On October 2, 1950 good ol’ Charlie Brown humbly walked into his first Peanuts comic strip. A few days later, his loyal companion Snoopy joined him on October 4, 1950. 70 years later they are still bringing smiles and life lessons to people and dogs around the world!
Written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts ran from October 2, 1950 to February 13, 2000, with 17,897 strips published in all. Thus making Peanuts the longest running comic strip by a single writer and illustrator. Originally published in 1947 under the name Li’l Folks, Schulz was forced to rename his comic strip due to a copyright issue from the similarly named 1930s comic strip, Little Folks. It was his publisher who picked the name Peanuts. In an interview in 1979 Schulz revealed, “Although I have always resented the title Peanuts which I was forced to use – and I’m still convinced it’s the worst title for any comic strip – it probably doesn’t matter what it is called so long as each effort brings some kind of joy to someone, someplace.” He certainly did bring a lot of smiles. Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of approximately 355 million in 75 countries, and was translated into 21 languages.
Over the years, Schulz created a cast of characters we all could relate to at one time or another. We cheered on Charlie Brown as he faced life’s challenges with nothing more than a simple, “Good Grief!” His devotion to his dog Snoopy, even if Charlie Brown didn’t always understand him, was an important life lesson to all dog owners about love and loyalty.
Snoopy taught us that our imaginations were limitless! From being a WWI flying ace, to an accomplished cool jazz saxophonist, to dancing with reckless abandon, Snoopy could do it all and infinitely more! And by his side was his trusted companion Woodstock, who occasionally was a bit worse for wear putting up with his enthusiastic friend.
Lucy’s misdirected confidence made us cringe sometimes, but we all knew despite her bossy approach she usually had everyone’s best interest at heart. Then there was her brother, Linus, our moral compass, who thoughtfully observed and reflected on the world with simple but profound wisdom, all while clutching his trusted security blanket. Although a kind soul, Linus did have his limits. This was especially evident when cringing at being addressed as “My Sweet Babboo” by Charlie Brown’s little sister, Sally.
Happy 70th Anniversary Charlie Brown and Snoopy! Thank you for teaching us to always keep trying, dream big, and never take life too serious.
