Arguably the longest story ever told by one person, the comic strip “Peanuts” was first published 65 years ago Friday.
Minnesota native Charles Schulz was 27 years old when the idea he had been pushing for three years was published in seven newspapers.
The comic — centered on the unsuccessful Charlie Brown, his mischievous pet, Snoopy and his group of friends — would be picked up by over 2,000 papers. It spawned several television specials and an empire of merchandise.
Schulz died in February of 2000, after a 50-year illustration career.
The last new comic strip of the successful franchise aired the day after his death but reprints continue to run in papers.
In honor of the anniversary, here are some fun facts to know about the the man behind the comic and the beloved characters he introduced to audiences:
1. Schulz hated the name “Peanuts”
Good grief, this name was not what Schulz wanted.
In fact, the title was the cartoonist’s biggest disappointment, he said in a 1987 interview with historian Rick Marschall.
Schulz wanted “Lil’ Folks,” or “Good Old Charlie Brown” but said he was forced to use the randomly chosen “Peanuts,” and found it “totally ridiculous” and “without meaning.”
2. Schulz’s drawings were rejected by his high school’s yearbook
Like his creation Charlie Brown, Schulz was no stranger to rejection.
The humorist, who received failing grades in school, tried to have his high school yearbook publish his original drawing of Snoopy. The school turned him down but today has a 5-foot statue of Snoopy on campus.
Schulz did however manage to have “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” publish one of his drawings when he was 15. It was the first drawing he ever published.
3. The red-hair-girl turned down Schulz in real life
Another rebuff in Schulz’s life was when his girlfriend of three years rejected his marriage proposal.
In a weird twist of fate, Donna Mae Johnson was proposed to by another man around the same time Schulz proposed.
Drawings of the girl she inspired, who served as Charlie Brown’s unrequited love, never appeared in the comic despite being mentioned frequently.
She does, however, appear in several television specials and is named Heather.
Additionally, unrequited love is a major theme in the comic strip. Sally loves Linus, Marcie and Peppermint Patty pine after Charlie and Lucy worships Schroeder. None of the feelings are reciprocated.
4. Snoopy was supposed to be “Sniffy”
Schulz chose the name “Sniffy” for the iconic pup but the name was already being used in another comic strip.
So, he went with Snoopy — an affectionate term in Norwegian — after remembering his late mother had wanted the name if the family got another dog.
Growing up, Schulz had a terrier named Spike, which was the inspiration for Snoopy’s brother.
5. Executives didn’t like the Christmas special
The Emmy Award-winning “A Charlie Brown Christmas” did not win CBS executives over when it was pitched.
They found the preview slow, without action and were concerned about religious themes when Linus read from the Bible at one point.
Yet, the studio had a commitment and the Christmas special aired in 1965, drawing in 15.4 million viewers.
6. Fergie voiced a character in the 1980s
Pop singer Fergie voiced character Sally Brown, Charlie’s little sister, from 1983 to 1985.
Her voice can be heard in “The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show,” as well as some television specials.
She was nine-years-old when she began the voice work.
7. Schulz did all the work
While some comic-strip artists have teams to assist in the creation process, Schultz worked alone.
He created every line of the strip and drew his cartoons for 50 years , only taking a vacation once.
The five-week break, to celebrate his 75th birthday, was the first time reruns of the comic ran while Schulz was alive.
8. Charlie Brown did kick a football!
In the 17,897 comic strips that were published, down-on-his-luck Charlie Brown always failed to kick the football, except for one time.
In a 1956 strip, Charlie managed to successfully kick the ball. However, Schroeder, instead of Lucy, was holding the ball.
Charlie Brown’s rotten sports ability may also be an inspiration from his creator. Schulz’s neighborhood baseball team once lost a game 40-0.
