The Peanuts gang - click image to view more
The Peanuts gang - click image to view more
The stuffed Snoopy doll that I got when I was a baby is still sitting in my bedroom.
Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts characters are like an institution. For a lot of us, they were some of the first comics we ever read, the first characters that graced our toys, our beds, and our clothing. The movies were appointment television; you made it a tradition to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin and the Charlie Brown Christmas specials every year. The fictional kids of the Peanuts gang were some of our very first friends.
The Peanuts strip premiered 61 years ago this weekend, on October 2, 1950. It ran as a successful daily comic until February 13, 2000, when the final frames hit the printers just hours after Charles Schultz passed away in his sleep the night before. For 50 years, Charles took only one vacation, for five days, to celebrate his 75th birthday. They were part of his family.
Though maybe not as widespread today as it was in years past, the Peanuts empire has stayed current through merchandising and theme park associations. If you grew up with the gang, they still bring up a smile and pleasant memories of your childhood when you see Lucy pull the football or Snoopy hanging out with Woodstock. They’re as comforting as Linus’s blanket.
Here are some other ways to get your Peanuts fix today:
- Peanuts.com – The main website for the Charles M. Schulz empire.
- The Charles M. Schulz Museum – In Santa Rosa, California, this museum houses a tribute to the legacy of the man and the characters. Also appearing are special exhibits, such as sketches from Charles’s travels abroad, giving you a different look into his creative life.
- Tom Everhart – Tom is one of just a handful of artists with a blessing from the Schulz empire to produce and sell works based on the Peanuts characters. His bold, pop-art style is a great match for Snoopy and the gang, and is closely related to the style of Charles’s actual pen strokes.
- GoComics daily strip – See a new Peanuts strip every day through this online site.
- Peanuts on Pinterest – A search for Snoopy reveals other people’s love for the group.
- Build your own Peanuts amusement park – This Facebook application allows you to create your own fun park based on the characters. It’s sponsored by Cedar Fair entertainment, which now uses Peanuts characters as mascots for their real-life parks.
Tina Jett is an artist, writer, photographer, and world-explorer. Her husband describes her with the phrase, “It’s like she lives in a coloring book.” See how that vision influences the work on her 
I love the Christmas episodes…Snoopy dancing never fails to make me laugh!
Right? I also wish to magically wave my hands in the air to put my tree up every year.
I looked forward to the ‘Great Pumpkin’ episode every year on TV. My son fell in love with Snoopy when he was about six. He still sleeps with his Snoopy plush and he’s fourteen. Don’t tell him I told you though
That’s a bond I know well. Don’t let him get rid of it!
Great post. I loved everything Peanuts but my favorite was sitting with my family to watch the Holiday specials. What a wonderful way to grow up with Mr. Schulz’ characters as inspiration and companions.
Take care, Pam
The Peanuts kids epitomized enjoyment of the little things to me. Definitely inspiring.
I LOVE Snoopy – he was probably my favorite fictional character throughout my whole childhood.
Just last year I got all of the piano sheet music for the Charlie Brown Christmas music by the Vince Guarldi Trio… I love it! I’m still the only one in my entire family who insists we watch the special every year. I can’t believe no one else appreciates it!
How do you NOT watch Charlie Brown Christmas?!? That’s just silly. And that music… oof, that’s good stuff. Soft, chunky snowfalls, some cocoa, and those sounds in the air… Yes, ma’am.
I was addicted to all things Peanuts. Do they still have Peanuts books? They did in the 60s and I collected them, and saved my favorites from the Sunday paper, and of course watched the specials. My earliest attempts at serious drawing was copying the Peanuts characters about 2 feet tall and pasting them to my bedroom ceiling. Every night they watched me fall asleep.
I don’t think I’ve seen any new books besides commemorative-type ones. I had some of the old Charlie Brown ‘Cyclopedia books when I was little and LOVED them. That’s fantastic that you put pictures of them on your ceiling!