Charles Schulz Works for Peanuts

The comic strip “Peanuts,” written and illustrated by Charles Schulz, debuted in newspapers this week (October 2) in 1950. Originally called “”Li’l Folks,” the syndicate that distributed the strip, United Features, insisted it be changed to “Peanuts,” a name Schulz hated.

Then again, Charles Schulz hated many things, including, occasionally, himself. Schulz grew up shy, insecure and lonely, with a decidedly pessimistic outlook on life that is evident in his famous creation, whose characters are partly autobiographical. Indeed, the male ones resemble a composite of his life, from Charlie Brown’s insecurity but fierce ambition, to Schroeder’s artistic talents, to Linus’s quixotic hopes (seeing the Great Pumpkin). Even Snoopy’s imaginary adventures as a World War I fighter pilot may have stemmed from Schulz’s longing to be more assertive and brave.

His female characters are also autobiographical. There really was a “Little Red-Haired Girl,” Donna Mae Johnson, who jilted Schulz early in his life, which he never got over. Lucy, the bossy, assertive girl who was constantly questioning Charlie Brown or putting him down, was likely a combination of his controlling mother and demanding first wife, Joyce, while Violet, the crabby friend of Lucy’s, seems to epitomize the many women who slighted him or rejected him in his youth.

By contrast, the rest of the world loved him. The anxiety, depression, and other emotions that Schulz openly expressed in his strip struck a chord, especially among young adults, who were then entering the real world and struggling to cope with its many challenges. In its heyday “Peanuts” was carried by 2,500 newspapers and reached an audience of some 300 million people in 75 countries, making Schulz a very wealthy man.

Wealth that was easily doubled by endorsements, merchandizing and advertising deals, making Schulz one of the highest paid “entertainers” in America. The “Peanuts” characters were, and still are, on lunchboxes, calendars, wastebaskets, coffee mugs, T-shirts and more, while the musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” was an off-Broadway smash for four years, and may be the most-produced musical ever. And, of course, Snoopy remains the face of Met Life Insurance and can be seen on the Goodyear Blimp at half the outdoor sporting events in America.

Still, Schulz remained, at least in his mind, the lonely, misunderstood genius who found that money couldn’t buy happiness, let alone peace of mind, and he once made a revealing statement about “Peanuts,” and, by extension, himself. “All the loves in this strip are unrequited,” he said. “All the baseball games are lost, all the test scores are D-minuses, the Great Pumpkin never shows up, and the football is always pulled away.”

“Good grief,” as Charlie Brown often said, was, for Schultz, mostly just grief.