicate as you're likely
to see, which only goes to prove that a classic punchline
bears repeating. As Linus and Lucy walk in a gentle snowfall
in the December 27, 1968, daily strip (reprinted in
"You've Had It, Charlie Brown"), the flakes eventually cease.
"Just what I thought," Lucy says, wearing one of her
Instructive Misinformation faces, "I knew it would happen
sooner or later...they've run out of snowflakes!" Linus,
in the final panel, clearly doesn't know what to make of it.
But he apparently came around to his sister's way of thinking.
In the December 5, 1998, daily strip (reprinted in
"It's a Dog's Life, Snoopy) -- almost
30 years later to the day -- Linus is standing in a snow-laden
field as the flakes slowly subside. "Rats!" he says, "I knew this
was going to happen." His sister, coming up from behind and
obviously having forgotten the wisdom she imparted lo those many
years ago, asks, "What's wrong?" Linus, returning his gaze to
the heavens, responds, "We just ran out of snowflakes."
*** Snoopy at the piano.
In the December 30, 1968 daily strip (reprinted in
"You've Had It, Charlie Brown"), Snoopy approaches Schroeder's
piano, plinks a few notes with one paw, and gets a rather curious result.
This gag resurfaced a years later, again in a daily strip,
on January 12, 1974 (and reprinted in "Win a Few, Lose a Few,
Charlie Brown"). Aside from a slightly suspicious glance from
ol' Snoopy to ensure that nobody is watching, the strips
are pretty much identical!
Better yet, both these strips are a variation on yet
an older daily strip: March 10, 1960, reprinted in
"Go Fly a Kite, Charlie Brown." In this case, Snoopy
starts off sitting on top of the piano while Schroeder
is playing, and then tries the keyboard himself after
the Beethoven lover leaves the scene. Although the
resulting "notes" are a bit more free-form, the basic
idea remains the same...making this one a triple!
*** Fa****on statement
Usagi, an avid Japanese Peanuts fan, also got this one:
"Sometimes you do dumb things," Snoopy muses, to himself,
in the July 13, 1971 strip (reprinted in "The Snoopy Festival"),
"and you never forget them. Other times you do smart things."
"I'll never forget one of the smartest things I ever do,"
he eventually concludes. "I never bought a nehru jacket."
Many years later, on December 15, 1979 (in a strip reprinted
in "Here Comes the April Fool"), Linus and Charlie Brown have
a similar conversation about smart things and dumb things.
Charlie Brown eventually re****ts that the smartest thing
his grandfather did was that he "never bought a nehru jacket."
*** Woozy snowmen
Linus always has been talented. In the January 6, 1975,
daily strip (reprinted in "Speak Softly and Carry a Beagle"),
he has just built a snowman upside-down. While showing this
accomplishment to Charlie Brown, however, Linus notes that
the snowman can't stay in this position very long, because
"All the snow rushes to his head."
And it would seem that Lucy is pretty adept herself. Nearly
a decade later, on January 7, 1984 (in a strip reprinted in
"The Way of the Fussbudget Is Not Easy"), she builds the snowman,
and shows it to Charlie Brown...and the word balloons in the
final two panels are virtually identical!
*** Necessity is the mother of invention
Bad weather brings out the best in us. During a heavy rainstorm
in the April 4, 1976, Sunday strip (reprinted in "Summers Fly,
Winters Walk"), Snoopy hurries over and flips Woodstock's nest
upside-down (with Woodstock in it), so that our little bird
friend can stay dry. (Apparently, gravity isn't an issue.)
And you can say this for Woodstock: He learns from experience.
On October 27, 1979 (in a strip reprinted in "Here Comes the
April Fool"), another rainstorm once again threatens to drench
Snoopy's bird buddy...who, this time, flips his nest over himself!
(Frankly, I would've liked to have seen him do that...)
*** Theological terrorism
Our buddy Julian gets credit for this one:
Charles Schulz had little patience, over the years, for those who
claimed an inside track to "the one true way" during religious
discussions. This prompted him to take a cautious approach to religious
matters, and led to a query that he turned into a repeated punchline.
In the August 9, 1976, daily strip, Snoopy decides to title his new book
on theology, "Has It Ever Occurred to You That You Might Be Wrong?"
A few years later, in the June 20, 1980, daily strip, following an
incident during which Sally is humiliated by a discussion leader for her
choice of opening prayer, Linus challenges the individual in charge by
asking, "Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?"
Although not quite the same context, the meaning is precisely the same.
Along with other places, both cartoons are included in the collection
"And the Beagles and the Bunnies Shall Lie Down Together."
*** Mailbox as editor
Over the years, Snoopy has made no secret of his desire to
write The Great American Novel, but the many hapless editors
and publishers do little but get in his way. (And, based on
the snatches that Lucy occasionally reads aloud, this may
be a good thing.) Perhaps the supreme indignity comes in the
April 18, 1980, daily strip (reprinted in "Dr. Beagle and Mr. Hyde"),
when the "world-famous author" delivers his latest novel to the
local public mailbox...which spits the manuscript back out,
scarcely before the hatch has closed. "I have a hard time
believing they read it very carefully," Snoopy thinks to himself.
This gag resurfaces on April 23, 1997 (reprinted in "It's
a Big World, Charlie Brown"), as Snoopy completes his latest opus.
Adding a cover letter that reads, "Gentlemen, enclosed
please find my latest short story," he takes it to the
mailbox and pops it into the slot...only to have it pop right back out
again!
(See below for another one involving Snoopy as The Great Writer.)
*** Ground crew.
Nobody needs to be reminded of the suffering Charlie Brown
has endured while playing baseball, but it seemed needlessly
cruel to subject him to this particular torment more than once.
In the April 8, 1981 daily strip (reprinted in "You're Weird, Sir"),
ol' Chuck notices that it has started to rain. He hollers for
the unseen ground crew, and orders them to "get out the tarp,
and cover the infield." In the final panel, speaking from
beneath a tarp which has turned him into a bump on the landscape,
he comments, "They did that pretty fast."
This gag resurfaced in a Sunday strip published September 20, 1987
(and reprinted in "If Beagles Could Fly"). Charlie Brown calls
for two volunteers -- Lucy and Sally - and shows them a tarp,
explaining that if it starts to rain, they're to rush out and
cover the infield and pitcher's mound with it. "Remember," he
concludes, "you have to be quick." Raindrops start falling on
his head, so he calls for the tarp. In the final panel, once
again hidden from sight, he laments, "That was a little too quick."
*** Lots of luck!
Peppermint Patty and school don't get along all that well,
and she probably approaches the annual end-of-summer ritual -- the
purchase of school supplies -- with mixed feelings at best.
In the September 4, 1981, strip (reprinted in "You're Weird, Sir,"
she buys the usual things and then, when asked if she needs anything
else, replies, "A lot of luck."
This one pops up again on September 2, 1988 (reprinted in "Could You Be
More Pacific?"), in practically identical fa****on: Peppermint Patty
visits the store with a list in hand, and the final item is "...a lot of
luck."
*** Acrophobia
Poor Charlie Brown. In the May 30, 1983 daily strip (reprinted
in "I'm Not Your Sweet Babboo!"), he's forced to return a kite
to the store because it's "afraid of heights."
One hopes that he's in a different store when, on March 4, 1999
(in a strip reprinted in "Peanuts 2000"), he checks out what's
available and requests a kite that "...isn't afraid of heights."
*** Fair-weather music
Woodstock just can't catch a break. In the June 11, 1983, daily strip
(reprinted in "I'm Not Your Sweet Babboo! "), his pleasant birdsong
comes to naught when the notes wash away in a sudden rainstorm.
(One wonders if he therefore lost his voice...)
In a similar turn of events, on November 27, 1984 (in a strip
reprinted in "The Way of the Fussbudget Is Not Easy"), a sudden
rainstorm s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s the notes like taffy. While not an
absolutely identical punchline, it's close enough to warrant including
here.
*** Water on demand
Those who own dogs know that they're thirsty all the time,
and Snoopy is no different. Apparently our favorite beagle has
quite a kick when he wants some water, as can be seen in this
May 9, 1985, daily strip (reprinted in "Dogs Don't Eat Dessert"),
when he kicks a hose bib to rather comical results.
A variation on this gag - almost like a sequel - appeared on
April 16, 1990 (reprinted in "Make Way for the King of the Jungle"),
when Snoopy once again kicks the hose bib, and gets a slightly
different result.
And, as eagle-eyed Tim Chow pointed out, both these strips sort
of "morphed" from the delightful May 19, 1963, Sunday strip
(reprinted in "We're Right Behind You, Charlie Brown").
Apparently Snoopy has been getting his own water for quite awhile...
*** Make them beg
Poor Snoopy. He just can't catch a break!
On June 11, 1987 (in a strip reprinted in "It Doesn't Take Much to
Attract a Crowd"), one of Snoopy's manuscripts is returned, along with a
letter that he not send any more submissions ... "please, please,
please!" "I love to hear an editor beg," Snoopy thinks to himself, in
the final panel.
This one pops up again, practically word for word and scene for scene,
on January 20, 1996 (in a strip reprinted in "The World According to
Lucy"). It's a three-panel format rather than four, and Snoopy winds up
on top of his doghouse, rather than leaning against the mailbox post ...
but otherwise, it's the same!
*** The stuck Bible
In the December 15, 1990, strip (not yet reprinted), Lucy asks if Linus
will go to Sunday School the next day, and mentions that he didn't attend
the previous week, and that the teacher wanted to know why. "The zipper
on my Bible was stuck," Linus replies.
Not quite a decade later, the gag resurfaces with Lucy and Rerun, in the
April 5, 1998, Sunday strip (reprinted in "It's a Dog's Life, Snoopy").
After arriving at Sunday School, Rerun laments that he wasn't able to
study his lesson, because "the zipper on my Bible is stuck."
3.10) Where can I find that great IRS Peanuts strip?
You can't ... because it doesn't exist.
At least, not in the sense that you think.
Despite our best efforts, we have here the beginnings of a Peanuts
Internet "urban legend," and -- given how quickly such things
propogate -- it may be impossible to stop the silly thing.
But I shall try.
No less a journalist than financial columnist Stephen Moore, writing
for National Review Online, began an April 15, 2003, column with
the following paragraph:
"Many years ago I framed a classic Peanuts cartoon on the wall
of my office. It shows Snoopy sitting on top of his dog house
pecking away at his typewriter. The message he writes is,
"Dear IRS: Please take me off your mailing list!" "
Only one problem, Steve ... THERE IS NO SUCH "CLASSIC" PEANUTS STRIP!
The "strip" in question began life as Charles Schulz's June 19, 1997,
Peanuts cartoon, with Snoopy typing out the latest exploits of
Andy and Olaf. Somebody -- possibly even a "legitimate" editorial
cartoonist -- re-lettered the strip so that Snoopy is typing,
"Dear IRS, I am writing to you to cancel my subscription.
Please remove my name from your mailing list."
At the time, and in whatever original source produced this item
(if it was, indeed, a legitimate source), Schulz may have been
thanked and credited, as is standard with editorial cartoons.
But that im****tant little detail is long behind us, at this point.
The new words aren't even a close approximation of Schulz's
distinctive lettering style. Despite this, the legend
has become famous enough that I and other Internet Peanuts
gurus frequently take requests to tell people in which book
this strip can be found.
It can't, because it isn't. And if anybody argues with you,
just send 'em to this FAQ.
3.11) Books about Peanuts
3.11a) The chronological reprint books
Although the books have gone through several publishers, the
"series of record" begins with 1952's PEANUTS and (currently)
concludes with PEANUTS 2000. (Perversely, IT'S A BIG WORLD, CHARLIE
BROWN and IT'S A DOG'S LIFE, SNOOPY, although released later, contain
earlier strips.) There have been many different versions of some titles,
and those
desiring a complete roster are strongly encouraged to check out the
lists
compiled by Scott McGuire, Jym Dyer and Nat Gertler, which can be
accessed through the Peanuts Collectors Club WWW page, which also has
its own list (see answer to question 1.2)
3.11b) Anthologies
Aside from the "series of record," we've also seen many other
books with strips grouped by theme: PEANUTS CLASSICS, CLASSROOM
PEANUTS, SANDLOT PEANUTS, THE SNOOPY FESTIVAL, and so forth. Most
people assume that these books merely re-collect strips already
reprinted elsewhere, but that's not entirely true. THE SNOOPY
FESTIVAL, for example, has roughly 200 strips not collected
elsewhere. There are also several hardcover "Sparkler"
collections, with strips assembled by character: Charlie Brown,
Snoopy, Schroeder, etc. As above, you can get pretty
comprehensive lists of these titles from Jim Dyer, Nat Gertler,
and Dom Grillo. If you're a completest, it's best to follow
the general rule: if ya ain't got it yet, buy it!
3.11c) Special books
The list is endless, although a lot of folks have fond memories
of the little hardbacks published in the 60s and 70s by
Determined and Hallmark. The former included titles such as
HAPPINESS IS A WARM PUPPY and SECURITY IS A THUMB AND A BLANKET,
and the latter has titles such as LINUS ON LIFE and THE WIT AND
WISDOM OF SNOOPY. There are numerous SNOOPY FUN AND FACT books,
adaptations of the movies and television specials, and even an
eight-volume dictionary. Once again, check Jim Dyer, etc.
3.11d) Foreign titles
Out of my field, except to mention that Peanuts books are
published all over the world, and it's fun to round out a library
with one or two German, Spanish, or French titles. English-
speaking readers should look for England's Ravette paperbacks;
the presentation is excellent, and the books of Sunday strips are
in full color.
Tom Barrett initiated, and I've supplemented, a list of French titles
published by Dargaud, although Tom notes that the colors are
not necessarily "true" (for example, Linus' ****rt being an
unexpected red and yellow). Tom has found the books can be
obtained from La Librairie Champlain, in Toronto, as well
as other French bookstores in Montreal, Canada.
16/22 Softcover black-and-white collections:
(The series reprints numerous cartoons other than
Peanuts, hence the odd numbering)
#60 SNOOPY SUPER CHAMPION
#69 BONNE ANNEE SNOOPY
#76 SNOOPY, TOUJOURS PRET!
#81 SNOOPY ET LE BARON ROUGE
#96 SNOOPY ET LES FEMMES
#115 SNOOPY ECRIVAIN
#122 LA MAISON DE SNOOPY
#129 SNOOPY ET LES CHATS
#136 SNOOPY, LA VIE EST BELLE!
#143 SNOOPY ET LE S****T
#152 SNOOPY ET LE GRAND BRAQUE
#159 SNOOPY ET SES AMIS
Hardcover color albums:
REVIENS SNOOPY
INCROYABLE SNOOPY
INTREPIDE SNOOPY
IMBATTABLE SNOOPY
INEGALABLE SNOOPY
L'INFAILLIBLE SNOOPY
IRRESISTIBLE SNOOPY
INEFFABLE SNOOPY
INVINCIBLE SNOOPY
INATTAQUABLE SNOOPY
INEPUISABLE SNOOPY
INENARRABLE SNOOPY
ELEMENTAIRE MON CHER SNOOPY
FANTASTIQUE SNOOPY
SNOOPY, VIVE LES VACANCES
SNOOPY, FEU D'ARTIFICE!
SNOOPY, NOEL BLANC
SNOOPY, POISSON D'AVRIL
SNOOPY, CHIENNE DE VIE
SNOOPY, CHAUD DEVANT
BONS BAISERS DE SNOOPY
SNOOPY GARDE LE CAP
SNOOPY RESTE DANS LA NOTE
SNOOPY EST UN DROLE D'OISEAU
3.11e) Non-Series or Non-Peanuts books by Charles Schulz
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PEANUTS and THE PARABLES OF PEANUTS, both
by Robert Short (with Peanuts cartoons reprinted), are delightful
little titles which ponder the greater philosophical and
theological implications of the strip.
The 35th anniversary edition of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PEANUTS
was published in early 2000, shortly after Schulz died. It
includes a new foreword by Martin E. Marty
Earlier in his career, Schulz published several books of kid-
themed cartoons not involving the Peanuts gang: YOUNG PILLARS,
TEENAGERS UNITE, "TEENAGER" IS NOT A DISEASE, WHAT WAS BUGGING
OL' PHAROAH? and TWO-BY-FOURS.
Schulz also illustrated both of Art Linkletter's KIDS SAY THE
DARNEDEST THINGS books, Bill Adler's DEAR PRESIDENT JOHNSON,
Billie Jean King's TENNIS LOVE -- A PARENT'S GUIDE TO THE S****T,
and a few others. While all of these are long out of print, it should
be noted that THE NEW KIDS SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS (with
illustrations by Schulz) is available now, in a paperback edition.
4) THE CHARACTERS
4.1) When did [your favorite character] first appear?
Charlie Brown, Shermy, and Patty debuted in the very
first strip, on October 2, 1950. Snoopy followed two days later,
on October 4. Thanks to Fantagraphics' ongoing campaign to
reprint all the Peanuts strips, it has become much easier to
spot where subsequent characters debuted, from Lucy and Linus
to Schroeder and all the rest.
What follows is a list of every major and minor named
character, along with the date s/he first appeared. It's
im****tant to distinguish between named and anonymous
kids, because quite a few of the latter have appeared
during summer camp sequences, school sequences,
and assorted baseball or football games...not to mention
the many poor souls who've answered their front door
and found Linus bringing word of the Great Pumpkin.
One oddity, though, before we proceed any further: In
the May 10, 1951, daily strip, the
kids mention a girl in the neighborhood who is named
June, and whose birthday is in June. We never meet this
girl, and this is one of the few times that another child is
identified without ever being introduced. (Tennis player
Molly Volley mentions Crybaby Boobie's brother, Bobby Boobie,
although we never meet him, either).
A few of the anonymous folks described above deserve
mention, so here are some individuals of interest:
Miscellaneous kids in a sandbox -- 7/5/53
(The first time unnamed kids appear in the strip)
An unknown girl -- 11/12/70
(She tries to dog-nap Snoopy)
An oddball kid from summer camp -- 7/21/71
(We never see his face, and he always tells
Charlie Brown to "Shut up and leave me alone!")
A bully -- 7/10/75
(He tries to take Charlie Brown's autographed
Joe Shlabotnik baseball)
A golf caddymaster -- 6/17/77
(Peppermint Patty and Marcie work for him...once)
A neighborhood boy -- 12/19/86
(A tree in his front yard falls down, and Sally takes
it home to become her Christmas tree)
A neighborhood girl -- 7/28/89
(She thinks Snoopy is Charlie Brown)
The "cute little girl" who sits next to Rerun
in kindergarten -- 9/11/96
(Although she appears fairly frequently,
she hasn't yet been given a name)
One final point, before moving to the named characters:
It's occasionally necessary to distinguish when a
character is first mentioned, as opposed to actually
appearing. (Sally is a good example of this.)
So...onward!
Charlie Brown -- 10/2/50
Patty -- 10/2/50
Shermy -- 10/2/50
Snoopy -- 10/4/50
Violet -- 2/7/51
Schroeder -- 5/30/51
Lucy -- 3/3/52
Linus -- 9/19/52 (but not named until 9/22/52 ... and he's
also mentioned once before we meet him, when on 7/14/52
Lucy tries to trade him to Charlie Brown for a tricycle)
Pig-Pen -- 7/13/54
Charlotte Braun -- 11/30/54 (the great "lost" character,
whose booming voice quickly became Lucy's primary characteristic)
Sally -- 8/23/59 (but first mentioned 5/25/59, and named 6/2/59)
Frieda -- 3/6/61
Faron -- 5/23/61 (Frieda's cat)
"5" -- 9/30/63
"3" and "4" -- 10/17/63 (5's younger twin sisters)
Roy -- 6/11/65
Peppermint Patty -- 8/22/66 (actual name Patricia Reichardt)
Jose Peterson -- 3/20/67 (Star player on Peppermint Patty's baseball
team)
Woodstock -- 4/4/67 (Birds had been appearing in the
strip for years, but that date marks the first bird
with a strong resemblance to Woodstock. He was not
named until 6/22/70)
Marcie -- 6/18/68 (?) (possibly named Clara at this
early moment; definitely introduced as Marcie
10/11/71...see subsequent question)
Sophie and ****rley -- 6/18/68 (Clara/Marcie's camp friends)
Franklin -- 7/31/68
Lila -- 8/24/68 (Snoopy's original owner, although she's
mentioned by name much earlier)
Thibault -- 6/4/70 (a bully on Peppermint Patty's baseball team)
Poochie -- 1/7/73 (a girl who played with Snoopy
as a pup, and was the first to call Charlie Brown by his full name)
Rerun -- 3/26/73 (but first mentioned 5/23/72, and named 5/31/72)
Loretta -- 5/22/74 (seller of Girl Scout cookies)
The Beagle Scouts -- 6/9/74 (They remained anonymous
until 3/27/78, at which point they were named Conrad,
Olivier, Bill, and -- of course -- Woodstock. Harriet
joined 5/12/80. Wilson was mentioned on 12/2/84; the group
became racially diverse with the arrival of Raymond on
10/13/88, and Fred was introduced 4/2/90. Roy joined the
group 4/18/98.)
The School Building -- 8/31/74 (The date it first manifested
thought-balloons)
Truffles -- 3/31/75 (One of Linus' quasi-sweethearts)
Spike -- 8/13/75 (but first mentioned 8/4/75)
Belle -- 6/28/76 (but first mentioned 6/22/76)
Belle's unnamed teenaged son -- 6/29/76
Floyd -- 7/26/76 (camp kid with a crush on Marcie)
Ruby, Austin, Leland, and Milo -- 3/11/77 (a very diminutive baseball
team)
Molly Volley -- 5/6/77
Eudora -- 6/13/78
Crybaby Boobie -- 7/5/78 (One of Snoopy's tennis opponents)
Joe Richkid (and his caddy) -- 6/22/81 (plays a golf
tourny against Peppermint Patty)
"Bad Call" Benny -- 4/16/82 (another of Snoopy's tennis opponents)
Marbles -- 9/28/82 (but first mentioned 9/23/82)
Harold Angel -- 12/24/83 (a brief appearance, mainly
as a punchline for one of Sally's malapropisms)
Lydia -- 6/9/86 (Linus has a serious crush on
this girl...who has also called herself many other names:
Rachel, Rebecca, Jezebel, Susan, Sarah, Samantha, Anna,
Ophelia, Polly, and Snowflake)
Maynard -- 7/21/86 (Peppermint Patty's school tutor)
Tapioca Pudding -- 9/4/86 (Her father is determined to
license everything about her, on lunch boxes, etc.)
Olaf -- 1/24/89 (but first mentioned 1/16/89)
Snoopy's Father -- 6/18/89 (He mentions eight offspring,
but -- alas! -- we never got a final word on the others...)
Peggy Jean -- 7/23/90 (Charlie Brown's summer camp sweetheart,
who calls him "Brownie Charles" ... and, as of the last time we
see her, seems to have a new boyfriend, which crushes poor ol' Chuck)
Larry -- 5/28/91 (the minister's son, who Sally kicks out of her Bible
class)
Cormac -- 7/17/92 (Charlie Brown's short and rather klutzy camp friend)
Royanne -- 4/1/93 (Roy Hobbs' great-granddaughter)
Ethan -- 7/14/93 (a summer camp kid)
Woodstock's grandfather -- 1/6/94 (brought to life via a diary)
Andy -- 2/14/94 (and named 2/19/94)
Emily -- 2/11/95 (Charlie Brown's occasional dance partner)
Joe Agate -- 4/7/95 (a game hustler who takes all of Rerun's
marbles, until Charlie Brown wins them back)
Snoopy's mother (!) -- 7/26/96
Justin -- 11/3/96 (a boy in Peppermint Patty's class)
The Little Red-Haired Girl (!) -- 5/25/98 (well...sort of,
anyway...she appears in silhouette)
Naomi -- 10/1/98 (a girl who "rescues" Spike after he is
"snatched" into an animal clinic and cured of "everything")
"Joe Cactus" -- 12/8/98 (Spike's name for his favorite cactus,
when it comes time to write some Christmas cards)
4.2) I don't see certain characters anymore. Where did they go?
As you might expect from the extensive list above, it would
be impossible to feature all those characters on a regular,
ongoing basis. The primary superstars are well known at this
point, but over time the "regular" roster has changed...and as
certain new characters have been introduced, others have slowly
moved aside to make room for them.
When most folks ask this question, they're not thinking about
one-shot or single-gag characters such as Poochie, Lila, Ethan or
Molly Volley. Such characters often appear only for a few days
or weeks, to flesh out a particular storyline; others will turn up
only under certain cir***stances, such as when Snoopy
encounters Molly Volley on a tennis court.
No, we usually hear from people who want to know what
happened to Shermy, Patty, Violet and Frieda, and occasionally
5 and Eudora.
Patty and Shermy, of course, go all the way back to the very
first cartoon published. Violet joined the gang soon thereafter,
and Frieda (with the naturally curly hair) was a frequent
neighborhood fixture in the 1960s.
But following the arrival of Franklin, Peppermint Patty, Marcie
and Woodstock, the "group dynamic" changed subtly. Shermy,
usually little more than a straight man, saw his role gradually
assumed by Franklin, who proved more interesting in the long
run. Patty and Violet, really never known for more than picking
on poor Charlie Brown, weren't doing anything that Lucy
couldn't take care of by herself...and so they gradually faded
into the background. And while Frieda lasted a long time
for somebody with just a few distingui****ng characteristics -- her
naturally curly hair, her constant badgering of Snoopy to
chase rabbits, and her cat -- she, too, eventually vanished
without so much as a by-your-leave. (Staunch Frieda fan Kirk German
also points out that Frieda is one of not that many characters
to have a Vince Guaraldi jazz cut named after her, and that's
absolutely correct ... and it's a pretty cool tune, too.)
But the actual question has two answers. In a sense, these "missing
faces" never really left completely; we can assume that they're
still hanging around, and we just don't see them anymore. Kids
who resemble Patty and Violet occasionally turn up at schoolbus
stops, or at the door of a house, but we can't be sure it's really
them because they're never named. As a result, the dates given
below must be taken with a grain of salt, and perhaps regarded
(depending on the individual) only as the last time each was seen
in a significant sense.
Shermy: Last seen June 15, 1969, and in his case that really is
his final bow. He was, however, mentioned by name in the
March 13, 1977, Sunday strip, when Lucy, making out the
Baseball team line-up, includes him as "designated
Hitter." We haven't even had any possible "near misses"
since then.
Patty: She vanished from "regular sight" on April 11, 1976,
but has popped up a few times since...or at least we think
she has, since the sightings come without attribution.
She seems to be one of the kids to whom Charlie Brown tries
to sell a Christmas wreath (November 20, 1985); she
and Violet walk past "Snoopy Claus" on November 25,
1992; and Patty certainly seems to be standing in a
schoolbus line -- with Violet -- on April 17, 1995.
We also have to take Charles Schulz's word for an
appearance on March 2, 1994, as the girl who tries to
persuade Snoopy to chase rabbits (although it would
appear that she did a radical overhaul on her hair!).
(Credit to Tom Kalina, for that last one.)
5: The neighborhood kid who got his name from his father's
streak of rebellion over the way numbers had invaded
society (poor fellow; it was only going to get worse!)
actually hung in there for a good long time. His final
appearance as his easily recognized self came on
August 16, 1981, although he might have popped up one
more time: In the May 22, 1983, strip, a kid is shown
wearing a ****rt with "5" on it. His head is pointing
toward the sky, so we can't really see what he looks
like...but we'll call it a definite maybe (and I'm
indebted to Eamon Gilligan, for pointing this one out).
Violet: Like Patty, she dropped from the regular roster (on
November 16, 1984) but may have popped up in a few
cameo appearances since then. She -- or somebody who
looks just like her -- stands next to The Girl Who Might
Be Patty in the aforementioned 11/25/92 and 4/17/95 strips,
and Violet also seems to be standing toward the front of
another schoolbus line on November 12, 1996.
Frieda: Last seen for sure onMarch 20, 1975, and also pretty much out
of the picture at this point. She does appear to be one of
the kids asked when Charlie Brown tries to find a home for
Spike (July 26, 1978), and she also appears to be one of
the kids to whom Charlie Brown attempts to sell a Christmas
wreath (November 22, 1985), but she's not named in either case.
(Tom Kalina gets the credit for those last two.)
Eudora: For a relatively late entry to the strip, this little
girl actually hung in there for quite awhile. Introduced
in 1978, her distinctive features remained quite visible
for just under a decade. She last appeared on June 13, 1987.
4.3) What is the origin of Charlie Brown's name?
Charles Schulz met the original Charlie Brown at an art class at
the Bureau of Engraving in Minneapolis. They remained friends
over the years, and it was only natural that Schulz would tell
Brown of his fledgling plan to market a comic strip with a
central character who struggled with life, and tried to do well.
Schulz named the central character after the round-faced Brown,
who had a remarkable resemblance to his namesake.
Brown eventually served as program director at the Hennepin
County Juvenile Detention Center, where he was credited with
helping troubled young people, and going out of his way to show
he cared about them.
Brown died of cancer on December 5, 1983. He had never married,
and lived alone in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka.
4.4) Is Charlie Brown bald?
Of course not. He's just very, very, very, VERY blond, what my
parents would have called a "tow-head" (a phrase, come to
think of it, that I don't hear much any more). Anyway, Charlie
Brown's hair is so fine that it simply doesn't show up that
clearly, hence we see only the occasional strand.
Confirmation for this information was given by no less than
Charles Schulz himself, during a December 18, 1990, interview
with Terry Gross on National Public Radio's "Fresh Air":
"I don't think of it as not having hair. I think of it as
being hair that is so blond that...it's not seen very clearly,
that's all."
He repeated this information a few years later, during an
interview on NPR's "Morning edition":
"Well he's got hair, its just so light you don't notice it.
I always resent it when people say he's bald. He's not bald.
The old character Henry was bald. But Charlie Brown has a
little hair. His dad is a barber as my dad was. He must have
had hair someplace up there."
The issue became a bit confused in the wake of the 1975 TV special,
"You're a Good S****t, Charlie Brown," when upon winning
the motocross competition ol' Chuck received a prize
of ... five free haircuts. "But my dad's a barber,"
Charlie Brown protested, "and besides, I don't have much hair to cut!"
We can take this either of two ways: 1) Charlie Brown's
hair is mostly short, crew-cut fa****on, except for a few
stray long hairs, and we always see the latter; or 2) this
TV special presented information that conflicted with what
Charles Schulz regarded as "canon" in his newspaper strip
(not the first time this happened, since a different special
both showed and gave a name to the Little Red-Haired Girl,
which we all know is a major No-No).
It's worth noting, however, that this decision may have
arrived later in the strip's run. In the July 17, 1955,
Sunday strip, Charlie Brown and Schroeder are arguing
about something, and talking trash at each other
(which was rare between the boys in Peanuts). In one panel,
Charlie Brown says, "Well, at least, Schroeder, I don't have yellow
hair!"
So if in 1955 Charlie Brown didn't have yellow (which is to say, blond)
hair ... then what color WAS it?
4.5) What is the origin of the little red-haired girl? Has
she ever actually appeared in the strip?
Donna Wold, who still lives in Minneapolis, is one of Charles
Schulz' former loves. To quote Rheta Grimsley Johnson's biography
of Schulz, GOOD GRIEF, he (Schulz) was working as an art
instructor at the correspondence art school where Wold began
working in the accounting department, after her 1947 high school
graduation. Things didn't work out, but Schulz obviously thought
quite highly of her, and immortalized her with particular style.
The complete story is rather charming, and occupies an entire
chapter of Johnson's book.
As for whether Charlie Brown's love-from-afar has ever
actually appeared in the Peanuts comic strip, the answer is -- in
a word -- no.
This response must, however, be accompanied by an explanation.
It is im****tant to recognize the distinction between what occurs
in the "real" world of Peanuts (in other words, the newspaper
strip written and drawn by Charles Schulz), and what occurs
elsewhere (specifically, television).
Schulz does not have full control over what happens in the TV
specials, and he has made it very clear that events therein should
not be regarded as "gospel" for his newspaper strip. Thus, while
it's true the little red-haired girl popped up in the TV special "It's
Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown" (and therefore in the picture-book
adapted from that show), Schulz does not regard her as
the actual little red-haired girl...just as Charlie Brown's having
successfully place-kicked a football in another TV special
should not be regarded as a comparative truth in the strip.
No, the "actual" little red-haired girl, like the Head Beagle, or
Linus' Miss Othmar, is a character who never will be drawn.
This way, we can all imagine her to be whatever we'd like...safe
in the knowledge that there is no visualization of the character
which is better, or different, than any other.
4.6) Do any other characters have "real" roots?
In 1975's PEANUTS JUBILEE, Charles Schulz mentions that during his
High school years, he was a Sherlock Holmes fanatic and used to fill
scrapbooks with his own illustrations of Holmes stories, in comic
book form (and oh, what we'd give to see those now!). A friend of
his named Shermy was one of his faithful readers, and thus Schulz
honored him by using that name as one of Peanuts' original characters.
Also In PEANUTS JUBILEE, we learn that Linus gets his name from
a friend Schulz had during his days at the Art Instruction School.
Schulz was experimenting with "wild hair" on a character, and he
showed the resulting sketch to Linus Maurer, who sat near him.
Maurer liked the sketch, and Schulz subsequently felt it appropriate
to name the character Linus.
Finally, PEANUTS JUBILEE also reveals that Schroeder was named
after a young boy with whom Schulz used to caddy at Highland Park
Golf Course in St. Paul. Schulz doesn't recall ever knowing his
first name (Schroeder being his last name), but the name itself
"seemed right for the character in the strip." (This origin fuels
the ongoing debate that Schroeder actually is our favorite
Beethoven-lover's LAST name, rather than first name, but I don't
buy it. It would be inconsistent for the Peanuts gang to call only
one of their friends by last name, rather than first name, and ample
evidence exists, over the years, that Schroeder is OUR Schroeder's
first name.)
Lila, Snoopy's original owner, is based on a real girl - Lyala
pronounced Lila) Mae Bischoff -- with whom Charles Schulz went
to Central High School, in St. Paul. Thanks to a fan who works
with her son (Jake Wood), I've learned a bit about this charming
saga. Lyala apparently was ill during most of her high school
years. She and Schulz rode the streetcar to and from school
together. They were in the same grade and apparently he was smitten
by her, but a little shy as she was a couple of years older than he
was, because she had missed quite a bit of school due to the fact
that she had been so ill. Jake has an old copy of a Peanuts paperback,
which was autographed by Sparky to Lyala, letting her know that he
had used her in his comic strip as Lila (although he spelled her name
differently than she did). The book was accompanied by a letter,
telling her how sorry he was to hear that she was ill again, and
sending his good wishes to her and her husband. Golly -- doesn't that
sound just like the Sparky we know and love?
Frieda Rich, another long-time friend of Charles Schulz, was the
inspiration for the character of the same name. (One wonders if
the actual Frieda had the same motor-mouth as her inked
counterpart!) She died in 1994, and, to quote Andrea Podley's
brief eulogy in the Peanuts Collector newsletter: "She was a
wonderful artist with a loving personality, and we, along with
Sparky, will miss her."
Rheta Grimsley Johnson's biography of Schulz, GOOD GRIEF,
reveals some additional real-world origins, most of which
can be found on Page 145 of the first-edition Pharos Books hardcover:
Molly Volley, Snoopy's tennis partner, is named after Molly Ackley,
Schulz's real-life tennis buddy.
Linus' favorite teacher, Miss Othmar, was named after Schulz's
good friend, Othmar Jarisch, who ran the local humane society
and died in 1988. When Miss Othmar married and became Mrs. Hagemayer,
this name derived from Margaret Hagemeyer of St. Louis, who was
married to Elmer Hagemayer, one of Schulz's Army buddies.
Marcie gets her name from a family friend, Marcie Carlin.
Linus, Lucy and Rerun get their last name -- Van Pelt -- from
friends who live in Colorado Springs.
Woodstock's bird-friend Harriet, famous for her seven-minute
frosting, is named for Harriet Crossland, a woman in Santa Rosa
who makes Schulz angel food cakes with seven-minute frosting.
Miss Halverson, the teacher Linus gets after Miss Othmar leaves
to get married, is named for Schulz's maternal grandmother,
Sophia Halverson, who lived with him off and on during most of
his childhood. She doted on her grandson and would help him
practice hockey by playing goalie in the basement of their house.
Schulz immortalized her early, albeit without a name, as the
s****ts-loving grandmother of the children in his St. Paul Pioneer
Press Li'l Folks newspaper strip, which pre-dated Peanuts. ("Wow,
that's the third penalty they've given Grandma for unnecessary
roughness.")
A sharp-eyed reader in England, Julian (you knew I had to
acknowledge you SOMEwhere!), suggests this trio: Again according
to GOOD GRIEF, we note that Schulz had an aunt named Clara and a
cousin named ****rley; if we take a slight leap and turn Sophia
into "Sophie," we get Clara, Sophie and ****rley, the three little
girls for whom Peppermint Patty serves as tent monitor at summer camp.
4.7) Which characters have last names?
Well, Charlie and Sally Brown, of course; and Lucy, Linus and
Rerun Van Pelt. Peppermint Patty's actual name is Patricia
Reichardt.
When 5 and his twin sisters, 3 and 4, were introduced, their
last name was given as 95472 (the family's Zip code).
With respect to more obscure characters, we know of Charlotte
Braun, baseball player Jose Peterson, tennis players Molly Volley
and Crybaby Boobie, Harold Angel, Tapioca Pudding, Royanne Hobbs
and Joe Agate.
And here's a clever one (and the reason I added this question):
In the April 4, 1953, daily strip, Patty calls Violet by her
full name of Violet Gray (which, when you stop and think
about it, is a pretty funny combination).
Now, just to stop some questions, there are two others that
do NOT count, because they're mentioned only in the animated
"You're in the Superbowl, Charlie Brown." Marcie and Franklin
are given the last names of Johnson and Armstrong, respectively,
but since Schulz never used those in his newspaper strip, we
shall go along with his preference and pretend they don't exist!
4.8) When is Snoopy's birthday?
There are two answers to this question: the official, and the
unofficial.
Officially, Snoopy's birthday is one of those never-revealed
mysteries, like the cat next door or the little red-haired girl
(television, Schulz always reminded us, didn't count). That way,
these characters can look like whatever we imagine them to be,
and Snoopy's birthday can be whenever we desire.
Unofficially, the matter has been dealt with twice in the comic
strip. The first time was in the strip dated August 28, 1951,
which can be seen in the first reprint collection, PEANUTS.
Charlie Brown has just given Snoopy a birthday cake, with a
wiener sticking up in the middle, rather than a candle.
Now, since the world of Peanuts takes place in "real time" --
which is to say, the gang celebrates Halloween on Halloween,
Christmas on Christmas, and so forth -- it could be argued, with
a certain degree of conviction, that August 28 must be Snoopy's
birthday.
Unfortunately, contradictory evidence arrived in 1968, in a strip
which has NOT been reprinted in one of the "official"
chronological titles (although it does turn up in a Sparkler
book). After a multi-strip sequence involving Snoopy and
a "secret mission," he's eventually ambushed by a surprise
birthday party...which takes place in the strip printed on
August 10, 1968. (This strip also reveals the color of his eyes,
for his final thought balloon finds him smiling in delight
and thinking, "Well, I'll be a brown-eyed beagle...")
So...August 10, or August 28? It's probably better to treat both
these strips as lapses, and leave the matter of Snoopy's birthday
as a mystery for the ages.
After all, he can't really be having any birthdays, because he's
clearly not getting any older...right?
4.9) How many different roles has Snoopy played?
Dozens. Scores. More than 150.
Snoopy became a "Walter Mitty beagle" very early
in the strip's lengthy run, and he's adopted various
guises, and pretended to be all sorts of
different animals...and occasionally people.
Some of these changes of identity occured only once,
while others -- such as the WWI Flying Ace, Joe Cool,
and the Beagle Scout -- became established personas.
For the most part, Snoopy began by imitating other
animals. Perhaps not content with the emotional
range found within such ****trayals, he eventually
switched to imitations of people involved in
different occupations...and his true talent emerged.
An very early example can be found on August 9, 1951,
in a strip not yet reprinted, when Violet orders Snoopy
out of her bird bath by telling him that only things
"with wings" are allowed. In the final panel, Snoopy has
lifted his ears as if to imitate wings, while once
again sitting in the bird bath. I'm not sure
if that one counts, but, if so, it's the first.
The following list identifies the first time Snoopy
took each of these many roles.
A go-cart motor -- 1/12/52
Beethoven -- 9/3/52 (and again on 11/25/55)
A shark (in a wading pool) -- 7/21/54
A wolf -- 1/26/55
A rhinoceros -- 2/22/55
A s**** -- 8/29/55
Violet -- 11/17/55
A pelican -- 11/21/55
Lucy -- 11/22/55
A moose -- 11/24/55
Mickey Mouse -- 11/26/55
A giraffe -- 2/7/56
A kangaroo -- 2/8/56
An alligator -- 2/28/56
A lion -- 5/3/56
An elephant -- 9/17/56
A polar bear -- 2/7/57
A bird -- 4/14/57
A mule -- 7/14/57
A circus dog -- 7/24/57
A sea-monster -- 8/23/57
A penguin -- 12/31/57
An anteater -- 3/1/58
A bald eagle -- 5/12/58
A vulture -- 5/13/58
A tiger -- 6/15/58
A goat -- 6/18/58
Big Man on Campus (an early Joe Cool) -- 1/29/59
A bloodhound -- 3/26/59
A cow -- 6/14/59 (and again on 4/18/63)
A (human) baby -- 6/23/59
A cricket -- 9/12/59
A mountain lion -- 11/29/59
A TV antenna -- 1/7/60
A "whirlydog" (early form of his helicopter) -- 3/14/60
A dinosaur -- 7/7/60
The "Mad Punter" -- 12/12/60
A ****p's captain -- 1/29/61
A rabbit -- 3/16/61
A gorilla -- 3/21/61
A lost calf -- 3/26/61
A jungle ape -- 5/3/62
A shepherd -- 7/1/62
A gargoyle -- 9/27/62
A teddy bear -- 12/28/62
A weather vane -- 6/1/63
An ice-skating champion -- 2/23/64
A sheep -- 12/24/64
A partridge in a pear tree -- 12/25/64
A trapeze artist -- 3/2/65
A skateboard champion -- 3/29/65
A bowling ace -- 4/14/65
An assistant psychiatrist (for Lucy) -- 6/25/65
An author -- 7/12/65
A surfer -- 8/5/65
The WWI Flying Ace -- 10/10/65
A soldier of the French Foreign Legion -- 3/21/66
The WWI Army Surgeon -- 11/24/66
The "Masked Marvel" -- 2/9/67
A piranha -- 3/25/67
A "che****re beagle" -- 4/18/67
A secret agent -- 9/7/67
The World-Famous Hockey Player -- 10/8/67
A monster movie-style "creature from the sea" -- 1/13/68
A school principal -- 1/30/68
A baseball manager -- 3/13/68
The World-Famous Golf Pro -- 4/8/68
The Easter Beagle -- 4/14/68
The World-Famous Wrist Wrestler -- 4/24/68
Captain of the Rescue Squad -- 1/27/69
A prairie dog -- 2/12/69
The World-Famous Astronaut -- 3/8/69
The tether-ball champion -- 5/28/69
The World-Famous Roller Derby Star -- 7/4/69
The World-Famous Baseball Superstar -- 7/31/69
The World-Famous Football Star -- 9/16/69
The WWII Veteran -- 11/11/69
The World-Famous Skier -- 12/15/69
The "Head Beagle" -- 2/16/70
The World-Famous Tennis Star -- 6/11/70
The World-Famous Grocery Clerk -- 8/25/70
A sheep dog -- 4/25/71
Joe Cool -- 5/27/71
The World-Famous Football Coach -- 9/2/71
The World-Famous Swimmer -- 10/2/71
The World-Famous Attorney -- 1/12/72
Captain of the Star****p Enterprise -- 2/7/72
A fierce pirate -- 8/14/72
A bat -- 11/10/72
The Pawpet Theater Host -- 3/17/74
A streaker -- 5/6/74
The Beagle Scout (initially a "tenderpaw") -- 5/13/74
The World-Famous Crabby Skating Pro -- 11/7/74
Joe Motocross -- 2/18/75
An airplane mechanic -- 6/24/75
A "man from the Chamber of Commerce" -- 7/2/75
The World-Famous Jogger -- 5/17/76
A helicopter -- 2/1/77
A crop-duster -- 7/10/77
An owl -- 10/27/77
Peppermint Patty (a disguise) -- 12/5/77
A traffic copter -- 10/8/78
The World-Famous Disco Dancer -- 10/16/78
The April Fool -- 4/1/79
Blackjack Snoopy, World-Famous Riverboat Gambler -- 5/30/79
The World-Famous County Surveyor -- 6/18/79
A scarecrow -- 6/22/79
A fierce python -- 10/9/79
A bow & arrow hunter -- 1/15/80
Dr. Beagle and Mr. Hyde -- 3/19/80
A fierce rattles**** -- 3/28/80
The World-Famous Census Taker -- 3/31/80
John McEnroe -- 5/6/80
Tracy Austin -- 5/7/80
John Newcombe -- 5/8/80
A Zamboni driver -- 12/5/80
A ****trait painter -- 6/12/81
Joe Preppy -- 7/30/81
The World-Famous Hired Hand -- 2/27/82
The World-Famous Surgeon -- 7/12/82
Joe Sandbagger (while bowling) -- 10/21/82
An Olympic chariot racer -- 11/27/83
Flashbeagle -- 11/29/83
The Little Red-Haired Girl -- 2/10/85
"Punk" Beagle -- 8/7/85
The World-Famous Agent -- 9/15/86
Joe Aerobics -- 7/11/87
Alistair Beagle -- 6/27/89
"Shoeless" Joe Beagle -- 8/27/89
Santa Claus -- 12/18/89
Joe Bungie -- 8/5/90
A tennis ball-beagle -- 8/12/90
A fierce "October beast" -- 10/2/90
The World-Famous Highway Flagman -- 1/9/91
A beaver -- 6/17/91
A school honor student -- 9/19/91
A trained service technician -- 10/10/91
A wounded soldier -- 2/23/92
A ventriloquist -- 4/13/92
The pilot for Ace Airlines -- 6/8/92
Joe Grunge -- 4/26/93
A Revolutionary War Patriot -- 1/5/97
Blackbeagle, the World Famous Pirate -- 7/31/97
The World-Famous Big-Rig Operator -- 3/28/98
The (F.) Scott Fitzgerald Hero -- 5/21/98
A diving expert -- 7/1/99
The World-Famous Orthopedic Surgeon -- 8/26/99
4.10) What are the names of Snoopy's siblings?
In the order that they were introduced in the strip,
they are: Spike, Belle, Marbles, "Ugly" Olaf, and Andy.
While the 1991 TV special "Snoopy's Reunion"
mentions Molly and Rover, they are not to be confused
with those found in the "real world" of the newspaper
strip. It is significant, though, that Charles Schulz once
drew a Sunday strip with Snoopy's father receiving a
card signed by "all eight" of his offspring...but it
doesn't look like we'll ever officially meet them.
4.11) What are the titles of the "Bunny-Wunnies"
books which Snoopy loves so much?
Scott McGuire deserves the primary credit for this one,
having conducted the essential research. In the order
they were introduced, the "sensitive" tomes credited to
Miss Helen Sweetstory are:
The Six Bunny-Wunnies and Their Pony Cart
(first mentioned July 26, 1970)
The Six Bunny-Wunnies Go to Long Beach
The Six Bunny-Wunnies Make Cookies
The Six Bunny-Wunnies Join an Encounter Group
(all mentioned on April 8, 1971)
The Six Bunny-Wunnies and Their XK-E
(April 10, 1971)
The Six Bunny-Wunnies and Their Water Bed
(April 12, 1971)
The Six Bunny-Wunnies and Their Layover in
Anderson, Indiana (April 13, 1971)
The Six Bunny-Wunnies and the Female Veterinarian
(February 10, 1972)
The Six Bunny-Wunnies Freak Out
(October 23, 1972)
The Six Bunny-Wunnies Visit Plains, Georgia
(September 26, 1977)
The penultimate one is somewhat notorious because it
was banned from the local library, which prompted
Charlie Brown to investigate the situation.
Snoopy is known to have a complete set -- which
undoubtedly includes far more titles than shown
here -- assembled through the always reliable Beagle
Book Club. And although Snoopy's devotion to
Miss Sweetstory wavered a bit after learning she
lived with 24 cats, he has remained a faithful r |
