“But Sally, anything that takes only a minute can’t be very lasting. For instance, Beethoven took over two years to complete his brilliant Ninth Symphony,” sang the piano-playing Schroeder in the Tony-award winning 1999 revival of the musical “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.” Pretty ironic statement coming from a Peanuts character: It might take less than a minute to read one of the late Charles M. Schulz’s classic comics, but its impression has been ever-lasting.
Read by more than 355 million people worldwide, this sage comic strip’s legacy goes well beyond Schulz’s hand-drawings of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Sally, Linus, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, and gang. In the 60 years since these funny friends made their debut, they’ve literally jumped off the printed page, appearing in beloved television specials (“A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie”), off- and on-Broadway musicals, a stamp, lunchboxes, and even the Louvre Museum (“Snoopy in Fashion” exhibit, 1990).
Today, 2,200 U.S. newspapers publish this strip—each pulled from a collection of 17,897 created throughout Schulz’s career. Before retiring in 2000, he stipulated that he should have no successor.
Looking for more than a good laugh? Head over to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, where more than 65,000 visitors a year stop by to get to know this comic genius and his timeless work. Once there you can enjoy exhibits like a recreation of Schulz’s studio, learn how to write cartoons, and, of course, see original Peanuts art.
If you can’t make the trip, consider picking up the new book Celebrating Peanuts 60 Years, a 544-page comprehensive collection of strips, including commentary. Or get your daily Joe Cool (Snoopy’s sunglass-wearing alter-ego) fix on comics.com.
[Art courtesy of PEANUTS: © United Feature Syndicate, Inc]
Published on January 21, 2010
While there are many sites today dedicated to the pursuit of fashion and style, here at MRK Style we approach these subjects through a collector’s lens. Through exploring how people relate to Art, Family, Fashion, Food, Film and Travel—essentially life’s various, everyday obsessions—we reflect on how we all live with the things we love. 
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I was only 7 when my father died of a brain aneurysm. It was a difficult 6 weeks of driving from Cape Cod to Boston for my mother. I often stayed with life-long family friends, Walter and Almina, during those times. The three of us became even closer, and we began using only these nicknames for each other – I was “Snoopy” and Almina was “Lucy”, although she never once fit the “grouchy” Lucy image! We called Walter “Tigger” because he was always bouncing around! The Peanuts became a solace every morning in the funny papers, and we shared that for 40 years! They very recently passed away, less than a month apart, after more than 60 years of marriage. I miss them horribly, but I do have thousands of very treasured memories that I’ll keep forever. The Peanuts are, and always will be, a source of laughter, joy, sadness and tears. I love them, and am so thankful for Charles M. Schulz for creating them!! He is missed!!
Comment by Deanne P Connors-Peters — January 22, 2010 @ 12:52 pm permalink
I was only 7 when my father died of a brain aneurysm. It was a difficult 6 weeks of driving from Cape Cod to Boston for my mother. I often stayed with life-long family friends, Walter and Almina, during those times. The three of us became even closer, and we began using only these nicknames for each other – I was “Snoopy” and Almina was “Lucy”, although she never once fit the “grouchy” Lucy image! We called Walter “Tigger” because he was always bouncing around! The Peanuts became a solace every morning in the funny papers, and we shared that for 40 years! They very recently passed away, less than a month apart, after more than 60 years of marriage. I miss them horribly, but I do have thousands of very treasured memories that I’ll keep forever. The Peanuts are, and always will be, a source of laughter, joy, sadness and tears. I love them, and am so thankful for Charles M. Schulz for creating them!! He is missed!!
Comment by Deanne P Connors-Peters — January 22, 2010 @ 6:52 am permalink