Revised August 12, 2022 Posted August 12, 2022 This article is intended to address some (most?) of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Charles Schulz and his Peanuts cartoon strip. The newest information (although not necessarily new to the most recent date shown above) can be quickly located by checking outline headings marked with an asterisk (*). Please do NOT capriciously amend or "correct" this FAQ. If you have comments, revisions, or suggestions for additional topics, e-mail them to me at bang@dcn.davis.ca.us, and I'll happily incorporate the pertinent changes (and provide credit where appropriate). If you have received an older copy of this document, the most recent version always can be found on the World Wide Web at: http://www.FiveCentsPlease.org/dpb/peantfaq.txt A Japanese translation can be found here: http://harriet2000.sakura.ne.jp/peanutsforum/faq/index.html Remember, this FAQ is not intended to answer every possible question which might be asked about Charles Schulz and Peanuts...merely the ones mostly likely to be posed by folks seeking to verify information floating around on the Web, or merely rattle around in their heads. Some questions are answered here in their entirety; some provide a partial answer and information on how to reach other Web-sites where more detailed information (such as book lists) is meticulously maintained. The following topics are addressed: 1) GENERAL QUESTIONS 1.1) Is there a club devoted to Peanuts fans? 1.1a) Are there regional meetings? * 1.1b) When is the next Beaglefest? 1.2) Are there many World Wide Web pages devoted to Peanuts? 1.3) Is there, or will there ever be, a publication that reprints ALL the Peanuts strips? 1.4) Are there other relevant WWW sites? * 1.5) When was the first Snoopy U.S. Postage stamp released? Was it followed by others?? 1.6) Do banks have Peanuts checks available? * 1.7) Is there any great Peanuts software "out there"? 1.8) Collecting 1.8a) Is there a standard Reference/Price Guide for Peanuts collectibles? 1.8b) Are there definitive lists of ink stampers, Christmas ornaments, plush toys, magnets, etc.? 1.9) Has anybody compiled a definitive list of newspaper/magazine articles and interviews with Schulz, and about his strip? 1.10) Do FTP sites exist where I can download Peanuts artwork? 2) CHARLES M. SCHULZ 2.1) When (and where) was Charles Monroe Schulz born? When did he die? 2.2) Where did Schulz live? Did he answer fan mail? 2.3) When did Schulz begin Li'l Folks, the strip which preceded Peanuts? 2.4) Did Schulz do other early work that preceded Peanuts? 2.5) Did Schulz do yet another panel cartoon feature, after his Peanuts empire had begun to blossom? 2.6) I've occasionally seen panel cartoons that involve teenagers, usually with a religious theme. Did Schulz do those, as well? 2.7) Good grief! Did Charles Schulz ever sleep? 2.8) Can I get a copy of the BIOGRAPHY episode about Schulz, which debuted 12/25/95? What about the American Masters episode, "Good ol' Charles Schulz," which debuted 10/29/07? 2.9) Who is Amy, and why did her name appear in the strip every August 5? 2.10) Did Schulz draw and write Peanuts to the very end? I heard somebody else took his place years earlier! 2.11) Just how wealthy was Schulz? 2.12) How can I learn more about Charles Schulz? 2.13) Did Charles Schulz ever design a quiz to demonstrate the importance of having people who care about you? 3) THE DAILY COMIC STRIP 3.1) When did Peanuts begin? 3.2) How did the strip get its name? 3.3) How many Peanuts strips did Charles Schulz produce? 3.4) Vacation? Charles Schulz took a vacation? 3.5) Into which languages has Peanuts been translated? 3.6) Have all the newspaper strips been reprinted in books? 3.7) Which newspaper strips participated in the May 27, 2000, tribute to Charles Schulz and Peanuts? 3.8) Did some strips and artists produce tributes on other days? 3.9) Can you help me find a strip I remember seeing [some time ago], which concerned [fill in the blank]? 3.10) Haven't I seen that punchline before? 3.11) Where can I find that great IRS Peanuts strip? 3.12) Books about Peanuts 3.12a) The chronological reprint books 3.12b) Anthologies 3.12c) Special books 3.12d) Foreign titles 3.12e) Non-Series or Non-Peanuts books by Charles Schulz 4) THE CHARACTERS 4.1) When did [your favorite character] first appear? And has anybody compiled a list of all the characters ever to appear in the strip? 4.2) I don't see certain characters anymore. Where did they go? 4.3) What is the origin of Charlie Brown's name? 4.4) Is Charlie Brown bald? 4.5) What is the origin of the little red-haired girl? Did she ever actually appear in the strip? 4.6) Do any of the other characters have "real" roots? 4.7) Which characters have last names? 4.8) When is Snoopy's birthday? 4.9) How many different roles has Snoopy played? 4.10) What are the names of Snoopy's siblings? 4.11) What are the titles of the "Bunny-Wunnies" books which Snoopy loves so much? 4.12) What's the complete text of Snoopy's novel? 4.13) How old are Charlie Brown and his friends (as "real" characters)? 4.14) Have adults ever appeared in the strip? 4.15) What is the name of Charlie Brown's schoolteacher? 4.16) Who plays which position on Charlie Brown's baseball team? 4.17) Has Charlie Brown's baseball team ever won a game? 4.18) What is the name of Charlie Brown's baseball team? 4.19) Sally's School Malapropisms 4.20) What is the name of the infamous "cat next door" which slashes at Snoopy's doghouse? 4.21) What is the name of the town where Charlie Brown and his friends live? 4.22) Where do the kids go to school? 4.23) Are Marcie and Clara one and the same? 4.24) The football gags 4.25) My class/church/drama group is putting on a production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," and one of the characters is named Patty. Is this the same person as Peppermint Patty? And, if not, who is this Patty person? 4.26) What can be found inside Snoopy's doghouse? 4.27) How are natural laws violated in the world of Peanuts? 4.28) To what uses has Linus' blanket been put over the years? 4.29) At what point did Snoopy quite definitely become Charlie Brown's dog? 4.30) What type of bird is Woodstock? 4.31) Which squadron does the WWI Flying Ace belong to? 5) THE TV SPECIALS 5.1) What was the first special, and when did it debut? 5.2) Who voiced the characters in that first special? 5.3) Has anybody compiled a list of TV specials, and commented on their availability on video? 5.4) Are any of the TV specials still airing? 5.5) Will there be more new specials? What are they, and when will they air? 5.6) Were soundtracks released? 5.7) TV commercials -- general information 6) THE MOVIES 6.1) How many movies featured the Peanuts gang? 6.2) Are they available on video? 6.3) Were soundtracks released? 7) THE PLAYS 7.1) "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" 7.2) "Snoopy!" 8) THE MUSIC * 8.1) What Vince Guaraldi CDs exist? * 8.2) Have other artists recorded Guaraldi's Peanuts music? * 8.3) How many folks have recorded their own versions of "Christmas Time Is Here"? 8.4) What about the other two Guaraldi compositions on the "Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack? 8.5) Does sheet music exist for any of these tunes? 8.6) Speaking of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's "The Peanuts Gallery," has it been released on CD? 8.7) What are the lyrics to "Joe Cool"? 8.8) Can any of these songs be downloaded in some format, so I can hear them on my computer? 8.9) Where can I find a copy of "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron"? 8.10) Have musicians recorded songs that mention the Peanuts characters, or serve as a tribute to them? 9) THEME PARKS/MERCHANTS 9.1) What can you tell me about the Charles M. Schulz Museum? 9.2) Are there any Peanuts theme parks? 9.3) Are there any stores or dealers devoted exclusively to Peanuts merchandise? 9.4) What happened to Santa Rosa's annual Snoopy ice show? 10) TRADING CARDS/POGS 10.1) How many sets of trading cards have been released? Will there be more? 10.2) How many sets of POGs were released? 11) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DISCLAIMER ******************************************************* 1) GENERAL QUESTIONS 1.1) Is there a club devoted to Peanuts fans? Yes, the Peanuts Collector Club is the officially-recognized (by United Media, the distribution syndicate which handles the Peanuts strip and all related merchandising) fraternity of record. The Club was founded in 1983 by Andrea Podley, who until summer 2008 managed the ever-increasing duties with the sole assistance of her husband, Phil. She published quarterly newsletters, each of which seems to be larger than its predecessor, every one filled with articles about various aspects of Peanuts-dom, from bios of individual members and descriptions of their collections to news on just-released merchandise, from collectibles to definitive lists of particular items (refrigerator magnets, for instance), not to mention the all-important Buy/Sell/Swap pages in the back (which gradually shrank, as the Internet became more important, and eBay consumed everybody's attention!). At its peak, the Club had close to 2,500 international members; as interest waned a bit, following Charles Schulz's death, the membership stabilized at just over 1,000. As of summer 2008, Kathy Magrane took over the position of Club president. Bowing to the digital age, the printed newsletters ceased shortly thereafter, and since then most business and news has been conducted via the club's Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Peanuts-Collector-Club-127941365473/ 1.1a) Are there regional meetings? Yes, and they always were announced in the quarterly Club newsletter...although smaller groups of collectors in a particular geographic area often call each other and arrange more intimate gatherings for, say, a Saturday afternoon. The B*I*G O*N*E, however, is the (usually) bi-annual or annual Beaglefest. (See next answer.) 1.1b) What is Beaglefest? When is the next one? Beaglefest is the big club event, which always gathers members from all over the world, for (traditionally) three days of room sales, games and puzzles, rapid-fire auctions for (often rare or unusual) Peanuts merchandise, presentations by special guests, and more fun than you can imagine. Beaglefest I took place July 5-7, 1985, at the Los Robles Lodge in Santa Rosa, California; it was chaired by Andrea Podley. This was a modest affair, and attendance was small ... but the club grew considerably during the next four years, and so... Beaglefest II took place June 30-July 3, 1989, again at Santa Rosa's Los Robles Lodge; attendance was much larger. Bruce Carlson chaired the event; Charles and Jeannie Schulz were guests of honor. Beaglefest III brought roughly 300 people to the Los Robles Lodge from July 2-5, 1993; Bruce Carlson once again chaired the event, and Charles and Jeannie Schulz once again were guests of honor. The club completely filled the hotel, which was convenient; the often late-night room sales didn't bother any other guests! Beaglefest IV traveled across the country and gathered upwards of 700 folks in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Holiday Inn International, for four equally fabulous days: July 13-16, 1995. The location was selected due to the nearby Mall of America, with its Camp Snoopy theme area. Bruce Carlson once again chaired the event. Beaglefest V returned to Northern California, but by this point the club had outgrown the Los Robles Lodge; the event took place July 10-12, 1997, at the Double Tree Inn in Rohnert Park (adjacent to Santa Rosa). Chuck Macy served as chair, for roughly 700 members. Charles and Jeannie Schulz once again were guests of honor, and the events featured a "mini-musical" version of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." Beaglefest VI -- July 6-9, 2000 -- took place under a cloud, as Charles Schulz had died just a few months earlier. Members once again returned to the Rohnert Park Double Tree Inn, for an event chaired by Kelly Tarigo. Aside from occasionally somber moments, everybody understood the importance of keeping Schulz's memory alive, by cherishing the ideals that will shine forever in his characters, and in his work. (With the actual 50th anniversary so close, there also was plenty of time for serious partying!) This gathering was highlighted by a professional presentation of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," with a cast that included 16-year-old Greta Gerwig, destined for Hollywood fame and fortune as an actress, director and writer. This was the club's largest gathering ever, with close to 800 attendees. Next up was a smaller "in-between" event -- not an official Beaglefest -- which took place July 26-29, 2001, at the Holiday Inn at King of Prussia, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Kelly Tarigo also chaired this event, which gave East Coast folks an opportunity to travel a much smaller distance. Beaglefest VII -- July 4-7, 2002 -- scaled back to roughly 300 people, at Santa Rosa's Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa. The date was selected to coincide with the opening of the new Charles M. Schulz Museum (which, at that point, was scheduled for a spring 2002 debut). Alas, construction delays kept the Museum from being able to officially receive visitors, but Beaglefesters nonetheless got a "sneak peak." Kelly Tarigo chaired this event, and -- from this point, and moving forward -- Jeannie Schulz became a permanent guest of honor. Club members once again filled this smaller venue. Beaglefest VIII -- July 1-4, 2004 -- returned to Santa Rosa's Fountaingrove Inn. Kathy Briski chaired the event, which again drew roughly 300 members. This time everybody was able to view the Charles M. Schulz Museum in all its glory; Beaglefesters received both a nice entry admission and gift shop discount. Special guests included Jeannie Schulz, Judy Sladky, Craig Schulz, Stan Pawlowski, Don Fraser ... and, of course, Snoopy! In between events, Santa Rosa held the first of its four Peanuts statue hunts during the summer of 2005: Charlie Brown Around Town. Beaglefest IX -- June 1-4, 2006 -- again filled Santa Rosa's Fountaingrove Inn, with Kathy Briski chairing. The Club's attempt to hold the event at Mall of America hit a snag because of uncertainties regarding the Mall's relationship with Camp Snoopy; we didn't want to be there with no Peanuts presence! That proved a wise decision, given what finally happened. Special guests included Jeannie Schulz, Judy Sladky, Craig Schulz, Don Frasier, Deb Canham, Tom Bednarek and Francis Toldi ... and, once again, Snoopy! The event also coincided with Santa Rosa's second Peanuts statue hunt: The Summer of Woodstock. Santa Rosa's third Peanuts statue hunt, featuring Joe Cool, took place during the summer of 2007. Various issues prompted an unusual gap between Beaglefest events; members had to wait four years for... Beaglefest X -- July 1-4, 2010 -- returned to Rohnert Park's Doubletree Inn. Kathy Magrane had taken the reins as club president, and Chris Carveth began his long reign as event chair. This gathering of Peanuts fans coincided with Santa Rosa's fourth and final Peanuts statue hunt: Looking for Lucy. The event concluded with a concert by George Winston. Beaglefest XI -- July 7-10, 2011 -- moved to a different part of the United States: in Mason, Ohio, to take advantage of the Planet Snoopy portion of the Kings Island Resort. Chris Carveth chaired the festivities. Beaglefest XII -- June 28-July 1, 2012 -- returned to Northern California, and drew a small but dedicated crowd to Rohnert Park's Double Tree Hotel. Chris Carveth chaired the event, which climaxed with a jazz concert that reunited three of Vince Guaraldi's former sidemen -- guitarist Eddie Duran, bassist Dean Reilly and drummer Colin Bailey -- accompanied by pianist Jim Martinez. With events now being mounted on an annual basis, the decision was made to give a different name to those taking place outside of California. That led to the debut of... Beaglestock I -- October 4-6, 2013 -- which took place at the Hilton Hasbrouck Heights, in Meadowlands, New Jersey: in close proximity to MetLife Stadium, where members received an exclusive tour. Chris Carveth chaired. Beaglefest XIII -- June 26-29, 2014 -- again drew a small but dedicated crowd to Rohnert Park's Double Tree Hotel. At this point, attendance settled into a pattern of 100-125 members, most of them long-timers, but always with a handful of newcomers. Chris Carveth chaired, and the event concluded with a concert by the Jim Martinez Trio. Beaglefest XIV -- July 21-24, 2016 -- took a different approach, with a gathering at Southern California's Knott's Berry Farm, home of Camp Snoopy. Chris Carveth chaired, and special events included a visit to Snoopy's recently unveiled star at Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and a concert by famed jazz pianist David Benoit. Beaglestock II -- August 11-13, 2017 -- took place at the Wyndham Ramada Hotel in Rhinebeck, New York: in close proximity to the Rhinebeck Aerodrome, where members received an exclusive tour. Chris Carveth chaired. Beaglefest XV -- July 22-25, 2018 -- moved to Santa Rosa's Flamingo Hotel. Chris Carveth chaired, and the event concluded with a Peanuts-themed jazz concert by the Jim Martinez Trio. Special guests included Grammy Award winners Cheryl Pawelski and Michael Graves, discussing their newly released anthology CD set, "Vince Guaraldi: The Complete Warner Bros.- Seven Arts Recordings." Beaglestock III -- August 25-28, 2019 -- too place at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake in Houston, Texas. The event took place in tandem with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 10 mission, during which the command module was nicknamed Charlie Brown, and the lunar module was nicknamed Snoopy. The many space-themed events included a lengthy tour of the Houston Space Center, presentations by former astronauts, and much more. Chris Carveth chair. Beaglefest XVI -- August 4-7, 2022 -- took place at Santa Rosa's Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country Hotel. No doubt because of the lengthy gap between events, due to Covid, attendance climbed to just over 200 enthusiastic members. Chris Carveth chaired the event, which acknowledged both the 20th anniversary of the Charles M. Schulz Museum's opening, and the 100-year anniversary of Schulz's birth. The event concluded with a performance by the Jim Martiniz Trio. Special guests included Glenn and Sean Mendelson, and Lynda Johnston, three of Lee Mendelson's children; and four members of the former St. Paul's Church Choir, who -- as children -- sang in "A Charlie Brown Christmas": David Willat, Dan Bernhard, Mark Jordan and Cary Cedarblade. Plans already are afoot for Beaglefest XVII ... stay tuned. 1.2) Are there many World Wide Web pages devoted to Peanuts? Absolutely! Peanuts Worldwide has its own Peanuts web pages, filled with all sorts of nifty illustrations and information. There are many, many other features to keep folks amused. The site is beautifully maintained, and can be seen at: www.peanuts.com The Peanuts Collectors Club also has its own web page. It can be reached at this Internet address: www.peanutscollectorclub.com Aside from providing information about the Club, and a brief history of its origins, it also includes links to other folks in cyberspace who have assembled nifty Peanuts-themed Web pages. These days, up-to-the-minute information generally turns up on the club's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Peanuts-Collector-Club-127941365473/ You'll also find scores (hundreds?) of often well-meaning but absolutely unapproved sites, set up by folks who share their interest by ... ah ... "borrowing" licensed Peanuts artwork without approval. We do not advertise, mention or call attention to such sights in any way; at the risk of starting a flame war, we believe VERY strongly in artistic property rights, and do not condone the unlicensed use of Charles Schulz's artwork. Further information on this subject can be found at the Club's Web site, in the LEGAL MATTERS section. 1.3) Is there, or will there ever be, a publication that reprints ALL the Peanuts strips? Drumroll, please ... YES! With the publication of the final volume (25) on May 10, 2016 Fantagraphics now has published every single strip that Charles M. Schulz drew, in uniform volumes. Three cheers! I'll let Fantagraphics speak for itself, via this original press release: 50 years of art. 25 books. Two books per year, for 12-1/2 years. Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce the most eagerly-awaited and ambitious publishing project in the history of the American comic strip: the complete reprinting of Charles M. Schulz's classic, Peanuts. Considered to be one of the most popular comic strips in the history of the world, Peanuts will be, for the first time, collected in its entirety and published, beginning in April 1, 2004. Fantagraphics has launched "The Complete Peanuts" in a series designed by the cartoonist Seth (Palookaville, It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken) and produced in full cooperation with United Media, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and Mr. Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz. Fantagraphics Books co-publisher Gary Groth said that publishing "The Complete Peanuts" represented the apex of the company's 27-year commitment to publishing the best cartooning in the world. "Peanuts is a towering achievement in the history of comics," said Groth. "I can't think of a better way to honor Schulz's artistic legacy than to make his oeuvre available to the public in a beautifully designed format that reflects the integrity of the work itself." The genesis of the project began in 1997, when Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth approached Charles Schulz with the proposition of publishing Peanuts in its entirety. After Schulz's death on February 12, 2000, Groth continued discussing the project with Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz. "It's safe to say that this project wouldn't have happened if Jean Schulz weren't as enthusiastic and supportive as she's been," said Groth. Added Jean Schulz "This seemed like an impossible project, considering all the 'lost' strips, but Gary's determination never flagged, and we are so happy with the aesthetic sensibility of the Fantagraphics team." "It's a genuine honor to be designing these Schulz collections," said Seth, who went on to describe the premise underlying his design for the series "I want to emphasize the sophistication of Schulz's work by creating a package that is both austere and direct. I would like to try to reflect the quiet and melancholy of the strip in a package that hopefully, shows the proper amount of respect for Mr. Schulz. Undoubtedly, Peanuts is a great newspaper strip and I am humbled and gratified to help steward this complete strip compilation into the world." Each volume in the series will run approximately 320 pages in a 8-1/2" x 7" hardcover format, presenting two years of strips along with supplementary material. The series will present the entire run in chronological order, dailies and Sundays. Since the strip began in late 1950, the first volume includes all the strips from 1950, 1951 and 1952, but subsequent volumes will each comprise exactly two years. Dailies will run three to a page, while Sunday strips will each take up a full page and be printed in black-and-white. This first volume, covering the first two and a quarter years of the strip, is of particular fascination to Peanuts aficionados worldwide. Although literally hundreds of Peanuts books have been published, many of the strips from the series' first two or three years never were collected before -- in large part because they showed a young Schulz working out the kinks in his new strip and include some characterizations and designs that are quite different from the cast we're all familiar with. (Among other things, three major cast members -- Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus - initially show up as infants and only "grow" into their final "mature" selves as the months go by. Even Snoopy debuts as a puppy!) Thus "The Complete Peanuts" offers a unique chance to see a master of the artform refine his skills and solidify his universe, day by day, week by week, month by month. "The Complete Peanuts" was supported with an ambitious advertising and promotional campaign, including public appearances by Jean Schulz. Volumes 1-26 now are available. Visit the Fantagraphics Website at www.fantagraphics.com 1.4) Are there other relevant WWW sites? See the answer to 1.2 above. 1.5) When was the first Snoopy U.S. Postage stamp released? Was it followed by others? The 34-cent, First Class WWI Flying Ace Stamp first was released during a special ceremony in Santa Rosa, California, on Thursday, May 17, 2001. It was quite a party, and folks lined up all day to be first to purchase the stamps and special first-day cover "cachets." The stamp was released to the general public the following day, on Friday, May 18. Interest was high throughout the United States, and some post office stations clearly didn't order enough the first time, as many folks complained about not being able to get any (no doubt because collectors snapped up literally thousands!). The stamp's first printing was 125 million. In 2015, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," a booklet of 20 stamps -- featuring 10 still frames from the TV special -- debuted during a similar ceremony on October 1, at Santa Rosa's Charles M. Schulz Museum. Once again, fans lined up to be the first to purchase these stamps, along with first-day cover "cachets" and other special items. This will be followed, on September 30, 2022, with the release of a 20-stamp sheet that features 11 iconic characters (Snoopy and Woodstock share a stamp), during a debut ceremony also taking place at Santa Rosa's Charles M. Schulz Museum. 1.6) Do banks have Peanuts checks available? Sadly, no longer. As of mid-September 1995, Peanuts checks became available from any banking institution which dealt with Deluxe Check Printers (which was pretty much all of them, in the United States). Fans of the original 10-design set were unhappy when this series was discontinued; the 50th anniversary design that replaced them did not allow use of the 12 "woodcuts" that formerly appeared in the upper left corner of each check; we were limited to the "50th anniversary" logo that appears on each one. Each set did offer two checkbook covers: a plastic and a fancier leather one. Another new series was added in 1999, with Tom Everhart designs. As of roughly mid-2001, both the Everhart and 50th anniversary designs were discontinued, and replaced by yet another new line. Four different check designs appeared in the set, and - good news! - the woodcuts were back. As before, there were two different checkbook covers, plastic and leather. Unfortunately, as of 2007, all Peanuts checks ceased to be available via your local bank. (This is in the United States, mind you.) Fortunately, Checks Unlimited still has its Peanuts pattern, and they can be ordered on-line by anybody. Check our their site at www.Checksunlimited.com. And if you have a particularly good relationship with somebody at your bank, they may be able to help place the order. 1.7) Is there any great Peanuts software "out there"? Screen savers have become a thing of the past, but they were quite the rage for awhile. Individual Software, Inc. produced a marvelous product called the Peanuts Family Organizer. It kept track of daily/weekly/monthly/yearly appointments, activities, and so forth. Each person tracked was represented by a different character icon, and every day the user was greeted by a new Peanuts comic strip. Image Smith had quite a few different products, including several clever childrens' educational activities. They were: The Snoopy Screen Saver (8 savers, plus sound) Yearn to Learn Peanuts Yearn to Learn Snoopy Snoopy's Geography Games Master Snoopy's Math Master Snoopy's Spelling Master Snoopy's Coloring Book All these programs were available for Mac and PC-Windows. Image Smith also had a cute Peanuts Mouse Pad and Wrist Pad ("Please excuse my typping.") Various Asian companies have been producing all sorts of fun Peanuts titles, many of them designed to help folks learn how to speak English ... a particularly worthy "job" for the Peanuts gang! These days, Peanuts-themed wallpapers are readily available via quick Google searches (although many are from sites that aren't licensed by Peanuts Worldwide). 1.8) Collecting 1.8a) Is there a standard Reference/Price Guide for Peanuts collectibles? The most recent thorough books are two price guides that arrived in 1999. PEANUTS COLLECTIBLES IDENTIFICATION & VALUE GUIDE, by Andrea Podley and your humble FAQ-meister Derrick Bang, is available from Collector Books at $24.95. PEANUTS: THE HOME COLLECTION, by Freddi Karin Margolin, is available from Antique Trader Books at $26.95. Both books are laden with pictures, information and all sorts of goodies. If you can't decide between them, do we what did, and buy 'em both! Jan Lindenberger turned Peanuts-themed handbooks and price guides into something of a cottage industry, and released four titles between 1997 and 1999: "Snoopy Collectibles," "More Snoopy Collectibles," "Peanuts Gang Collectibles" and "More Peanuts Gang Collectibles." All were published by Schiffer. The only other reatively exhaustive book is long out-of-print. (NOTHING stays in print long enough these days!) It's THE OFFICIAL PRICE GUIDE TO PEANUTS COLLECTIBLES, by Margolin and Podley, published by the House of Collectibles Press, New York, in 1990. At that time, it sold for $9.95. If you can find it at an out-of-print bookstore at that price, you're doing well. The prices inside really haven't changed that much, so it's still a pretty good indication of what you can expect. It, too, has lots of pictures, although not nearly as many as will be found in the new books. Pauline C. Graeber's 2003 book, "The Wonderful World of Peanuts Musicals," concentrates exclusively on that sub-collectionn ... and still fills 203 pages! Thomas Bednarek's 2006 book, "Peanuts Collectible Ornaments" is even more definitive on its topic, clocking in at any impressive 432 pages. Even if you'll never own most of what you'll see pictured in both these books, they're valuable to drool over. 1.8b) Are there definitive lists of ink stampers, Christmas ornaments, plush toys, magnets, etc.? Well, the key word here is "definitive," because the available merchandise expands all the time. The best lists -- to a given date -- appeared in the Club newsletter, and also in the books above. Various members have devoted hours/days/weeks/months to comprehensive lists of their favorite collectibles, so back issues of the newsletter have become historical records in their own right. Phil Parks, for example, maintains a sensational list of Peanuts PVCs at http://havanafolks.com/phil/snoopy The bittersweet truth, of course, is that such lists go out of date almost the moment they're printed; the world of Peanuts merchandising is still so active, that new stuff appears all the time. (Not that we mind, right?) 1.9) Has anybody compiled a definitive list of newspaper/magazine articles and interviews with Schulz, and about his strip? Not that I'm aware of, although several folks are working on such a compilation. It's a massive task, because Charles Schulz was quite the popular interview subject from 1960 on. Those able to visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Archive for legitimate research purposes may be able to gain access to their impressive archives; I imagine they have the best resource database. 1.10) Do FTP sites exist where I can download Peanuts artwork? Well ... undoubtedly, yes. But for legal reasons involving copyright issues, we're not really in a position to share such information. Sorry 'bout that... 2) CHARLES M. SCHULZ 2.1) When (and where) was Charles Monroe Schulz born? When did he die? Schulz was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on November 26, 1922. Two days later, an uncle gave him the nickname which has stuck to this day: "Sparky," taken from Sparkplug, the name of Barney Google's horse (a popular newspaper comic strip of the day). He died in his sleep Saturday evening, February 12, 2000, from a heart attack. Although he had been hospitalized in December 1999 and was undergoing treatment for colon cancer, his sudden passing came as an unhappy surprise. 2.2) Where did Schulz live? Did he answer fan mail? During most of the last half of the 20th century, Schulz and his family lived in Santa Rosa, California, an ever-expanding city in Northern California that cherished its somewhat shy but extremely generous local celebrity. While his home address remained a carefully guarded secret, fans were able to send him mail in care of his office, at this address: Charles Schulz/Creative Associates Number One Snoopy Place Santa Rosa California 95403 USA Over the years, he generously replied to quite a few fans. When news of his hospitilization hit, the office was deluged by cards and letters from concerned people. This outpouring of support and devotion continued during December 1999 and January and February 2000. The day after he died, on February 13, 2000, Santa Rosa's Redwood Empire Ice Arena -- the arena that Schulz had given his community, and the adjacent Snoopy's Gift Shop and Gallery -- remained closed. By early afternoon, fans and local citizens already had left an impressive assortment of flowers, cards, notes and other items of tribute -- perhaps, most touching, a hockey stick -- all carefully piled against the doors of the gift shop and ice arena. 2.3) When did Schulz begin Li'l Folks, the strip which preceded Peanuts? Like most so-called "overnight successes," Schulz had been working hard for years, before he found fame and fortune with Peanuts. Although he experimented with a variety of concepts, the strip "Li'l Folks" deserves special mention. The feature first appeared as a Sunday panel in the Minneapolis Tribune on June 8, 1947, and ran twice, for all of two weeks; the final appearance was on June 15, 1947. Apparently there was some sort of falling-out between Schulz and his Tribune editor; details are lost to time. But Schulz rebounded immediately and signed on to do "Li'l Folks" in in the St. Paul Pioneer Press (his home-town paper), and the strip began on June 22. It appeared as a Sunday feature in the women's section, at the very back of each paper, a few pages after the classified ads. "Li'l Folks" was a collection of three to four single-panel cartoons, all featuring children. The cast of characters included a girl named Patty, a boy named Charlie Brown, a dog which looked very much like Snoopy, and a young piano student who adored Beethoven. Li'l Folks ran in the St. Paul Pioneer Press for more than two years. In late 1949, wanting a raise and better exposure for his work, Schulz approached his editor and requested daily status, better placement in the paper, or -- failing to secure those quite reasonable requests -- a bit more money. In true Charlie Brown fashion, the editor declined, and Schulz felt obliged to resign. The final Li'l Folks appearance was January 22, 1950. These panels were the subject of a book that was released on February 21st, 2004, by The Charles M. Schulz Museum. "Charles M. Schulz: Li'l Beginnings," with a foreword by Jean Schulz and annotations, editorial commentary and an introduction by PCC Web-meister Derrick Bang, includes all 135 of the strips that Schulz wrote and drew for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, his hometown paper, between June 22, 1947, and January 22, 1950. The vast majority of these strips have been published in book form for the very first time. Aside from shedding light on a formative early period of Schulz's creative output, these Li'l Folks strips also are noteworthy for their use of characters and themes that later reappeared in Peanuts a well-dressed young man with a fondness for Beethoven, a dog with a striking resemblence to Snoopy, and a boy named Charlie Brown, among others. The 298-page book also includes Just Keep Laughing.., the two very early cartoon panels that Schulz produced for the Catholic comic book Topix; the two Sparky's Li'l Folks panels that ran in the Minneapolis Tribune and anticipated his series in the St. Paul Pioneer Press; and examples of his single-panel cartoons that were published in The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. (See next question.) "Charles M. Schulz: Li'l Beginnings" is available only through the Museum's Gift Shop and Web site (http://www.schulzmuseum.org). 2.4) Did Schulz do other early work that preceded Peanuts? During the time he worked on Li'l Folks, Schulz also published a series of 17 one-panel cartoons in the Saturday Evening Post. Although not formally named, most of these cartoons bore a strong resemblance to the work in Li'l Folks -- and may, in some cases, have been cartoons rejected for that newspaper panel feature, and they appeared in the following issues: May 29, 1948 -- page 116 July 17, 1948 -- page 42 September 25, 1948 -- page 152 November 6, 1948 -- page 91 November 13, 1948 -- page 179 January 1, 1949 -- page 60 February 19, 1949 -- page 119 May 21, 1949 -- pages 72 and 166 July 16, 1949 -- page 114 November 19, 1949 -- page 132 February 11, 1950 -- page 45 February 18, 1950 -- page 129 April 29, 1950 -- pages 87 and 140 May 6, 1950 -- page 79 July 8, 1950 -- page 54 It shouldn't be hard to track down bound volumes of the Saturday Evening Post at your local library. The research is its own reward; these vintage strips give ample evidence of the emerging genius just months from greater renown. 2.5) Did Schulz do yet another panel cartoon feature, after his Peanuts empire had begun to blossom? Indeed yes. For a brief period in the late 1950s, Schulz actually had two comic features running simultaneously in newspapers. Aside from Peanuts, he also produced "It's Only a Game." It was a panel feature about all sorts of games, from tennis and golf to bridge and everything in between, offered to newspapers in either of two formats: as a single daily panel to run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or as a collected layout that ran on Sundays in full color, with an "extra" little cartoon in the header. All the cartoons were collected in 2004's "It's Only a Game," edited by Web-Meister Derrick Bang and with commentary by Schulz associate Jim Sasseville, who -- believe it or not -- ghosted the artwork shortly after the feature debuted, because Schulz didn't have the time to do it himself. The feature debuted November 3, 1957, in roughly 30 client newspapers. Schulz wrote and drew all the cartoons until January 1958, at which point he wrote the captions and roughed up sketches, from which Sasseville produced the finished cartoons in a style that looked remarkably like Schulz's work. Unfortunately, the feature didn't sell; after a little more than a year, it still had the same 30 client newspapers. Although he had been promised a five-year contract, Schulz pulled the plug and the final cartoons appeared on January 11, 1959. 2.6) I've occasionally seen panel cartoons that involve teenagers, usually with a religious theme. Did Schulz do those, as well? In the late 1950s and early '60s, Schulz was an incredibly busy artist. Aside from everything mentioned above, he also contributed spot panel cartoons for Youth magazine, a publication aimed at teens in the Church of God, a religious movement headquartered in in Anderson, Indiana. The bi-weekly feature debuted January 1, 1956, and continued until 1965, although not consistently; some issues were skipped, and some strips were repeated. Toward the end, the feature acquired the name "Young Pillars." These cartoons were issued (and rather haphazardly) in several paperback collections in the 1960s, but -- happily -- a definitive collection was published by About Comics in 2007: "Schulz's Youth." This book also reprints the spot cartoons that appeared in the 1965 book "Two-by-Fours," which dealt with pre-school kids in a church setting. These very small children would have been right at home in Charlie Brown's world. 2.7) Good grief! Did Charles Schulz ever sleep? Not much, apparently. He also supplied spot cartoons for books by other authors, most notably Art Linkletter's "Kids Say the Darndest Things" and its sequel, "Kids STILL Say the Darndest Things," and a charming 1964 collection of letters written by children to then-President L.B. Johnson, "Dear President Johnson." 2.8) Can I get a copy of the BIOGRAPHY episode about Schulz, which debuted 12/25/95? What about the American Masters episode, "Good ol' Charles Schulz," which debuted 10/29/07? With respect to the Biography episodes, alas, no. Not any more. The 60-minute program (less commercials) debuted on Christmas Day, 1995, on cable's Arts & Entertainment Network, and was an instant hit with fans. The tape was available for purchase during the next few years, but sadly now has been off the market for years. If there are plans to release the more recent American Masters episode, we've not yet learned of them. 2.9) Who is Amy, and why did her name appear in the strip every August 5? Well, maybe not EVERY August 5...but quite a few! Amy, one of Charles Schulz's daughters -- along with Jill and Meredith (the other two children being sons Monte and Craig) -- is married to John Johnson and now lives in Alpine, Utah, with a large and happy family, where she rides horses and runs an LDS bookstore. Sharp-eyed readers have noticed, over the years, that on August 5 Schulz often penned the words "Happy Birthday Amy" somewhere into the strip, usually along one of the margins. For many years, even Schulz's syndicate editors didn't know the message was meant for his daughter, but they found out one year when some poor soul removed the greeting, and subsequently learned that Schulz does nothing accidentally. The message never was erased again. Amy has several original strips, including those that mention her, tucked away safely in a vault. The question, then, is how long did this go on? The greeting did not appear in 1999, although it did in 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1991 (this one can be seen at the base of Snoopy's doghouse in NOW, THAT'S PROFOUND, CHARLIE BROWN), 1986 (at the bottom of the final panel, in TALK IS CHEEP, CHARLIE BROWN), 1984 (on Charlie Brown's chair in the third panel of a Sunday strip, in THE WAY OF THE FUSSBUDGET IS NOT EASY), 1979 (the final panel of a Sunday strip, thus far reprinted only in the Series 1 trading cards), One wonders, of course, whether we should worry if the various publishers were as faithful about reproducing the message as the syndicate...particularly since British fan Julian points out that the 1973 strip does including the greeting on Snoopy's dog house, although there's absolutely no evidence of this in YOU'RE THE GUEST OF HONOR, CHARLIE BROWN. (Apparently it survived its reprint in a British collection.) I'm afraid, therefore, that nailing this with certainty will involve checking every August 5 strip since Amy's birth at a newspaper archive, and I'll let somebody else tackle that job! (I can say with certainly, however, that it didn't happen in 1958, 1965 or 1968.) (One hopes, as the Fantagraphics reprint series continues, that we'll finally get absolute proof of precisely when all these greetings appeared!) Further evidence of this inconsistency with previous book collections was caught by faithful archivist Tim Chow, who noticed that when the 8/5/74 strips was reprinted in newspapers in 2000, Amy's birthday greeting was intact...although it definitely had vanished when that strip was collected in SPEAK SOFTLY, AND CARRY A BEAGLE. Shame on Holt, Rinehart and Winston... By the way, in the December 17, 1972 Sunday strip (reprinted in THOMPSON IS IN TROUBLE, CHARLIE BROWN), Amy becomes the recipient of a Christmas card from Snoopy, when he has only one stamp; and on September 5, 1971 (unreprinted in the United States), Lucy boasts of knowing all the people in the entire world, and mentions Amy, Jill and Meredith by name. 2.10) Did Schulz draw and write Peanuts to the very end? I heard somebody else took his place years earlier! Of all the thoughtless and silly questions that sometimes pop up, this has to be the worst. How can you examine any single Peanuts strip and not KNOW, without question, that they always were rendered by the same hand? For the record, Charles Schulz was -- and ALWAYS was - the only person to draw, write, and letter his beloved newspaper comic strip. While it is true that some other daily strips are drawn and/or written by "consortiums" overseen by the strip's creator, this has never been the case with Peanuts. It is true, on the other hand, that other unsung individuals handled the writing and artwork chores when the Peanuts gang appeared in Dell and Gold Key comic books during the late 1950s and early 1960s. For full details, visit http://www.peanutscollectorclub.com/comicboo.html. Schulz always made it plain that the strip would retire with him. Now that he is no longer with us, nobody else will take over. That is absolutely as it should be. 2.11) Just how wealthy was Schulz? As my grandmother would have said, upon hearing such an impertinent question, that was nobody's business but his. Let's just say he probably could afford to eat more than jelly-bread sandwiches. 2.12) How can I learn more about Charles Schulz? Aside from scouring your local library for old magazines with interviews in them, the best place to start would be David Michaelis' biography, "Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography," which was published on October 16, 2007. It's a large and thoroughly detailed book, with plenty of pictures and newspaper strips that reveal precisely to what degree Schulz's comment about "knowing him through his work" was true! You also can look for these older books: "Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz," by Rheta Grimsley Johnson "Charles M. Schulz," by Michael A Schuman, in the young readers "People to Know" series "Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz," designed by Chip Kidd "Charles M. Schulz: Conversations," edited by M. Thomas Inge, an excellent series of interviews with Schulz ranging from 1956 through 1997. 2.13) Did Charles Schulz ever design a quiz to demonstrate the importance of having people who care about you? No, no, a thousand times no! This is an Internet legend, folks, and it's spreading faster than it can be contained ... more's the pity. Well-meaning friends often send these to each other, and Peanuts fans are particularly vulnerable, because their friends think they'll find it especially sweet. It's often headed "Charles Schultz [sic] Philosophy," and usually arrives with an introduction that reads something like this: "You don't actually have to take the quiz. Just read this straight through and you'll get the point. It is trying to make an awesome point! "Here's the first quiz: "1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. "2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners, etc." ... Having punted that portion, you're then asked to list a few teachers who "aided your journey through school," three friends who "helped you through a difficult time," and so forth. Eventually, you reach the end, and this final note: "The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today ... It's already tomorrow in Australia." And the whole thing is credited to Charles Schulz. Only one problem. He never wrote it or said it, and certainly never used it in a Peanuts comic strip. But don't take my word for it: You can read the entire debunking entry at the Internet's best source for exposing such urban legends: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/schulz.asp The folks at the Charles M. Schulz Museum have said, "We [hear about] this about once a month. Though this saying/quiz is often attributed to Charles Schulz, he in fact made no such statement." The "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today ... It's already tomorrow in Australia" quotation that often appears at the end of the quiz DID come from Schulz's pen, in the Peanuts strip originally published on June 13, 1980. Nobody knows who the real creator of this quiz is, but it has been circulating on the Internet since at least 2000. At some point, someone appended Schulz's "tomorrow in Australia" line to it, an addition that evidently misled a subsequent reader into believing that Schulz had authored the quiz itself. But he didn't. So even if you like the soggy sentimentality -- and I admit, it's a warm and fuzzy thought -- please don't make the situation worse by telling anybody else that Schulz had anything to do with it. 3) THE DAILY COMIC STRIP 3.1) When did Peanuts begin? The first daily strip appeared on October 2, 1950, in seven newspapers: The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Minneapolis Star/Tribune, The Allentown Call-Chronicle, The Bethlehem Globe-Times, The Denver Post, and The Seattle Times. No matter where you live (in the United States), your nearest public or university library should have at least one of those newspapers in its microfilm department. Zoom back to 1950, and you'll be able to see that first strip in all its glory. Alternatively, visit your local bookstore and purchase volume 1 of Fantagraphics' "The Complete Peanuts." (Needless to say, we're certain you won't be able to stop with volumne 1!) For an online peek at that first strip, check out http://comics.com/peanuts/1950-10-02 The Sunday strip did not begin until January 1952; until then, Peanuts was a six-day effort. Some newspapers also treated it rather cruelly during the first several years; the uniform, four- panel format made it possible to run the strip horizontally or vertically, or in a squarish box. Frequently, those papers running the strip vertically would squash the panels on top of each other, to cram the whole thing into a space much too small. By the mid-50s, once the strip had really caught on, this practice (thankfully) stopped. 3.2) How did the strip get its name? By the late 1940s, Schulz had achieved modest local success in the St. Paul Pioneer Press with his "two tier," strip, Li'l Folks (See question 2.3.) He naturally brought this along to New York when he attempted to broaden his appeal via a syndicate. The folks at United Feature eventually took on the strip but then, in their infinite wisdom, played around with the concept a bit; at one point, according to an interview Schulz granted Gary Groth in the January 1992 issue of Nemo, the syndicate folks even toyed with the idea of combining "little kid humor" and "teen humor" in the top and bottom halves, respectively, of the original two-tier format. But eventually the decision was made to go just with "the little kid thing," and in a more traditionally four-panel format (marketed as a "space-saving strip," because it could be used horizontally or vertically, according to a newspaper editor's whim). Schulz wanted to retain the title Li'l Folks, but the syndicate worried that this was too close to a previously copyrighted feature, Tack Knight's Little Folks. UFS production manager Bill Anderson is credited with coming up with Peanuts, although he later insisted that he'd been asked to suggest a kid strip title without actually having seen the strip. He delivered a list of 10 names, of which Peanuts was one. He later justified this selection on the basis of the popular TV children's show of the time, "The Howdy Doody Show," where the young studio audience would sit in a "peanut gallery." "It was the worst title ever thought up for a comic strip," Schulz would insist, every time he was asked. He thought the title "confusing," with "no dignity." "I don't even like the word," he'd say. The worst part, he feared, was that people confuse Charlie Brown with the name "Peanuts," and in the early days that was true: Schulz received letters from fans that read along the lines of, "I love this new strip with Peanuts and his dog." Fortunately, such confusion didn't linger long. 3.3) How many Peanuts strips did Charles Schulz produce? From Monday, October 2, 1950, until the final strip appeared on Sunday, February 13, 2000 -- ironically, the morning after he died -- Schulz gave the world a total of 17,897 strips: 15,391 daily strips, and 2,506 Sundays. This takes into account leap years, the fact that Sunday strips did not begin until January 1952, and the single vacation that Schulz took, from November 27 through December 31, 1997 (inclusive). (For more information on that vacation, see next entry.) Quite an accomplishment. And let me be more emphatic: Since Schulz's death, and on important anniversaries -- such as the 40th anniversary of the first broadcast of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," celebrated in December 2005 -- countless media outlets have repeated the claim that Schulz produced "more than 18,000 Peanuts strips." This is wrong, wrong, WRONG, as is the even worse statement that the total number of strips is 18,250. The latter number seems to have been started by the obituary on Schulz that ran in The New York Times; it's simply 50 years multiplied by 365 days per year ... which overlooks nagging little details like leap years and the other issues cited in the second paragraph above. (Frankly, I'd have thought better of The New York Times.) Unfortunately, the Times generally is regarded as an unimpeachable source, so anybody writing a new article, by using the NYT obit as a reference, further propogates that incorrect total. Even Lee Mendelson's "A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition" fluffs this fact; that book cites the even more unusual (but equally incorrect) number 18,170 as the total number of strips. Fortunately, the tide of misinformation is starting to turn. United Media's official snoopy.com Web site, the Schulz Museum Web site, the Fantagraphics "Complete Peanuts" books and David Michaelis' 2007 biography of Charles Schulz all cite the correct total of 17,897. As time moves along, we hope that these sources will be used more frequently, thus (eventually) burying the other incorrect figures. With luck, anyway! Lisa Monhoff, archivist at the Schulz Museum, even took the time and trouble to document how to arrive at the correct total in two different ways. With her permission, that information is reproduced here: 17,991 days between October 2, 1950, and January 3, 2000 -65 (no Sunday strips in 1950 or 1951) -35 (Schulz's vacation in 1997) +6 (Sunday strips in 2000, after January 3) equals 17,897 total strips. Now, of those 17,897 strips, the number of Sunday strips can be determined as follows: 1,560 = 30 non-leap years x 52 Sundays 468 = 9 leap years x 52 Sundays (1952, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996) 265 = 5 non-leap years x 53 Sundays (1961, 1967, 1978, 1989, 1995) 159 = 3 leap years x 53 Sundays (1956, 1972, 1984) 47 = 1997's Sundays (because of Schulz's vacation) 7 = 2000's Sundays equals 2,506 Subtract the 2,506 Sundays from 17,897, and we have 15,391 dailies. The 17,897 also can be broken down and determined thusly: 1950: October 2 through December 31 = 26 dailies each in those three months, for 78 strips 1951: January 1 through December 31 = 365 days - 52 Sundays, for 313 strips Leap years, excepting 2000 [see below] = 366 days x 12 years, for 4,392 strips (1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996) Non-leap years, excepting 1950 and 1951 [see above] and 1997 [see below] = 365 days x 35 years, for 12,775 strips (1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999) 1997: 365 - 35 vacation days, for 330 strips 2000: January 1 and 3, for 2 dailies January 2 through February 13, for 7 Sundays, for a total of 9 strips [After January 3, all dailies were reprints; after February 13, all Sundays were reprints] Total = 17,897 strips (It's important to note, by the way, that Fantagraphics fails to mention Schulz's five-week vacation in the 1997-98 volume of their "Complete Peanuts" series, or that the strips that appeared during the final five weeks of 1997 were reprints. See next entry for additional details.) 3.4) Vacation? Charles Schulz took a vacation? Yes, indeed ... but only one, during his almost 50-year run on the strip. Schulz took five weeks off in 1997, from November 27 through December 31, 1997 (inclusive). During that time, the syndicate re-ran old strips. And yes, we can tell you which ones: 11/27 -- 11/25/92 11/28 -- 11/26/92 11/29 -- 12/28/88 11/30 -- 11/27/88 12/1 -- 12/3/87 12/2 -- 12/8/89 12/3 -- 11/29/90 12/4 -- 12/1/90 12/5 -- 12/4/90 12/6 -- 12/5/90 12/7 -- 12/18/88 12/8 -- 12/6/90 12/9 -- 12/8/90 12/10 -- 12/10/90 12/11 -- 12/11/90 12/12 -- 12/12/90 12/13 -- 12/13/90 12/14 -- 12/3/89 12/15 -- 12/10/91 12/16 -- 12/8/92 12/17 -- 12/21/89 12/18 -- 12/22/89 12/19 -- 12/23/89 12/20 -- 12/29/87 12/21 -- 12/20/87 12/22 -- 12/13/89 12/23 -- 12/9/89 12/24 -- 12/24/87 12/25 -- 12/25/91 12/26 -- 12/13/88 12/27 -- 12/14/88 12/28 -- 12/2/90 12/29 -- 12/15/88 12/30 -- 12/17/88 12/31 -- 12/31/92 Rather surprising, Fantagraphics fails to mention any of this in the 1997-98 volume of their "Complete Peanuts" set. A casual reader thus would conclude, incorrectly, that the strips during 1997's final five weeks were new at the time, just like all the others that year. Sharp-eyed fans will note, however, that each of these repeated strips bears a three-digit date (i.e. 12/25/97) as opposed to the two-digit dates (12/25) usually placed each day. 3.5) Into which languages has Peanuts been translated? At its peak, Peanuts was published in 2,600 newspapers around the world, and of course many of these countries collected strips in books just as in the United States. Going both by information from United Media and what we've learned from curious and enthusiastic fans such as Jennifer Prystasz, here's a list of languages that we know have been used. (If you have evidence of any others, please let me know!) Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Czech Danish Dutch English Finnish French German Greek Hebrew Hungarian Icelandic Italian Japanese Korean Latin Norwegian Polish Portuguese Russian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Welsh 3.6) Have all the newspaper strips been reprinted in books? YES! (See 1.3 above.) Thanks to Fantagraphics, it's now possible to purchase a uniform set of books that grants you an absolutely complete collection of Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts strips. It remains fascinating to consider how many strips had remained unseen prior to Fantagraphics' entry. In spite of all the books of reprinted strips that had been published since 1952, there still were roughly 2,500 strips which hadn't ever seen the light of day, since their original newspaper appearance. And yes, that's quite a few! To get an idea of how many that is, consider that 2,500 is roughly 14 percent of the 17,897 strips Schulz produced! 3.7) Which newspaper strips participated in the May 27, 2000, tribute to Charles Schulz and Peanuts? Quite a few! I'm hoping that the following list is exhaustive, but if I've left any out, by all means let me know. Many of these strips have their own Web sites, and therefore can be viewed at leisure; at one time, many were posted at snoopy.com. For others, though, you'll eventually be forced to visit a library microfilm archive (a process with which I am well acquainted!). Those with an asterisk (*) are included in the Charles M. Schulz Museum catalog publication, "Tribute to Sparky: Cartoon Artists Honor Charles M. Schulz." Here, then, is the list: Adam @ Home * Agnes * Alley Oop * Annie Archie Arlo & Janis * Ask Shagg Baby Blues Baldo * Ballard Street * B.C. Beetle Bailey * Berry's World Betty * Between Friends Big Nate The Big Picture * Bizarro Blondie The Boondocks * The Born Loser Bottom Liners Bound & Gagged Brenda Starr Broomhilda The Buckets Buckles * Cathy Cats with Hands Citizen Dog Claire Clan of the Cats Close to Home Committed Cornered Crabby Road Crankshaft * Crock Curtis Dennis the Menace Dick Tracy Dilbert Dinette Set Drabble Dunagin's People Duplex Fair Game * The Family Circus Fast Track Ferd'nand Flight Deck * For Better or For Worse Footrot Flats Fox Trot Frank & Ernest Funky Winkerbean The Fusco Brothers Garfield * Gasoline Alley Get Fuzzy Gil Thorp Grand Avenue * Grandfather Clause Grin and Bear It * Hagar the Horrible Hamster Alley * Heart of the City Heathcliff Herb 'n' Jamaal Herman Hi 'n' Lois Horrorscope Hound's Home I Need Help * In the Bleachers * Jane's World Jumpstart Kidspot Kit 'n' Carlyle The Lockhorns Lola * Luann Mallard Filmore Marmaduke Marvin Meehan Streak Meg The Middletons Mr. Boffo Mixed Media * Momma Mother Goose and Grimm * Mudpie Mutts * Nancy Nest Heads 9 Chickweed Lane * Non-Sequitur * The Norm (the entire week, May 22-27) Off the Mark On the Fastrack * One Big Happy Overboard Over the Hedge PC and Pixel * Pickles Pluggers Pooch Café Pop's Place * Raising Hector Randolph Itch, 2 a.m. Raw Material * Real Life Adventures Reality Check Red 'n' Rover Rhymes with Orange Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not Robotman Rose Is Rose Rubes Safe Havens Sally Forth Scrambled Pancakes Sherman's Lagoon Shoe Six Chix * Soup to Nutz * SpaceAge Comics * Speed Bump * Stone Soup Strange Brew Superosity * Superzeros Tank McNamara That's Life They'll Do It Every Time Tiger * Toby Tom, the Dancing Bug User Friendly Warped (the entire week, May 22-27) Wee Do Puzzles (Sunday, May 28) Wee Pals Where I'm Coming From Willy 'n' Ethel * The Wizard of Id You Can, with Beakman & Jax (Sunday, May 28) Ziggy Zippy the Pinhead Zits Zorro 3.8) Did some strips and artists produce tributes on other days? Absolutely, going as far back as November 1999, when Schulz was unexpectedly admitted to the hospital. Some artists delivered tributes right away, while others waited until mid-February, when the final Peanuts Sunday strip was scheduled to appear...which led to something of a sad irony, since these gentle farewells took on an additional poignance with Schulz's death. The following list includes only regular daily or weekly strips; editorial cartoons follow, in their own list. This is getting close to definitive, thanks to folks such as Tim Chow and Marcie Lee, but if you know of any others, by all means leap in... As before, those with an asterisk (*) are included in the Charles M. Schulz Museum catalog publication, "Tribute to Sparky: Cartoon Artists Honor Charles M. Schulz." DAILY AND WEEKLY STRIPS: Alice (August 11, 1999; and January 4, 2000) * B.C. (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine) * Berry's World (May 28, 2000) Boondocks (January 7, February 10, April 6, April 23 and July 2, all 2000; December 24, 2001) Cathy (January 3* and 4, and February 13*, all 2000) Dilbert (December 24, 1999) Doonesbury (January 3, 2000) * Drabble (January 1, 2000) * Farley (January 3* and February 14*, both 2000) * Ferd'nand (February 2000) * Flash Gordon (December 23, 1999) * For Better or For Worse (December 22, 1999; February 14*, 2000) Fox Trot (January 3, 2000) * Garfield (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine) Heart of the City (March 19, 2000) Hi and Lois (July 27, 2000) * The Humble Stumble (February 2000) * Jugular Vein (January 16, 2000; India) Jump Start (January 3-8, 2000) * Luann (April 20, 1999; February 13 and 21, 22, 23*, 24, 25 and 26*, all 2000) * Matt & Maynerd (January 3, 2000, in The Toledo [Ohio] Blade) * Maus (February 6, 2000, in The New Yorker) * Momma (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine) * Mutts (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine) Non Sequitor (February 11 and May 28, both 2000) * The Norm (January 3* and 4* and April 25, all 2000) Off the Mark (February 7, 2002) Over the Hedge (December 22, 1999) * Pickles (February 1, 2000) * The Potts (May 2000; Australia) Real Life Adventures (January 3, 2000) Reality Check (July 30, 2000) * Speed Bump (January 4, 2000) Spex and Wally (February 14, 2000) * Spiderman (January 1, 2000, in People Magazine) * Tank McNamara (December 23, 1999) This Modern World (February 21, 2000; January 16 and March 12, 2001) Warped (February 14, 2001) * Wee Pals (February 13, 2000) Ziggy (February 16, 2000; July 16, 2001) Zits (August 5, 1999) EDITORIAL CARTOONS: * Don Addis, The St. Petersberg [Florida] Times (December 16, 1999) * Kirk Anderson, The St. Paul Pioneer Press (December 17, 1999) * Nick Anderson, The [Louisville, Kentucky] Courier-Journal (December 16, 1999) * Robert Ariail, The [Columbia, South Carolina] State (January 4* and February 15*, both 2000) * Chuck Asay, The Colorado Springs Gazette (December 1999) * Randy Bish, The [Greensburg, Pennsylvania] Tribune/Review (December 16* and 19*, 1999; and February 14*, 2000) * Jim Borgman, The Cincinnati Enquirer (December 1, 1999) * Steve Breen, The San Diego Union Tribune (December 16, 1999) * Matthew Craig, The South Florida Business Journal (February 2000) * Joe Engesser, The Prescott [Wisconsin] Journal (February 17, 2000) * Joe Glisson, The Syracuse New Times (December 29*, 1999; and February 16*, 2000) * Walt Handelsman, The [New Orleans] Times-Picayune (December 1999) * Joe Heller, The Green Bay Press-Gazette (1999, no date known) * Etta Hume, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (February 15, 2000) * Cliff Johnson (2000, no date known) * Floyd Johnson (May 27, 2000, no source known) * Kevin Kallaugher, The Baltimore Sun (December 16, 1999) * Bill Lignante (May 5, 2000, no source known) * Mike Luckovich, The Atlanta Constitution (December 18*, 1999; and February 16*, 2000) * Jim McCloskey, The [Staunton, Virginia] Daily News Leader (December 29*, 1999; and February 14*, 2000) * Tim Menees, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2000, no date known) * Pat Oliphant, The Washington Post (December 27, 1999) * Michael Osbun, The Sumter County [Florida] Times (February 17, 2000) * Mike Peters, The Dayton [Ohio] Daily News (December 22, 1999) * Roy Peterson, The Vancouver Sun (January 4, 2000) * Dennis Renault, The Sacramento Bee (February 14, 2000) * Vance Rodewalt, The Calgary Herald (December 16, 1999) * John Sherffius, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (February 14, 2000) * Jeff Stahler, The Cincinnati Post (1999*, no date known; and February 2000*) * Dana Summers, The Orlando Sentinel (December 16*, 1999; and January 4* and May 27*, 2000, along with another undated one in 2000*) * Mike Thompson, The Detroit Free Press (December 15, 1999) * William Valladares, The [New Jersey] Montclair Times (December 23, 1999) * Peter Waldner (May 27, 2000, no source known) * Jim Willoughby, The [Prescott, Arisona] Daily Courier (December 1999) 3.9) Can you help me find a strip I remember seeing [some time ago], which concerned [fill in the blank]? Depending on how accurately you can describe the strip, and how small a window of time you can present -- such as "sometime in 1964" -- I probably can supply an answer. But PLEASE try to be as specific as possible; don't just describe something as "the 1960s strip where Snoopy tried to get Linus' blanket"...there must have been hundreds of those! 3.10) Haven't I seen that punchline before? Charles Schulz drew thousands and thousands of individual strips since Peanuts debuted in 1950, and that's a lot of gags and storylines. It's therefore inevitable that individual ideas might have occurred to him more than once over the years, and nobody's memory is good enough to remember that much work with perfect clarity. So yes, some duplications have appeared over the years, and they're cited below. (Thanks to Tim Chow and Marcie Lee, for a lot of these.) *** The close shave Are all little boys in a hurry to shave? They must not realize that, once they've started, there's no turning back... At any rate, in the February 23, 1951, strip, Charlie Brown looks at his face closely in a mirror, and then reports to Violet that "It turned out only to be dirt ... but for one brief, exciting moment I thought I needed a shave!" Many years later, on July 15, 1959, the players have changed, but the gag remains the same. Linus looks at himself in a hand mirror, decides that he's only seeing a little dirt, and reports to older sister Lucy that "For one brief, exciting moment I thought I needed a shave!" *** Unkind cuts Kudos to Alan Rat, for calling our attention to this one: not merely a repeated punchline, but essentially duplicate strips ... only half a year apart! In both cases -- first on May 26, 1952, and then again on January 5, 1953 -- Lucy asks Charlie Brown to make her a "bread an' budder" sandwich. She panics when he starts to cut the sandwich in half, insisting that he merely "fold it over" ... because they taste better that way! *** Predatory sprinklers Eagle-eyed Marcie Lee spotted this one. Back in the days when he still was a curious puppy, Snoopy was startled when Charlie Brown turned on a yard sprinkler, in the June 18, 1952, daily strip. You'd think Snoopy would have learned from that lesson, but apparently not; he was nailed the same way in the May 19, 1953, daily strip. The final panels are remarkably similar in both strips. *** Matrimonial musings Jim Dankiewicz deserves the handshake for this one. In the January 26, 1953, strip, Violet contemplates a possible future life as Mrs. Charlie Brown, and finally gives up by saying "Nope, I just can't see it." Many years later, on October 2, 1963, Sally plays the same theoretical game after meeting 5, by picturing herself as "Mrs. Sally 95472." She comes to the same conclusion: "I can't see it." *** Hanging one's head in shame Marcie Lee also gets credit for these two. In the early days, Charlie Brown was able to chew Snoopy out a bit ... but the world's most famous beagle still didn't put up with much. In the March 31, 1954, strip, Snoopy responds to Chuck's admonition that he "hold his head in shame" by falling asleep. Many, many years later, on May 23, 1986 (in a strip reprinted in "By Supper Possessed"), Peppermint Patty wound up doing the same in school. *** So many years! Australia's David Heslin gets credit for this one. In the March 23, 1956, daily strip, Linus bemoans the fact that he'll be an "old man" by the time he finally gets out of school. Many, many years later, in the July 2, 1996, daily strip (reprinted in "The World According to Lucy"), Rerun is the one who wails that he'll be an "old man" by the time he's released from school. *** Snoopy's deft touch. No doubt about it; Snoopy is one talented beagle. In the May 23, 1956, daily strip, he reveals one of his many skills by retrieving a soap bubble in his mouth and transporting it -- intact -- back to Charlie Brown. While not absolutely identical, a pretty close variation on this particular notion reappeared in the June 22, 1998, daily strip. In this case, Snoopy retrieves a soap bubble for Rerun. It's nice to see that the world's greatest beagle hasn't lost his touch! *** Legal matters Usagi, an avid Japanese Peanuts fan, got this one: In the October 30, 1956 strip, Linus discusses the upcoming Halloween activities with Lucy, who explains the nature of trick-or-treating. Wanting to be sure that he's on safe ground, Linus questions the legality of this practice, and concludes by saying, "I wouldn't want to do anything that might arouse the FBI." Apparently Linus has a short memory. A few years later, on October 30, 1959, he has a quite similar conversation with Lucy, and concludes by saying, "I wouldn't want to be accused of taking part in a rumble." *** Blanket woes Lucy has been pestering Linus to get rid of his blanket pretty much since he began carrying it around. Most often he can shrug off her snide remarks, but every so often he bristles in response. On June 23, 1958, she complains that he'll probably drag "that thing" around for the rest of his life. "Well, what's it to you?" he replies. "Maybe I WON'T drag it around for the rest of my life." He simmers silently in the third panel, and then adds, "Maybe I'll have it made into a sport coat!" Just a few months later, on September 17, 1958, Charlie Brown approaches the same subject, but much more compassionately. "What are you going to do when you get too old to drag it around?" he asks. "Who knows?" Linus replies. "I've been thinking seriously of having it made over into a sport coat." In fairness, this could be a running gag rather than a lapse on Schulz's part ... and it's also a foreshadowing of things to come, since Snoopy eventually WILL have it turned into a sports coat! *** Hot blanket woes Then, too, Lucy sometimes tortures her little brother ... although perhaps not intentionally. In the February 16, 1959, strip, she politely tosses him the blanket while he's looking for it ... but then he reacts in pain and shouts, "I'm scalded!" "I forgot to tell you," Lucy answers (yeah, right!). "I just took it out of the clothese dryer!" Decades later, on January 13, 1984 (in a strip reprinted in "The Way of the Fussbudget is not Easy"), Lucy pulls the same mean trick. "Don't say I never do anything for you," she starts off, and then continues with, "I just took your blanket out of the dryer." In the third panel, she gets as far as, "Be careful, it's still a little..." before Linus flies head over heels in the final panel, much as he had done in 1959. "...warm," Lucy concludes, rather unnecessarily. *** Snoopy's consistency "So here I am starting a new year," Snoopy muses to himself, in the January 2, 1960 daily strip. After a few panels of reflection on the lack of change in his life, he concludes by saying, "Sometimes I marvel at my consistency." Schulz must have gotten a kick out of that gag, because he essentially repeated it just a few years later, in the December 31, 1962 daily strip. "So this is the last day of the year," Snoopy reflects, and then considers his lack of accomplishments during the past year, as with other years. "How consistent can you get?" he finally asks. *** "My life has become a bore" Marcie gets credit for this one: Snoopy apparently needs action and stimulation, and who could blame him? It seems like the world-famous beagle spends a lot of time on top of his dog house. "My life has become a bore," he muses, in the January 25, 1961, strip. "Everything is the same day in and day out. What I need is a change." And, in the final panel, he's lying with his head facing the other direction. Just a little more than a year later, on March 10, 1962, he once again ponders that "My life has become a bore. Everything I see I've seen before. I need to set my face toward new horizons." And so he does ... by facing the other direction. *** The cone of silence We all know that Lucy's quite the fussbudget, but sometimes she gets out of hand by even her own standards. In the May 28, 1961, Sunday strip, she objects when Linus wanders through their house, obviously enjoying life to the fullest: by singing at the top of his lungs and then watching television at too high a volume. Toward the end of the strip, he retreats into the kitchen and prepares himself a bread and butter sandwich. Seeing his crabby sister's glare, he snidely asks, "Am I buttering too loud for you?" More recently, poor Rerun has been Lucy's primary target ... but it's nice to know that little brothers concoct the same line of defense. In the August 5, 1998, daily strip (reprinted in "It's a Dog's Life, Snoopy"), Lucy and Rerun are eating breakfast, while the little guy attempts to share some of his experiences. Lucy's not having any, so she asks, "Do you always have to be so noisy?" After taking a panel to contemplate a suitable rejoinder, Rerun returns to his toast and replies, "Am I buttering too loud for you?" It should be noted, however, that this particular repeat is most certainly deliberate...because the punchline is reported to have been said by Schulz's daughter, Amy, years and years ago when she was 3. By way of confirming this, the last panel of the latter strip bears this message, reading sideways: "Happy birthday, Amy." *** Familiarty breeds contempt Hey, we all get tired of stuff. In the August 17, 1962, strip, Linus pauses during his thumb-sucking to wonder, with an expression of faint dissatisfaction, whether "...it's possible for a thumb to spoil." Nearly four years later, on March 1, 1966, Linus again grimaces at his thumb, and -- as Lucy walks past -- asks, "Do thumbs ever spoil?" *** The "rather small congregation." Back when Charlie Brown's younger sister Sally still was pretty new to the world, she proved quite the impressionable audience for odd facts and amusements. On February 8, 1963, she watches while her big brother uses his hands to illustrate that old rhyme: "Here's the church...here's the steeple...open the door...and see all the people!" After carefully examining his closed fingers, she announces, "It looks like a rather small congregation!" Four years later, on April 8, 1967, Sally watches as Linus delivers the same rhyme...and then she provides an almost exact response: "Sort of a small congregation." *** The pledge of allegiance. After entering school, Sally finds herself obliged to begin each day with a pledge to the American flag. On September 11, 1963, she stands at her desk and recites the entire pledge. She then sits down in the third panel, but rises again in the fourth to conclude with a heartfelt "Amen!" Almost a quarter-century later, on September 16, 1987 (in a strip reprinted in "If Beagles Could Fly"), Peppermint Patty stands behind her desk and recites the same pledge. She then sits down in panel three, looking quite satisfied, but bounces up again in panel four, for a hearty "Amen!" *** Dull tootsies In the January 24, 1966, daily strip, as Snoopy smoothly glides along the winter ice, his warm cap trailing behind, he suddenly slips and flips to a spectacular crash. "Whew," he thinks to himself, recovering, and then looks suspiciously at his hind legs: "I think my feet need sharpening." This one came back the very same year, but the following winter. In the December 20, 1966, daily strip, Snoopy once again is skating on a frozen pond, with what looks like the same fuzzy cap (although a scarf has been added to his ensemble). He once again slips, this time landing on his back, and once again we read, "I think my feet need sharpening." *** The great snowflake shortage This one's as close to a complete duplicate as you're likely to see, which only goes to prove that a classic punchline bears repeating. As Linus and Lucy walk in a gentle snowfall in the December 27, 1968, daily strip, the flakes eventually cease. "Just what I thought," Lucy says, wearing one of her Instructive Misinformation faces, "I knew it would happen sooner or later...they've run out of snowflakes!" Linus, in the final panel, clearly doesn't know what to make of it. But he apparently came around to his sister's way of thinking. In the December 5, 1998, daily strip (reprinted in "It's a Dog's Life, Snoopy) -- almost 30 years later to the day -- Linus is standing in a snow-laden field as the flakes slowly subside. "Rats!" he says, "I knew this was going to happen." His sister, coming up from behind and obviously having forgotten the wisdom she imparted lo those many years ago, asks, "What's wrong?" Linus, returning his gaze to the heavens, responds, "We just ran out of snowflakes." *** Snoopy at the piano. In the December 30, 1968 daily strip, Snoopy approaches Schroeder's piano, plinks a few notes with one paw, and gets a rather curious result. This gag resurfaced a years later, again in a daily strip, on January 12, 1974 (and reprinted in "Win a Few, Lose a Few, Charlie Brown"). Aside from a slightly suspicious glance from ol' Snoopy to ensure that nobody is watching, the strips are pretty much identical! Better yet, both these strips are a variation on yet an older daily strip: March 10, 1960. In this case, Snoopy starts off sitting on top of the piano while Schroeder is playing, and then tries the keyboard himself after the Beethoven lover leaves the scene. Although the resulting "notes" are a bit more free-form, the basic idea remains the same...making this one a triple! *** Fashion statement Usagi, an avid Japanese Peanuts fan, also got this one: "Sometimes you do dumb things," Snoopy muses, to himself, in the July 13, 1971 strip (reprinted in "The Snoopy Festival"), "and you never forget them. Other times you do smart things." "I'll never forget one of the smartest things I ever do," he eventually concludes. "I never bought a nehru jacket." Many years later, on December 15, 1979 (in a strip reprinted in "Here Comes the April Fool"), Linus and Charlie Brown have a similar conversation about smart things and dumb things. Charlie Brown eventually reports that the smartest thing his grandfather did was that he "never bought a nehru jacket." *** Woozy snowmen Linus always has been talented. In the January 6, 1975, daily strip (reprinted in "Speak Softly and Carry a Beagle"), he has just built a snowman upside-down. While showing this accomplishment to Charlie Brown, however, Linus notes that the snowman can't stay in this position very long, because "All the snow rushes to his head." And it would seem that Lucy is pretty adept herself. Nearly a decade later, on January 7, 1984 (in a strip reprinted in "The Way of the Fussbudget Is Not Easy"), she builds the snowman, and shows it to Charlie Brown...and the word balloons in the final two panels are virtually identical! *** Necessity is the mother of invention Bad weather brings out the best in us. During a heavy rainstorm in the April 4, 1976, Sunday strip (reprinted in "Summers Fly, Winters Walk"), Snoopy hurries over and flips Woodstock's nest upside-down (with Woodstock in it), so that our little bird friend can stay dry. (Apparently, gravity isn't an issue.) And you can say this for Woodstock: He learns from experience. On October 27, 1979 (in a strip reprinted in "Here Comes the April Fool"), another rainstorm once again threatens to drench Snoopy's bird buddy...who, this time, flips his nest over himself! (Frankly, I would've liked to have seen him do that...) *** Theological terrorism Our buddy Julian gets credit for this one: Charles Schulz had little patience, over the years, for those who claimed an inside track to "the one true way" during religious discussions. This prompted him to take a cautious approach to religious matters, and led to a query that he turned into a repeated punchline. In the August 9, 1976, daily strip, Snoopy decides to title his new book on theology, "Has It Ever Occurred to You That You Might Be Wrong?" A few years later, in the June 20, 1980, daily strip, following an incident during which Sally is humiliated by a discussion leader for her choice of opening prayer, Linus challenges the individual in charge by asking, "Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?" Although not quite the same context, the meaning is precisely the same. Along with other places, both cartoons are included in the collection "And the Beagles and the Bunnies Shall Lie Down Together." *** Mailbox as editor Over the years, Snoopy has made no secret of his desire to write The Great American Novel, but the many hapless editors and publishers do little but get in his way. (And, based on the snatches that Lucy occasionally reads aloud, this may be a good thing.) Perhaps the supreme indignity comes in the April 18, 1980, daily strip (reprinted in "Dr. Beagle and Mr. Hyde"), when the "world-famous author" delivers his latest novel to the local public mailbox...which spits the manuscript back out, scarcely before the hatch has closed. "I have a hard time believing they read it very carefully," Snoopy thinks to himself. This gag resurfaces on April 23, 1997 (reprinted in "It's a Big World, Charlie Brown"), as Snoopy completes his latest opus. Adding a cover letter that reads, "Gentlemen, enclosed please find my latest short story," he takes it to the mailbox and pops it into the slot...only to have it pop right back out again! (See below for another one involving Snoopy as The Great Writer.) *** Ground crew. Nobody needs to be reminded of the suffering Charlie Brown has endured while playing baseball, but it seemed needlessly cruel to subject him to this particular torment more than once. In the April 8, 1981 daily strip (reprinted in "You're Weird, Sir"), ol' Chuck notices that it has started to rain. He hollers for the unseen ground crew, and orders them to "get out the tarp, and cover the infield." In the final panel, speaking from beneath a tarp which has turned him into a bump on the landscape, he comments, "They did that pretty fast." This gag resurfaced in a Sunday strip published September 20, 1987 (and reprinted in "If Beagles Could Fly"). Charlie Brown calls for two volunteers -- Lucy and Sally - and shows them a tarp, explaining that if it starts to rain, they're to rush out and cover the infield and pitcher's mound with it. "Remember," he concludes, "you have to be quick." Raindrops start falling on his head, so he calls for the tarp. In the final panel, once again hidden from sight, he laments, "That was a little too quick." *** Lots of luck! Peppermint Patty and school don't get along all that well, and she probably approaches the annual end-of-summer ritual -- the purchase of school supplies -- with mixed feelings at best. In the September 4, 1981, strip (reprinted in "You're Weird, Sir"), she buys the usual things and then, when asked if she needs anything else, replies, "A lot of luck." This one pops up again on September 2, 1988 (reprinted in "Could You Be More Pacific?"), in practically identical fashion: Peppermint Patty visits the store with a list in hand, and the final item is "...a lot of luck." *** Acrophobia Poor Charlie Brown. In the May 30, 1983 daily strip (reprinted in "I'm Not Your Sweet Babboo!"), he's forced to return a kite to the store because it's "afraid of heights." One hopes that he's in a different store when, on March 4, 1999 (in a strip reprinted in "Peanuts 2000"), he checks out what's available and requests a kite that "...isn't afraid of heights." *** Fair-weather music Woodstock just can't catch a break. In the June 11, 1983, daily strip (reprinted in "I'm Not Your Sweet Babboo! "), his pleasant birdsong comes to naught when the notes wash away in a sudden rainstorm. (One wonders if he therefore lost his voice...) In a similar turn of events, on November 27, 1984 (in a strip reprinted in "The Way of the Fussbudget Is Not Easy"), a sudden rainstorm s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s the notes like taffy. While not an absolutely identical punchline, it's close enough to warrant including here. *** Water on demand Those who own dogs know that they're thirsty all the time, and Snoopy is no different. Apparently our favorite beagle has quite a kick when he wants some water, as can be seen in this May 9, 1985, daily strip (reprinted in "Dogs Don't Eat Dessert"), when he kicks a hose bib to rather comical results. A variation on this gag - almost like a sequel - appeared on April 16, 1990 (reprinted in "Make Way for the King of the Jungle"), when Snoopy once again kicks the hose bib, and gets a slightly different result. And, as eagle-eyed Tim Chow pointed out, both these strips sort of "morphed" from the delightful May 19, 1963, Sunday strip (reprinted in "We're Right Behind You, Charlie Brown"). Apparently Snoopy has been getting his own water for quite awhile... *** Make them beg Poor Snoopy. He just can't catch a break! On June 11, 1987 (in a strip reprinted in "It Doesn't Take Much to Attract a Crowd"), one of Snoopy's manuscripts is returned, along with a letter that he not send any more submissions ... "please, please, please!" "I love to hear an editor beg," Snoopy thinks to himself, in the final panel. This one pops up again, practically word for word and scene for scene, on January 20, 1996 (in a strip reprinted in "The World According to Lucy"). It's a three-panel format rather than four, and Snoopy winds up on top of his doghouse, rather than leaning against the mailbox post ... but otherwise, it's the same! *** The stuck Bible In the December 15, 1990, strip (not yet reprinted), Lucy asks if Linus will go to Sunday School the next day, and mentions that he didn't attend the previous week, and that the teacher wanted to know why. "The zipper on my Bible was stuck," Linus replies. Not quite a decade later, the gag resurfaces with Lucy and Rerun, in the April 5, 1998, Sunday strip (reprinted in "It's a Dog's Life, Snoopy"). After arriving at Sunday School, Rerun laments that he wasn't able to study his lesson, because "the zipper on my Bible is stuck." 3.11) Where can I find that great IRS Peanuts strip? You can't ... because it doesn't exist. At least, not in the sense that you think. Despite our best efforts, we have here the beginnings of yet another Peanuts Internet "urban legend," and -- given how quickly such things propogate -- it may be impossible to stop the silly thing. But I shall try. No less a journalist than financial columnist Stephen Moore, writing for National Review Online, began an April 15, 2003, column with the following paragraph: "Many years ago I framed a classic Peanuts cartoon on the wall of my office. It shows Snoopy sitting on top of his dog house pecking away at his typewriter. The message he writes is, "Dear IRS: Please take me off your mailing list!" " Only one problem, Steve: There is no such "classic" Peanuts strip! The "strip" in question began life as Charles Schulz's June 19, 1997, Peanuts cartoon, with Snoopy typing out the latest exploits of Andy and Olaf. Somebody -- possibly even a legitimate editorial cartoonist -- re-lettered the strip so that Snoopy is typing, "Dear IRS, I am writing to you to cancel my subscription. Please remove my name from your mailing list." At the time, and in whatever original source produced this item (if it was, indeed, a legitimate source), Schulz may have been thanked and credited, as is standard with editorial cartoons. But that important little detail is long behind us, at this point. The new words aren't even a close approximation of Schulz's distinctive lettering style. Despite this, the legend has become famous enough that I and other Internet Peanuts gurus frequently take requests to tell people in which book this strip can be found. It can't, because it isn't. And if anybody argues with you, just send 'em to this FAQ. 3.12) Books about Peanuts 3.12a) The chronological reprint books Although the books have gone through several publishers, the "series of record" begins with 1952's "Peanuts" and (currently) concludes with "Peanuts 2000." There have been many different versions of some titles, and those desiring a complete roster are strongly encouraged to check out the lists compiled by Scott McGuire, Jym Dyer and Nat Gertler, which can be accessed through the Peanuts Collectors Club WWW page, which also has its own list (see answer to question 1.2) 3.12b) Anthologies Aside from the "series of record," we've also seen many other books with strips grouped by theme: PEANUTS CLASSICS, CLASSROOM PEANUTS, SANDLOT PEANUTS, THE SNOOPY FESTIVAL, and so forth. More recently, Ballantine Books has issued titles such as IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL CHARLIE BROWN, WHO'S ON FIRST CHARLIE BROWN, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING and many others. Most people assume that these books merely re-collect strips already reprinted elsewhere, but that's not entirely true. THE SNOOPY FESTIVAL, for example, had roughly 200 strips not collected in earlier books (something that is no longer an issue, thanks to the Fantagraphics collections). There are also several hardcover "Sparkler" collections, with strips assembled by character: Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Schroeder, etc. As above, you can get pretty comprehensive lists of these titles from Jim Dyer, Nat Gertler and others. If you're a completest, it's best to follow the general rule: if ya ain't got it yet, buy it! 3.12c) Special books The list is endless, although a lot of folks have fond memories of the little hardbacks published in the 60s and 70s by Determined and Hallmark. The former included titles such as HAPPINESS IS A WARM PUPPY and SECURITY IS A THUMB AND A BLANKET, and the latter has titles such as LINUS ON LIFE and THE WIT AND WISDOM OF SNOOPY. There are numerous SNOOPY FUN AND FACT books, adaptations of the movies and television specials, and even an eight-volume dictionary. Once again, check Jim Dyer, etc. The classic Determined titles were re-issued in 2007 and '08, and available individually or in a darling "Snoopy's doghouse" holder. 3.12d) Foreign titles Out of my field, except to mention that Peanuts books are published all over the world, and it's fun to round out a library with one or two German, Spanish, or French titles. English- speaking readers should look for England's Ravette paperbacks; the presentation is excellent, and the books of Sunday strips are in full color. Tom Barrett initiated, and I've supplemented, a list of French titles published by Dargaud, although Tom notes that the colors are not necessarily "true" (for example, Linus' shirt being an unexpected red and yellow). Tom has found the books can be obtained from La Librairie Champlain, in Toronto, as well as other French bookstores in Montreal, Canada. 16/22 Softcover black-and-white collections: (The series reprints numerous cartoons other than Peanuts, hence the odd numbering) #60 SNOOPY SUPER CHAMPION #69 BONNE ANNEE SNOOPY #76 SNOOPY, TOUJOURS PRET! #81 SNOOPY ET LE BARON ROUGE #96 SNOOPY ET LES FEMMES #115 SNOOPY ECRIVAIN #122 LA MAISON DE SNOOPY #129 SNOOPY ET LES CHATS #136 SNOOPY, LA VIE EST BELLE! #143 SNOOPY ET LE SPORT #152 SNOOPY ET LE GRAND BRAQUE #159 SNOOPY ET SES AMIS Hardcover color albums: REVIENS SNOOPY INCROYABLE SNOOPY INTREPIDE SNOOPY IMBATTABLE SNOOPY INEGALABLE SNOOPY L'INFAILLIBLE SNOOPY IRRESISTIBLE SNOOPY INEFFABLE SNOOPY INVINCIBLE SNOOPY INATTAQUABLE SNOOPY INEPUISABLE SNOOPY INENARRABLE SNOOPY ELEMENTAIRE MON CHER SNOOPY FANTASTIQUE SNOOPY SNOOPY, VIVE LES VACANCES SNOOPY, FEU D'ARTIFICE! SNOOPY, NOEL BLANC SNOOPY, POISSON D'AVRIL SNOOPY, CHIENNE DE VIE SNOOPY, CHAUD DEVANT BONS BAISERS DE SNOOPY SNOOPY GARDE LE CAP SNOOPY RESTE DANS LA NOTE SNOOPY EST UN DROLE D'OISEAU 3.12e) Non-Series or Non-Peanuts books by Charles Schulz THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PEANUTS and THE PARABLES OF PEANUTS, both by Robert Short (with Peanuts cartoons reprinted), are delightful little titles which ponder the greater philosophical and theological implications of the strip. The 35th anniversary edition of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PEANUTS was published in early 2000, shortly after Schulz died. It includes a new foreword by Martin E. Marty Earlier in his career, Schulz published several books of kid- themed cartoons not involving the Peanuts gang: YOUNG PILLARS, TEENAGERS UNITE, "TEENAGER" IS NOT A DISEASE, WHAT WAS BUGGING OL' PHAROAH? and TWO-BY-FOURS. (See Question 2.6.) Schulz also illustrated both of Art Linkletter's KIDS SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS books, Bill Adler's DEAR PRESIDENT JOHNSON, Billie Jean King's TENNIS LOVE -- A PARENT'S GUIDE TO THE SPORT, and a few others. While all of these are long out of print, it should be noted that THE NEW KIDS SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS (with illustrations by Schulz) was released in a new paperback edition. 4) THE CHARACTERS 4.1) When did [your favorite character] first appear? Charlie Brown, Shermy and Patty debuted in the very first strip, on October 2, 1950. Snoopy followed two days later, on October 4. Thanks to Fantagraphics' ongoing campaign to reprint all the Peanuts strips, it has become much easier to spot where subsequent characters debuted, from Lucy and Linus to Schroeder and all the rest. What follows is a list of every major and minor named character, along with the date s/he first appeared. It's important to distinguish between named and anonymous kids, because quite a few of the latter have appeared during summer camp sequences, school sequences, and assorted baseball or football games...not to mention the many poor souls who've answered their front door and found Linus bringing word of the Great Pumpkin. One oddity, though, before we proceed any further: In the May 10, 1951, daily strip, the kids mention a girl in the neighborhood who is named June, and whose birthday is in June. We never meet this girl, and this is one of the few times that another child is identified without ever being introduced. (Tennis player Molly Volley mentions Crybaby Boobie's brother, Bobby Boobie, although we never meet him, either). A few of the anonymous folks described above deserve mention, so here are some individuals of interest: Miscellaneous kids in a sandbox -- 7/5/53 (The first time unnamed kids appear in the strip) An unknown girl -- 11/12/70 (She tries to dog-nap Snoopy) An oddball kid from summer camp -- 7/21/71 (We never see his face, and he always tells Charlie Brown to "Shut up and leave me alone!") A bully -- 7/10/75 (He tries to take Charlie Brown's autographed Joe Shlabotnik baseball) A golf caddymaster -- 6/17/77 (Peppermint Patty and Marcie work for him...once) A neighborhood boy -- 12/19/86 (A tree in his front yard falls down, and Sally takes it home to become her Christmas tree) A neighborhood girl -- 7/28/89 (She thinks Snoopy is Charlie Brown) The "cute little girl" who sits next to Rerun in kindergarten -- 9/11/96 (Although she appears fairly frequently, she hasn't yet been given a name) One final point, before moving to the named characters: It's occasionally necessary to distinguish when a character is first mentioned, as opposed to actually appearing. (Sally is a good example of this.) So...onward! Charlie Brown -- 10/2/50 Patty -- 10/2/50 Shermy -- 10/2/50 Snoopy -- 10/4/50 (but not named until 11/10/50) Violet -- 2/7/51 Schroeder -- 5/30/51 Lucy -- 3/3/52 Linus -- 9/19/52 (but not named until 9/22/52 ... and he's also mentioned once before we meet him, when on 7/14/52 Lucy tries to trade him to Charlie Brown for a tricycle) Pig-Pen -- 7/13/54 Charlotte Braun -- 11/30/54 (the great "lost" character, whose booming voice quickly became Lucy's primary characteristic) Sally -- 8/23/59 (but first mentioned 5/25/59, and named 6/2/59) Frieda -- 3/6/61 Faron -- 5/23/61 (Frieda's cat) "5" -- 9/30/63 "3" and "4" -- 10/17/63 (5's younger twin sisters) Roy -- 6/11/65 Peppermint Patty -- 8/22/66 (actual name Patricia Reichardt) Jose Peterson -- 3/20/67 (Star player on Peppermint Patty's baseball team) Woodstock -- 4/4/67 (Birds had been appearing in the strip for years, but that date marks the first bird with a strong resemblance to Woodstock. He was not named until 6/22/70) Marcie -- 6/18/68 (?) (possibly named Clara at this early moment; definitely introduced as Marcie 10/11/71...see subsequent question) Sophie and Shirley -- 6/18/68 (Clara/Marcie's camp friends) Franklin -- 7/31/68 Lila -- 8/24/68 (Snoopy's original owner, although she's mentioned by name much earlier) Thibault -- 6/4/70 (a bully on Peppermint Patty's baseball team) Poochie -- 1/7/73 (a girl who played with Snoopy as a pup, and was the first to call Charlie Brown by his full name) Rerun -- 3/26/73 (but first mentioned 5/23/72, and named 5/31/72) Loretta -- 5/22/74 (seller of Girl Scout cookies) The Beagle Scouts -- 6/9/74 (They remained anonymous until 3/27/78, at which point they were named Conrad, Olivier, Bill, and -- of course -- Woodstock. Harriet joined 5/12/80. Wilson was mentioned on 12/2/84; the group became racially diverse with the arrival of Raymond on 10/13/88, and Fred was introduced 4/2/90. Roy joined the group 4/18/98.) The School Building -- 8/31/74 (The date it first manifested thought-balloons) Truffles -- 3/31/75 (One of Linus' quasi-sweethearts) Spike -- 8/13/75 (but first mentioned 8/4/75) Belle -- 6/28/76 (but first mentioned 6/22/76) Belle's unnamed teenaged son -- 6/29/76 Floyd -- 7/26/76 (a camp kid with a crush on Marcie) Ruby, Austin, Leland, and Milo -- 3/11/77 (a very diminutive baseball team) Molly Volley -- 5/6/77 Eudora -- 6/13/78 Crybaby Boobie -- 7/5/78 (One of Snoopy's tennis opponents) Joe Richkid (and his caddy) -- 6/22/81 (plays a golf tourny against Peppermint Patty) "Bad Call" Benny -- 4/16/82 (another of Snoopy's tennis opponents) Marbles -- 9/28/82 (but first mentioned 9/23/82) Harold Angel -- 12/24/83 (a brief appearance, mainly as a punchline for one of Sally's malapropisms) Lydia -- 6/9/86 (Linus has a serious crush on this girl...who has also called herself many other names: Rachel, Rebecca, Jezebel, Susan, Sarah, Samantha, Anna, Ophelia, Polly, and Snowflake) Maynard -- 7/21/86 (Peppermint Patty's school tutor, also revealed to be Marcie's cousin) Tapioca Pudding -- 9/4/86 (Her father is determined to license everything about her, on lunch boxes, etc.) Olaf -- 1/24/89 (but first mentioned 1/16/89) Snoopy's Father -- 6/18/89 (He mentions eight offspring, but -- alas! -- we never got a final word on the others...) Peggy Jean -- 7/23/90 (Charlie Brown's summer camp sweetheart, who calls him "Brownie Charles" ... and, as of the last time we see her, seems to have a new boyfriend, which crushes poor ol' Chuck) Larry -- 5/28/91 (the minister's son, who Sally kicks out of her Bible class) Cormac -- 7/17/92 (Charlie Brown's short and rather klutzy camp friend) Royanne -- 4/1/93 (Roy Hobbs' great-granddaughter) Ethan -- 7/14/93 (a summer camp kid) Woodstock's grandfather -- 1/6/94 (brought to life via a diary) Andy -- 2/14/94 (and named 2/19/94) Emily -- 2/11/95 (Charlie Brown's occasional dance partner) Joe Agate -- 4/7/95 (a game hustler who takes all of Rerun's marbles, until Charlie Brown wins them back) Snoopy's mother (!) -- 7/26/96 Justin -- 11/3/96 (a boy in Peppermint Patty's class) The Little Red-Haired Girl (!) -- 5/25/98 (well...sort of, anyway...she appears in silhouette) Naomi -- 10/1/98 (a girl who "rescues" Spike after he is "snatched" into an animal clinic and cured of "everything") "Joe Cactus" -- 12/8/98 (Spike's name for his favorite cactus, when it comes time to write some Christmas cards) 4.2) I don't see certain characters anymore. Where did they go? As you might expect from the extensive list above, it would be impossible to feature all those characters on a regular, ongoing basis. The primary superstars are well known at this point, but over time the "regular" roster changed...and as certain new characters were introduced, others slowly moved aside to make room for them. When most folks ask this question, they're not thinking about one-shot or single-gag characters such as Poochie, Lila, Ethan or Molly Volley. Such characters often appear only for a few days or weeks, to flesh out a particular storyline; others will turn up only under certain circumstances, such as when Snoopy encounters Molly Volley on a tennis court. No, we usually hear from people who want to know what happened to Shermy, Patty, Violet and Frieda, and occasionally 5 and Eudora. Patty and Shermy, of course, go all the way back to the very first cartoon published. Violet joined the gang soon thereafter, and Frieda (with the naturally curly hair) was a frequent neighborhood fixture in the 1960s. But following the arrival of Franklin, Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Woodstock, the "group dynamic" changed. Shermy, usually little more than a straight man, saw his role gradually assumed by Franklin, who proved more interesting in the long run. Patty and Violet, really never known for more than picking on poor Charlie Brown, weren't doing anything that Lucy couldn't take care of by herself...and so they gradually faded into the background. And while Frieda lasted a long time for somebody with just a few distinguishing characteristics -- her naturally curly hair, her constant badgering of Snoopy to chase rabbits, and her cat -- she, too, eventually vanished without so much as a by-your-leave. (Staunch Frieda fan Kirk German also points out that Frieda is one of not that many characters to have a Vince Guaraldi jazz cut named after her, and that's absolutely correct ... and it's a pretty cool tune, too.) But the actual question has two answers. In a sense, these "missing faces" never really left completely; we can assume that they're still hanging around, and we just don't see them anymore. Kids who resemble Patty and Violet occasionally turn up at schoolbus stops, or at the door of a house, but we can't be sure it's really them because they're never named. As a result, the dates given below must be taken with a grain of salt, and perhaps regarded (depending on the individual) only as the last time each was seen in a significant sense. Shermy: Last seen June 15, 1969, and in his case that really is his final bow. He was, however, mentioned by name in the March 13, 1977, Sunday strip, when Lucy, making out the Baseball team line-up, includes him as "designated Hitter." We haven't even had any possible "near misses" since then. Patty: She vanished from "regular sight" on April 11, 1976, but has popped up a few times since...or at least we think she has, since the sightings come without attribution. She could be the little girl whose front walk Charlie Brown offers to clear of snow, on January 23, 1980 ... although it's difficult to be sure, as we see so little of her. She's definitely standing in the outfield next to Lucy, in the Sunday baseball strip on August 21, 1983. She seems to be one of the kids to whom Charlie Brown tries to sell a Christmas wreath (November 20, 1985); she and Violet heckle Pig-Pen in class, during his bid for class president, from their desks on September 28, 1990; she and Violet walk past "Snoopy Claus" on November 25, 1992; and Patty certainly seems to be standing in a schoolbus line -- with Violet -- on April 17, 1995. We also have to take Charles Schulz's word for an appearance on March 2, 1994, as the girl who tries to persuade Snoopy to chase rabbits (although it would appear that she did a radical overhaul on her hair!). (Credit to Tom Kalina, for that last one.) 5: The neighborhood kid who got his name from his father's streak of rebellion over the way numbers had invaded society (poor fellow; it was only going to get worse!) actually hung in there for a good long time. His final appearance as his easily recognized self came on August 16, 1981, although he might have popped up one more time: In the May 22, 1983, strip, a kid is shown wearing a shirt with "5" on it. His head is pointing toward the sky, so we can't really see what he looks like...but we'll call it a definite maybe (and I'm indebted to Eamon Gilligan, for pointing this one out). Violet: Like Patty, she dropped from the regular roster (on November 16, 1984) but may have popped up in a few cameo appearances since then. She -- or somebody who looks just like her -- stands next to The Girl Who Might Be Patty in the aforementioned 11/25/92 and 4/17/95 strips, and Violet also seems to be standing toward the front of a movie line on 2/8/96, and another schoolbus line on 11/12/96. Frieda: Last seen for sure on March 20, 1975, and also pretty much out of the picture at this point. She does appear to be one of the kids asked when Charlie Brown tries to find a home for Spike (July 26, 1978), and she also appears to be one of the kids to whom Charlie Brown attempts to sell a Christmas wreath (November 22, 1985), but she's not named in either case. (Tom Kalina gets the credit for those last two.) Eudora: For a relatively late entry to the strip, this little girl actually hung in there for quite awhile. Introduced in 1978, her distinctive features remained quite visible for just under a decade. She last appeared on June 13, 1987. 4.3) What is the origin of Charlie Brown's name? Charles Schulz met the original Charlie Brown at an art class at the Bureau of Engraving in Minneapolis. They remained friends over the years, and it was only natural that Schulz would tell Brown of his fledgling plan to market a comic strip with a central character who struggled with life, and tried to do well. Schulz named the central character after the round-faced Brown, who had a remarkable resemblance to his namesake. The name Charlie Brown also was used by Schulz earlier, in four of his Li'l Folks panel cartoons ... but it's important to realize that the name was attached to an entirely different- looking kid each time. So while Schulz clearly liked the name, he hadn't decided on Charlie Brown's final appearance until Peanuts began. The actual Charlie Brown eventually served as program director at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center, where he was credited with helping troubled young people, and going out of his way to show he cared about them. Brown died of cancer on December 5, 1983. He had never married, and lived alone in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka. 4.4) Is Charlie Brown bald? Of course not. He's just very, very, very, VERY blond, what my parents would have called a "tow-head" (a phrase, come to think of it, that I don't hear much any more). Anyway, Charlie Brown's hair is so fine that it simply doesn't show up that clearly, hence we see only the occasional strand. Confirmation for this information was given by no less than Charles Schulz himself, during a December 18, 1990, interview with Terry Gross on National Public Radio's "Fresh Air": "I don't think of it as not having hair. I think of it as being hair that is so blond that...it's not seen very clearly, that's all." He repeated this information a few years later, during an interview on NPR's "Morning edition": "Well he's got hair, its just so light you don't notice it. I always resent it when people say he's bald. He's not bald. The old character Henry was bald. But Charlie Brown has a little hair. His dad is a barber as my dad was. He must have had hair someplace up there." The issue became a bit confused in the wake of the 1975 TV special, "You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown," when upon winning the motocross competition ol' Chuck received a prize of ... five free haircuts. "But my dad's a barber," Charlie Brown protested, "and besides, I don't have much hair to cut!" We can take this either of two ways: 1) Charlie Brown's hair is mostly short, crew-cut fashion, except for a few stray long hairs, and we always see the latter; or 2) this TV special presented information that conflicted with what Charles Schulz regarded as "canon" in his newspaper strip (not the first time this happened, since a different special both showed and gave a name to the Little Red-Haired Girl, which we all know is a major No-No). It's worth noting, however, that this decision may have arrived later in the strip's run. In the July 17, 1955, Sunday strip, Charlie Brown and Schroeder are arguing about something, and talking trash at each other (which was rare between the boys in Peanuts). In one panel, Charlie Brown says, "Well, at least, Schroeder, I don't have yellow hair!" So if in 1955 Charlie Brown didn't have yellow (which is to say, blond) hair ... then what color WAS it? 4.5) What is the origin of the little red-haired girl? Did she ever actually appear in the strip? Donna Wold, who still lives in Minneapolis, is one of Charles Schulz' former loves. To quote Rheta Grimsley Johnson's biography of Schulz, "Good Grief," he (Schulz) was working as an art instructor at the correspondence art school where Wold began working in the accounting department, after her 1947 high school graduation. Things didn't work out, but Schulz obviously thought quite highly of her, and immortalized her with particular style. The complete story is rather charming, and occupies an entire chapter of Johnson's book. As for whether Charlie Brown's love-from-afar has ever actually appeared in the Peanuts comic strip, the answer is -- in a word -- no. This response must, however, be accompanied by an explanation. It is important to recognize the distinction between what occurs in the "real" world of Peanuts (in other words, the newspaper strip written and drawn by Charles Schulz), and what occurs elsewhere (specifically, television). Schulz never had full control over what happened in the TV specials, and he made it very clear that events therein should not be regarded as "gospel" for his newspaper strip. Thus, while it's true the little red-haired girl popped up in the TV special "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown" (and therefore in the picture-book adapted from that show), Schulz did not regard her as the actual little red-haired girl...just as Charlie Brown's having successfully place-kicked a football in another TV special should not be regarded as a comparative truth in the strip. No, the "actual" little red-haired girl, like the Head Beagle, or Linus' Miss Othmar, is a character who never was drawn. This way, we can all imagine her to be whatever we'd like...safe in the knowledge that there is no visualization of the character which is better, or different, than any other. 4.6) Do any other characters have "real" roots? In 1975's "Peanuts Jubilee," Charles Schulz mentioned that during his high school years, he was a Sherlock Holmes fanatic and used to fill scrapbooks with his own illustrations of Holmes stories, in comic book form (and oh, what we'd give to see those now!). A friend of his named Sherman Plepler was one of his faithful readers, and thus Schulz honored him by using that name -- Shermy -- as one of Peanuts' original characters. Also In "Peanuts Jubilee," we learned that Linus gets his name from a friend Schulz had during his days at the Art Instruction School. Schulz was experimenting with "wild hair" on a character, and he showed the resulting sketch to Linus Maurer, who sat near him. Maurer liked the sketch, and Schulz subsequently felt it appropriate to name the character Linus. Finally, "Peanuts Jubilee" also reveals that Schroeder was named after a young boy with whom Schulz used to caddy at Highland Park Golf Course in St. Paul. Schulz doesn't recall ever knowing his first name (Schroeder being his last name), but the name itself "seemed right for the character in the strip." (This origin fuels the ongoing debate that Schroeder actually is our favorite Beethoven-lover's LAST name, rather than first name, but I don't buy it. It would be inconsistent for the Peanuts gang to call only one of their friends by last name, rather than first name, and ample evidence exists, over the years, that Schroeder is our Schroeder's first name.) Lila, Snoopy's original owner, was based on a real girl - Lyala pronounced Lila) Mae Bischoff -- with whom Charles Schulz went to Central High School, in St. Paul. Thanks to a fan who works with her son (Jake Wood), I've learned a bit about this charming saga. Lyala apparently was ill during most of her high school years. She and Schulz rode the streetcar to and from school together. They were in the same grade and apparently he was smitten by her, but a little shy as she was a couple of years older than he was, because she had missed quite a bit of school due to the fact that she had been so ill. Jake has an old copy of a Peanuts paperback, which was autographed by Sparky to Lyala, letting her know that he had used her in his comic strip as Lila (although he spelled her name differently than she did). The book was accompanied by a letter, telling her how sorry he was to hear that she was ill again, and sending his good wishes to her and her husband. Golly -- doesn't that sound just like the Sparky we know and love? Frieda Rich, another long-time friend of Charles Schulz, was the inspiration for the character of the same name. (One wonders if the actual Frieda had the same motor-mouth as her inked counterpart!) She died in 1994, and, to quote Andrea Podley's brief eulogy in the Peanuts Collector newsletter: "She was a wonderful artist with a loving personality, and we, along with Sparky, will miss her." Rheta Grimsley Johnson's biography of Schulz, "Good Grief," reveals some additional real-world origins, most of which can be found on Page 145 of the first-edition Pharos Books hardcover: Molly Volley, Snoopy's tennis partner, was named after Molly Ackley, Schulz's real-life tennis buddy. Linus' favorite teacher, Miss Othmar, was named after Schulz's good friend, Othmar Jarisch, who ran the local humane society and died in 1988. When Miss Othmar married and became Mrs. Hagemayer, this name derived from Margaret Hagemeyer of St. Louis, who was married to Elmer Hagemayer, one of Schulz's Army buddies. Marcie got her name from a family friend, Marcie Carlin. Linus, Lucy and Rerun got their last name -- Van Pelt -- from friends who lived in Colorado Springs. Woodstock's bird-friend Harriet, famous for her seven-minute frosting, was named for Harriet Crossland, a woman in Santa Rosa who made Schulz angel food cakes with seven-minute frosting. Miss Halverson, the teacher Linus got after Miss Othmar left to get married, was named for Schulz's maternal grandmother, Sophia Halverson, who lived with him off and on during most of his childhood. She doted on her grandson and would help him practice hockey by playing goalie in the basement of their house. Schulz immortalized her early, albeit without a name, as the sports-loving grandmother of the children in his St. Paul Pioneer Press Li'l Folks newspaper strip, which pre-dated Peanuts. ("Wow, that's the third penalty they've given Grandma for unnecessary roughness.") A sharp-eyed reader in England, Julian, suggests this trio: Again according to "Good Grief," we note that Schulz had an aunt named Clara and a cousin named Shirley; if we take a slight leap and turn Sophia into "Sophie," we get Clara, Sophie and Shirley, the three little girls for whom Peppermint Patty served as tent monitor at summer camp. 4.7) Which characters have last names? Well, Charlie and Sally Brown, of course; and Lucy, Linus and Rerun Van Pelt. Peppermint Patty's actual name is Patricia Reichardt. When 5 and his twin sisters, 3 and 4, were introduced, their last name was given as 95472 (the family's Zip code). With respect to more obscure characters, we know of Charlotte Braun, baseball player Jose Peterson, tennis players Molly Volley and Crybaby Boobie, Harold Angel, Tapioca Pudding, Royanne Hobbs and Joe Agate. And here's a clever one (and the reason I added this question): In the April 4, 1953, daily strip, Patty calls Violet by her full name of Violet Gray (which, when you stop and think about it, is a pretty funny combination). Now, just to stop some questions, there are two others that do NOT count, because they're mentioned only in the animated "You're in the Superbowl, Charlie Brown." Marcie and Franklin are given the last names of Johnson and Armstrong, respectively, but since Schulz never used those in his newspaper strip, we shall go along with his preference and pretend they don't exist! 4.8) When is Snoopy's birthday? There are two answers to this question: the official, and the unofficial. Officially, Snoopy's birthday is one of those never-revealed mysteries, like the cat next door or the little red-haired girl (television, Schulz always reminded us, didn't count). That way, these characters can look like whatever we imagine them to be, and Snoopy's birthday can be whenever we desire. Unofficially, the matter has been dealt with twice in the comic strip. The first time was in the strip dated August 28, 1951. Charlie Brown has just given Snoopy a birthday cake, with a wiener sticking up in the middle, rather than a candle. Now, since the world of Peanuts takes place in "real time" -- which is to say, the gang celebrates Halloween on Halloween, Christmas on Christmas, and so forth -- it could be argued, with a certain degree of conviction, that August 28 must be Snoopy's birthday. Unfortunately, contradictory evidence arrived in 1968. After a multi-strip sequence involving Snoopy and a "secret mission," he's eventually ambushed by a surprise birthday party...which takes place in the strip printed on August 10, 1968. (This strip also reveals the color of his eyes, for his final thought balloon finds him smiling in delight and thinking, "Well, I'll be a brown-eyed beagle...") So...August 10, or August 28? It's probably better to treat both these strips as lapses, and leave the matter of Snoopy's birthday as a mystery for the ages. After all, he can't really be having any birthdays, because he's clearly not getting any older...right? 4.9) How many different roles has Snoopy played? Dozens. Scores. More than 150. Snoopy became a "Walter Mitty beagle" very early in the strip's lengthy run, and he's adopted various guises, and pretended to be all sorts of different animals...and occasionally people. Some of these changes of identity occured only once, while others -- such as the WWI Flying Ace, Joe Cool, and the Beagle Scout -- became established personas. For the most part, Snoopy began by imitating other animals. Perhaps not content with the emotional range found within such portrayals, he eventually switched to imitations of people involved in different occupations...and his true talent emerged. An very early example can be found on August 9, 1951, when Violet orders Snoopy out of her bird bath by telling him that only things "with wings" are allowed. In the final panel, Snoopy has lifted his ears as if to imitate wings, while once again sitting in the bird bath. I'm not sure if that one counts, but, if so, it's the first. The following list identifies the first time Snoopy took each of these many roles. A baseball umpire (of sorts) -- 8/24/51 (and again on 6/22/54) A go-cart motor -- 1/12/52 Beethoven -- 9/3/52 (and again on 11/25/55) A shark (in a wading pool) -- 7/21/54 A wolf -- 1/26/55 A rhinoceros -- 2/22/55 A snake -- 8/29/55 Violet -- 11/17/55 A pelican -- 11/21/55 Lucy -- 11/22/55 A moose -- 11/24/55 Mickey Mouse -- 11/26/55 A giraffe -- 2/7/56 A kangaroo -- 2/8/56 An alligator -- 2/28/56 A lion -- 5/3/56 An elephant -- 9/17/56 A polar bear -- 2/7/57 A bird -- 4/14/57 A mule -- 7/14/57 A circus dog -- 7/24/57 A sea-monster -- 8/23/57 A penguin -- 12/31/57 An anteater -- 3/1/58 A bald eagle -- 5/12/58 A vulture -- 5/13/58 A tiger -- 6/15/58 A goat -- 6/18/58 A gopher -- 1/7/59 Big Man on Campus (an early Joe Cool) -- 1/29/59 A bloodhound -- 3/26/59 A vampire bat -- 5/15/59 (and, on 11/10/72, a "regular" bat) A cow -- 6/14/59 (and again on 4/18/63) A (human) baby -- 6/23/59 A cricket -- 9/12/59 A mountain lion -- 11/29/59 A TV antenna -- 1/7/60 A "whirlydog" (early form of his helicopter) -- 3/14/60 A dinosaur -- 7/7/60 The "Mad Punter" -- 12/12/60 A ship's captain -- 1/29/61 A rabbit -- 3/16/61 A gorilla -- 3/21/61 A lost calf -- 3/26/61 A salmon -- 10/17/61 A hood ornament -- 11/24/61 A jungle ape -- 5/3/62 A shepherd -- 7/1/62 A gargoyle -- 9/27/62 A teddy bear -- 12/28/62 A weather vane -- 6/1/63 An ice-skating champion -- 2/23/64 A sheep -- 12/24/64 A partridge in a pear tree -- 12/25/64 A trapeze artist -- 3/2/65 A skateboard champion -- 3/29/65 A bowling ace -- 4/14/65 An assistant psychiatrist (for Lucy) -- 6/25/65 An author -- 7/12/65 A surfer -- 8/5/65 The WWI Flying Ace -- 10/10/65 A soldier of the French Foreign Legion -- 3/21/66 The WWI Army Surgeon -- 11/24/66 The "Masked Marvel" -- 2/9/67 A piranha -- 3/25/67 A "cheshire beagle" -- 4/18/67 A secret agent -- 9/7/67 The World-Famous Hockey Player -- 10/8/67 A monster movie-style "creature from the sea" -- 1/13/68 A school principal -- 1/30/68 A baseball manager -- 3/13/68 The World-Famous Golf Pro -- 4/8/68 The Easter Beagle -- 4/14/68 The World-Famous Wrist Wrestler -- 4/24/68 Captain of the Rescue Squad -- 1/27/69 A prairie dog -- 2/12/69 The World-Famous Astronaut -- 3/8/69 The tether-ball champion -- 5/28/69 The World-Famous Roller Derby Star -- 7/4/69 The World-Famous Baseball Superstar -- 7/31/69 The World-Famous Football Star -- 9/16/69 The WWII Veteran -- 11/11/69 The World-Famous Skier -- 12/15/69 The "Head Beagle" -- 2/16/70 The World-Famous Tennis Star -- 6/11/70 The World-Famous Grocery Clerk -- 8/25/70 A sheep dog -- 4/25/71 Joe Cool -- 5/27/71 The World-Famous Football Coach -- 9/2/71 The World-Famous Swimmer -- 10/2/71 The World-Famous Attorney -- 1/12/72 Captain of the Starship Enterprise -- 2/7/72 A fierce pirate -- 8/14/72 The Pawpet Theater Host -- 3/17/74 A streaker -- 5/6/74 The Beagle Scout (initially a "tenderpaw") -- 5/13/74 The World-Famous Crabby Skating Pro -- 11/7/74 Joe Motocross -- 2/18/75 An airplane mechanic -- 6/24/75 A "man from the Chamber of Commerce" -- 7/2/75 The World-Famous Jogger -- 5/17/76 A helicopter -- 2/1/77 A crop-duster -- 7/10/77 An owl -- 10/27/77 Peppermint Patty (a disguise) -- 12/5/77 A traffic copter -- 10/8/78 The World-Famous Disco Dancer -- 10/16/78 The April Fool -- 4/1/79 Blackjack Snoopy, World-Famous Riverboat Gambler -- 5/30/79 The World-Famous County Surveyor -- 6/18/79 A scarecrow -- 6/22/79 A fierce python -- 10/9/79 A bow & arrow hunter -- 1/15/80 Dr. Beagle and Mr. Hyde -- 3/19/80 A fierce rattlesnake -- 3/28/80 The World-Famous Census Taker -- 3/31/80 John McEnroe -- 5/6/80 Tracy Austin -- 5/7/80 John Newcombe -- 5/8/80 A Zamboni driver -- 12/5/80 A portrait painter -- 6/12/81 Joe Preppy -- 7/30/81 The World-Famous Hired Hand -- 2/27/82 The World-Famous Surgeon -- 7/12/82 Joe Sandbagger (while bowling) -- 10/21/82 An Olympic chariot racer -- 11/27/83 Flashbeagle -- 11/29/83 The Little Red-Haired Girl -- 2/10/85 "Punk" Beagle -- 8/7/85 The World-Famous Agent -- 9/15/86 Joe Aerobics -- 7/11/87 Alistair Beagle -- 6/27/89 "Shoeless" Joe Beagle -- 8/27/89 Santa Claus -- 12/18/89 Joe Bungie -- 8/5/90 A tennis ball-beagle -- 8/12/90 A fierce "October beast" -- 10/2/90 The World-Famous Highway Flagman -- 1/9/91 A beaver -- 6/17/91 A school honor student -- 9/19/91 A trained service technician -- 10/10/91 A wounded soldier -- 2/23/92 A ventriloquist -- 4/13/92 The pilot for Ace Airlines -- 6/8/92 Joe Grunge -- 4/26/93 Joe Blackjack, the World-Famous Riverboat Gambler -- 8/30/95 A Revolutionary War Patriot -- 1/5/97 Blackbeagle, the World Famous Pirate -- 7/31/97 The World-Famous Big-Rig Operator -- 3/28/98 The (F.) Scott Fitzgerald Hero -- 5/21/98 A diving expert -- 7/1/99 The World-Famous Orthopedic Surgeon -- 8/26/99 4.10) What are the names of Snoopy's siblings? In the order that they were introduced in the strip, they are: Spike, Belle, Marbles, "Ugly" Olaf, and Andy. While the 1991 TV special "Snoopy's Reunion" also mentions Molly and Rover, they are not to be confused with those found in the "real world" of the newspaper strip. It is significant, though, that Charles Schulz once drew a Sunday strip with Snoopy's father receiving a card signed by "all eight" of his offspring...but we never officially met them. 4.11) What are the titles of the "Bunny-Wunnies" books which Snoopy loves so much? Scott McGuire deserves the primary credit for this one, having conducted the essential research. In the order they were introduced, the "sensitive" tomes credited to Miss Helen Sweetstory are: The Six Bunny-Wunnies and Their Pony Cart (first mentioned July 26, 1970) The Six Bunny-Wunnies Go to Long Beach The Six Bunny-Wunnies Make Cookies The Six Bunny-Wunnies Join an Encounter Group (all mentioned on April 8, 1971) The Six Bunny-Wunnies and Their XK-E (April 10, 1971) The Six Bunny-Wunnies and Their Water Bed (April 12, 1971) The Six Bunny-Wunnies and Their Layover in Anderson, Indiana (April 13, 1971) The Six Bunny-Wunnies and the Female Veterinarian (February 10, 1972) The Six Bunny-Wunnies Freak Out (October 23, 1972) The Six Bunny-Wunnies Visit Plains, Georgia (September 26, 1977) The penultimate one is somewhat notorious because it was banned from the local library, which prompted Charlie Brown to investigate the situation. Snoopy is known to have a complete set -- which undoubtedly includes far more titles than shown here -- assembled through the always reliable Beagle Book Club. And although Snoopy's devotion to Miss Sweetstory wavered a bit after learning she lived with 24 cats, he has remained a faithful reader. Scott further suggests -- rather perceptively -- that Schulz may have intended these titles as a parody of the juvenile series "The Happy Hollisters," based on two coincidences: 1) there were six Hollister children, just as there are six Bunny-Wunnies; and 2) one of the characters in each series is named Pam. Hey, it sounds good...until we hear otherwise! 4.12) What's the complete text of Snoopy's novel? As firmly established in the Holt, Rinehart & Winston book, "Snoopy and It Was A Dark And Stormy Night" (published in 1971), this is Snoopy's novel...in all its glory: It Was A Dark And Stormy Night by Snoopy Part I It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed. The maid screamed. Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon! While millions of people were starving, the king lived in luxury. Meanwhile, on a small farm in Kansas, a boy was growing up. Part II A light snow was falling, and the little girl with the tattered shawl had not sold a violet all day. At that very moment, a young intern at City Hospital was making an important discovery. The mysterious patient in Room 213 had finally awakened. She moaned softly. Could it be that she was the sister of the boy in Kansas who loved the girl with the tattered shawl who was the daughter of the maid who had escaped from the pirates? The intern frowned. "Stampede!" the foreman shouted, and forty thousand head of cattle thundered down on the tiny camp. The two men rolled on the ground grappling beneath the murderous hooves. A left and a right. A left. Another left and right. An uppercut to the jaw. The fight was over. And so the ranch was saved. The young intern sat by himself in one corner of the coffee shop. he had learned about medicine, but more importantly, he had learned something about life. THE END (At which point, Linus asked, "But what about the king?" He got clonked on the head for his impertinence.) Longtime readers and literature fans will recognize that Charles Schulz is spoofing Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton, whose 1830 novel "Paul Clifford" actually begins with the phrase, "It was a dark and stormy night." The infamy of that phrase, over the years, led to an annual competition -- the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest -- that encourages writers to compose the worst possible opening line for a fictitious book. The phrase has been a pop-culture beacon of hilarity and gentle ribbing for many, many years. Perhaps the most famous riff for our purposes, though, is a direct nod to Snoopy's appropriation of the phrase -- and a bit of what follows -- for his novel. Comic book writer Len Wein came up with a brilliant (and hilarious) Batman short story tribute to SnoopyŐs novel in 1981's Detective Comics #500. Aside from its lead story, the issue has a series of short stories by different writers; Wein wrote a two-pager with art by Walt Simonson. The story has no dialogue. It only has captions. The captions? All lines from the aforementioned Snoopy novel. You can read all about it, and see the two pages of artwork, midway down through an article titled "Comic Book Legends Revealed," at this Comic Book Resources Web site: http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/08/12/comic-book-legends-revealed-273/ 4.13) How old are Charlie Brown and his friends (as "real" characters)? This is a fascinating question, mostly because Charles Schulz wisely resisted the urge to time-stamp his characters...although he made a few slips over the years. First of all, it should be pointed out that some characters have been "rapidly aged" far faster than others. When first introduced, Charlie Brown was definitely younger than Shermy and Patty, although this didn't last much more than a few months. Similarly, Schroeder was introduced as an infant, although he's now quite clearly the same age as Charlie Brown. Linus, too, was once much older than Sally, but once he became her "sweet babboo" that gap narrowed. More recently, Rerun seems to have aged without any of the other kids growing similarly older. On to specifics: In a very early strip -- October 30, 1950 -- Patty and Shermy present Charlie Brown with an empty plate that should have contained a birthday cake (they "weren't...sure it was his birthday") and wish him a happy birthday. Although no age is mentioned, we could reasonably guess that perhaps October 30 is Charlie Brown's birthday. A few days later, in the November 3, 1950 strip, the punchline concludes with Charlie Brown's announcement that he is "only 4 years old." (While we're on the subject of birthdays, the 1/18/54 strip shows Schroeder telling Charlie Brown that "today" is his -- Schroeder's -- birthday. While no age is mentioned, we can therefore reasonably guess that January 18 belongs to Schroeder. Charlie Brown and Pig Pen attend Violet's birthday Party in the June 17, 1962, Sunday strip; Lucy gives Linus a chair for his birthday in the November 22, 1964, Sunday strip. Finally, Peppermint Patty's father gives her roses on her Birthday, in the October 4, 1970, Sunday strip. Remember, the strip acknowledges major holidays in real time, so in theory these could be actual birthdays.) Schroeder's age was given as 3 on May 1, 1953. On January 25, 1955, Lucy claimed to be 4 years old, with Patty halfway between 5 and 6. Clearly Lucy got older quickly, because Linus was said to be 5 on May 5, 1956 (and again on September 2, 1958, and June 10, 1959). In an intriguing twist of logic, Linus was said to be only 4 on March 27, 1957...now there's a neat trick! But time marches on. The November 17, 1957 Sunday strip concluded with Charlie Brown saying, "A person shouldn't have to lose all his pride when he's only 6 years old!" At that point, therefore, we can assume he and his contemporaries -- all the other kids except for Linus -- were the same age. But in the August 29, 1960 daily strip, we heard Linus claim that he was "almost five years older" than Sally. Since she was then walking, she'd be at least 1 year old, which would make Linus at least 6, which would now make Charlie Brown at least 7. (See how hard this is?) On September 30, 1960, Lucy proudly stated that she was one year older than Linus; that much, at least, seems to have remained consistent ever since. In the Jan. 25, 1962, daily strip, Lucy complains about world problems and bellows that she'll "give them just 12 years to get things straightened out...I want everything settled by the time I'm 18!" This indicates that her age was 6 at this particular moment, which seems odd, since she must be Charlie Brown's age, who in the previous paragraph was shown to be 7 two years earlier! Linus is definitely said to be 6 on September 23, 1964. In the April 3, 1971, strip, Charlie Brown tells Linus, "Only 13 more years and I'll be 21." As of that moment, therefore, Charlie Brown was 8. Peppermint Patty told us that she was 7 on January 6, 1972. Many years later, when Charlie Brown checked himself into a hospital on July 11, 1979, he gave his age as "eight-and-a-half years old." This is supported, more or less, by Charlie Brown's statement on October 3, 1991, that he "won't be leaving (for college) for another ten years." If we assume that most people are 18 (and some change) when they enter college, then Chuck once again is giving his age as 8 (and possibly some change). This unfortunately conflicts with the age of choice for the "older" kids, since on February 19, 1997, Lucy quite definitely claimed to be 7. ("Don't forget, I'll be twenty-one in another...fourteen years!") Or perhaps Charlie Brown is supposed to be older than Lucy??? Moving onto Rerun, he was definitely one year old on March 28, 1973, when a strip concluded with this thought: "Only a year old, and already I'm living in the past!" He became about four during the early 90s...not yet old enough for "regular" school, but apparently very close. Lucy officially "catches up" to Charlie Brown on April 2, 1985, when she's shown to be 8 years old. Alas, even this information proves temporary, because (as mentioned a few paragraphs above), on February 19, 1997, she quite clearly states that she is, once again, 7. As of the October 15, 1995, Sunday strip, we know Rerun is 5 years old...because he says so! What this does to everybody else's age, is anybody's guess. Although it doesn't indicate his age, we do learn on June 9, 1986, that Linus was born in October, as compared to Lydia, who was born in December. (She thus is able to insist that he's "too old" for her.) These examples notwithstanding, it's probably better to talk about age as relative, rather than specific. Using that guideline, we can group the major characters into three sets (from oldest to youngest), and assume that the members of each set are roughly the same age: Charlie Brown, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Schroeder, Franklin, Shermy, Patty, Violet, Pig-Pen Linus, Sally, Frieda and Eudora Rerun As you can see, providing an absolute answer to this question is about as hard as nailing jello to a wall. Charles Schulz kept his universe a fluid organism, one with occasional changes. (Remember, on June 6, 1959, Snoopy identified himself as "an only dog"!) That means gradual shifts over time, not necessarily consistent with each other. 4.14) Have adults ever appeared in the strip? Generally, no...with some striking and interesting exceptions. Charlie Brown's mother makes an "off-camera" appearance in the 11/7/50 strip, when she calls him by name. Similarly, Charlie Brown's father makes an off-camera appearance in the 6/20/93 Sunday strip (reprinted in AROUND THE WORLD IN 45 YEARS), when he plays with Snoopy and talks to him in no fewer than eight word-balloons. So we do have irrefutable proof that ol' Chuck is growing up in a happy two-parent household. Another "near-miss" turned up in the 10/17/54 Sunday strip. Charlie Brown, attempting to attain the same level of security as Linus, hustles into a store to purchase one yard of outing flannel ("And DON'T LAUGH!!", he tells the clerk). Look closely, and you'll see the clerk's left hand...complete with wedding band! Adults also occasionally chat within the Van Pelt household, although -- once again -- they always remain unseen. Lucy, in her toddler phase, is told by her mother to finish drinking her milk, in the 1/8/53 daily strip. Much later, in the 9/18/66 Sunday strip, Linus correctly predicts that their grandmother will not play favorites when shown pictures drawn by both siblings; in the penultimate panel, Grandma indeed responds, "Why, I think they're both very nice." The best early use of almost-wholly-there adults, however, comes in four consecutive Sunday strips involving Lucy's participation in a golf tournament, with Charlie Brown at her side as sort of a one-man cheering squad. Numerous adults appeared in close-up, from the waist down, in a few panels. In other panels, you can see groups of adults in the "cheering gallery," although their faces remain obscured. This bit of oddness never happened again. If you're content with seeing just one of the strips in this series, you'll find it (only in black-and-white, alas) roughly halfway through Chip Kidd's "Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz." You can see all of them in Fantagraphics' "The Complete Peanuts Volume 2." Schulz also used Snoopy in his "infantry beagle" mode to commemorate Memorial Day and Veterans Day. The 5/31/98 Sunday strip, a huge single panel, placed the comic strip beagle against a background photograph of soldiers designed to honor the anniversary of D-Day. Later the same year, Schulz went one better than his usual acknowledgement of war-era cartoonist Bill Mauldin, in whose honor Snoopy usually "quaffs a root beer" each November 11. In the 11/11/98 daily strip, Snoopy actually meets Mauldin's Willie and Joe, the comic strip soldiers who conveyed the weary loneliness of WWII life for an entire generation. They're even drawn in Mauldin's style! But that's not the whole answer. Although never again seen, adults have certainly been referenced in the strip, and made frequent "off-camera" appearances, to borrow a cinematic phrase. Most are "fictitious" characters within the Peanuts universe, but occasional appearances are made by actual celebrities. In rare cases, some adults have even been given a sentence or two in a word balloon. In order to better define the question, we will restrict the subsequent list to fictitious adults with whom the kids have actually interacted...as opposed to real people, or those merely mentioned by name (Rachel Carlson, for example). The following list, while not intended to be definitive, gives ample evidence that adults are very much involved with Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang...even if we don't actually see them. ***) Various parents -- most kids have both a mother and father, some of whom are mentioned quite frequently (Charlie Brown's father, for example). Peppermint Patty is the only character who seems to be growing up in a single-parent household; although she often speaks fondly of her father -- who calls her his "rare gem" -- she has only mentioned her mother in terms of "not having one" (during a conversation with Marcie). ***) Various school officials -- Peppermint Patty, Roy, Marcie and Franklin attend one school; Charlie Brown and His friends are at another. We've spent time with both school principals (and their secretaries), a school nurse and unspecified teachers. Some of these teachers have also been named: ***) Miss Othmar, later Mrs. Hagemeyer -- Linus' favorite teacher. ***) Miss Halverson -- Linus' new teacher, after Miss Othmar is fired during a strike. (She later reappears, sending poor Miss Halverson into comic-strip limbo.) ***) Mrs. Donovan -- mentioned as Charlie Brown's teacher, on 2/17/66. ***) Miss Swanson -- mentioned as Peppermint Patty's teacher, on 12/8/69. ***) Miss Tenure -- another of Peppermint Patty's teachers (different class? different year?), mentioned on 12/2/77. ***) Aunt Marian -- Either "Marian" was an extremely common name, or all the members of the Peanuts gang are more inter-related than we suspected. Violet mentions having an Aunt Marian on November 12, 1958. The following year, on June 16, 1959, Charlie Brown mentions that he, too, has an Aunt Marian. (Younger sister Sally supports this notion on March 12, 1991, when she refers to her Aunt Marian.) Not to be outdone, on January 25, 1963, Lucy also claims an Aunt Marian. Decades then went by, but the name's popularity didn't diminish a jot; as of September 18, 1999, we also learned that Snoopy has an Aunt Marian. The truth, of course, is that Charles Schulz continued to honor his own Aunt Marian, who, he told us (in "You Don't Look 35, Charlie Brown"), had a motto: "Never marry a trumpet player." As it turns out, she did marry one... ***) Linus' blanket-hating grandmother -- star of many sequences, during which she alternately tries to trick or bargain Linus into abandoning his blanket (and always fails, of course!) This could be the same grandmother who has some dialog in a Sunday strip, when she "chooses" between pictures drawn by Linus and Lucy, by saying that both are equally good. On the other hand, since this grandmother seems so benign, she could be their other grandmother. ***) The little red-haired girl's grandmother, who also has red hair. ***) Various doctors, their nurses and receptionists. ***) Charlie Brown's pediatrician -- also head of the School Board, and the man who tries to get the Bunny-Wunny books banned from the school library. ***) Snoopy's vet and receptionist. ***) A call-in radio talk-show host, once subject to a verbal duel with Linus. ***) Several movie-theater ticket-sellers, one of whom had dialog, on 11/19/67. ***) Newspaper classified ad reps, who've spoken to the kids over the telephone. ***) Three airline stewardesses, who met Snoopy for lunch. ***) The people next door, owner of the cat next door. ***) The Little League president. ***) Miss Helen Sweetstory -- author of the Bunny-Wunny books. ***) Joe Shlabotnik -- Charlie Brown's favorite baseball player. ***) Peggy Fleming -- who once spoke to Snoopy during a Sports Hero banquet. ***) Bill Mauldin -- an actual cartoonist, famous for his WWII-era panels, with whom Snoopy quaffs a few root-beers every Veterans Day. And many others...but you get the idea. 4.15) What is the name of Charlie Brown's schoolteacher? I'm astonished, given the wealth of trivia that could be asked about the Peanuts gang, that this particular question pops up so often (notably on TV game shows, radio contests, and the like). What's even more disturbing is that, in many cases, the answer given is incorrect! "Miss Othmar" teaches LINUS, not Charlie Brown (although the latter has visited Linus' class a few times). Charlie Brown's teacher is Mrs. Donovan. (Take THAT, TV quiz shows!) She's mentioned twice, toward the end of a sequence when Charlie Brown volunteers to participate in a school spelling bee (and yes, this inspired the first big-screen Peanuts film). Mrs. Donovan is mentioned in the February 17 and 18, 1966, daily strips. 4.16) Who plays which position on Charlie Brown's baseball team? This is a fascinating question, if only because the information changed over the years. Back in the strip's early days, the characters didn't really have "set" positions; it was not at all unusual to find Charlie Brown in the outfield, or acting as catcher (with Shermy as pitcher). During that point in time, we never saw the kids playing other teams; they just split up and played a game among themselves. This changed in the late 1950s and early 60s, once a more-or-less-official roster was established. Certain characters became pretty firmly established in specific positions, such as Charlie Brown's ongoing duties on the pitcher's mound. But occasional changes still crept in; Linus has pitched a few times (generally winning the game in the process) and has taken the occasional outfield position; Lucy tried her hand at pitching, as well ... but only once (4/28/63). Lucy also attempted first base (5/19/57) and second base (4/15/58). Charlie Brown has played center field (5/18/55). Pig Pen served as catcher once (5/4/55). Linus apparently is a talented all-rounder: He has been in center field (4/13/57), right field (3/30/58) and short stop (4/16/58). And even Snoopy has been seen in the outfield (4/12/57), and once tried out as catcher (6/5/63), but it was clear that he was too small for the equipment that he was supposed to wear. Speaking of catcher, Lucy also tried out for this position and even suited up ("I feel like I'm in a bird cage ... tweet tweet chirp chirp"), but in the next strip she gave up (6/6-7/63), saying "I refuse to get hit by a flying bat and deprive the world of Miss Universe of 1975." When Peppermint Patty first visited the neighborhood and tried to "help" Chuck's team, she pitched and bumped him into left field. Other infrequent changes have found Linus in the outfield (prior to his established position at second base), and Lucy at shortstop (but, again, only once: 5/3/59) Occasional Sunday strips were good for "establishing shots" of the entire team, albeit usually crowded around the pitcher's mound. This seems to be the team in most cases: Charlie Brown Linus Schroeder Lucy Shermy Snoopy Violet Patty Frieda Pig Pen has stepped in for Frieda on occasion, and "5" has replaced either Frieda or Linus (!). With the more-or-less disappearance of Shermy, Violet, Patty, and Frieda, it would seem difficult for Charlie Brown to field an entire team...which may explain why we currently tend to see only Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, and Schroeder. (It has been established that Peppermint Patty and Franklin have their own teams, although we've also been told that Franklin has played Center on her team...which, by the way, is called the Pelicans.) But I digress. Allowing for occasional changes, the "official" roster of the team is as follows: Pitcher (and Manager): Charlie Brown Catcher: Schroeder 1st Base: Shermy 2nd Base: Linus (and Pig Pen, at least once) 3rd Base: Pig-Pen (and Violet, at least once) Shortstop: Snoopy Left Field: Patty (and Rerun, during his one attempt) Center Field: Frieda (and Violet, on occasion) Right Field: Lucy Actually, the fielders change constantly. Lucy can be found at either Left, Right or Center, with the other positions made up by Frieda, Patty, and Violet. After Eudora's debut in 1978, she occasionally turned up in Center Field, next to Lucy (in Right Field). 4.17) Has Charlie Brown's baseball team ever won a game? Folks take for granted -- mainly because Charlie Brown himself reinforces the notion -- that his baseball team has remained "win-less" all these years. While ample evidence exists that things go pretty badly ("We always seem to lose the first game of the season and the last game of the season ... and all the stupid games in between!"), in point of fact ol' Chuck's team HAS won a few. In sequence, they are: 4/26/58: Just prior to the first game of the season, Charlie Brown winds up home in bed, feeling sick. Lucy leads the gang into his bedroom later that day, and triumphantly proclaims, "We didn't do anything you told us! In fact, we didn't even miss you!" And, as a result, the team won the game. 6/10/65: Having (as usual) been shipped off to camp for the summer, Charlie Brown receives a letter from Linus, which says, among other things, "I suppose you are worried about your baseball team. Well, don't worry ... we're doing fine ... in fact, yesterday we won the first game we've won all season!" 8/5/66: After getting hit on the head with a line drive (a few days earlier, on 8/2) and being forced to spend the rest of the game on the bench, ol' Chuck's team triumphs again. "We won, Charlie Brown!" Lucy shouts. "We won the game!" 8/1/67: After once again getting discouraged by the "meanininglessness" of his team's performance, Charlie Brown goes home and retreats to his darkened bedroom. On this day, after a series of strips that began on July 24, Linus pokes his head in the door and tells Chuck that they won that day's game ... without him. 8/16/68: Thrown into a tizzy when he notices the Little Red-Haired Girl watching the game from the stands, Charlie Brown gets the shakes so badly that he cannot pitch the game. Relief pitcher Linus takes over, and the team wins! 4/22-23/69: When Peppermint Patty and Franklin both finds themselves unable to field an entire team, they reluctantly tell Charlie Brown that his team has won by forfeit ... both times. Alas, the two-game winning streak ends the next day, when "the other team" (we don't know whose) shows up. 4/9/73: When the opposing team has trouble pitching to Rerun because of his small size, the little guy walks in the winning run, and Linus triumphantly shouts, "We won! We won, Charlie Brown!" Alas, the Little League president eventually takes the game away because of gambling: Rerun, ever the loyal player, bet Snoopy a nickel that his team would win. (This sequence reprinted in "You're the Guest of Honor, Charlie Brown.") 3/30/93: With Royanne Hobbs pitching against him, Charlie Brown hits his first-ever home run (in the ninth inning) and brings his team to victory. (This sequence reprinted in "Dogs Are Worth It.") 6/29/93: Once again facing Royanne Hobbs, Charlie Brown hits ANOTHER home run, and brings his team to victory again! (This sequence also reprinted in "Dogs Are Worth It.") Of course, both these home runs prove to be bittersweet victories ... but ol' Chuck really doesn't care! Eagle-eyed detail-spotter Tim Chow also came up with some likely, albeit non-specific, instances: 6/9/58: On the verge of pitching to "this last man," Charlie Brown is told by Schroeder that if he gets the guy out, "the championship will be ours!" It therefore would seem that ol' Chuck's team must've won some games along the way, in order for this to be possible. Alas, the pitch is returned as a high fly ball, which Charlie Brown himself drops. 7/29/63: "If we can hold 'em this inning," Lucy says, "We'll win the championship!" The argument above can be repeated here, but the results are even worse: Charlie Brown loads the bases and then balks in the tying and winning runs. 3/19/64: During an extended sequence that begins on 3/2, Charlie Brown's arm begins to hurt during a game; subsequent X-rays reveal that he has "little leaguer's elbow," and his arm winds up in a sling for an unspecified number of games. Linus takes over the pitching duties, and on this particular day, Lucy comments to Charlie Brown, "Do you realize we haven't lost a game since you had to stop pitching?" It's also interesting to note that when ol' Chuck does return to the field, he plays third base! 8/1/69: Bob Diethrich spotted this, and it's a wonderfully subtle one: In the first panel, Snoopy's playing shortstop (it appears), and thinks, "That's the third out, the game is over." Well, if he was in the field in the ninth inning, then that means that the opposing team was at bat, and if it's the third out, then the team failed to make a run ... which means that Snoopy's team -- that is to say, Charlie Brown's team -- must have won the game. Cool, eh? 4.18) What is the name of Charlie Brown's baseball team? We don't know. Surprisingly, Charles Schulz never told us. That holds true of both the newspaper strip and the various animated TV specials. Ol' Chuck's team simply never gets named. We do know that Peppermint Patty's team is called the Pelicans, as mentioned above. And, during one delightful story sequence, Charlie Brown briefly runs away from home and winds up coaching the very small members of a team called the Goose Eggs. But as for Charlie Brown's own team ... that remains a mystery! 4.19) Sally's School Malapropisms Of the many running gags Schulz employed over the years, Sally's fractured use of English remains one of the funniest. It's possible, having raised five children, that Schulz was able to draw some or all of this material from personal observation...or, perhaps, he's just quick with a verbal quip. Whatever the source, many of these strips have found their way onto bulletin boards, where they have remained for years ... or even decades. Although Lucy actually delivered the first of these gags -- "My favorite piece is Bach's Toccata and Fugue in Asia Minor" (3/15/56) and "Did you know there are sixteen ozzes in a lib?" (3/10/66) -- the concept really caught fire when Sally entered school (probably first grade, as her kindergarten year apparently passed without incident). The subsequent list is as definitive as I've been able to make it (let me know if I've missed any!): "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...in hope that Jack Nicklaus soon would be there.' (12/11/68) "Abraham Lincoln was our sixteenth king, and the father of Lot's wife." (2/12/70) "What made you decide to buy an aquarium?" (asked by Charlie Brown) "It's timely...haven't you heard? This is the age of Aquariums." (5/11/70) [For a report on Columbus Day] "Columbus Day was a very brave man. He wanted to sail around the world. `I can give you three ships, Mr. Day,' said the Queen." (10/12/70) "Two times two is tooty-two; three times three is threety-three; four times four is four-forty-four." (11/2/70) "I have to do a paper on Ken and Abel. I've been looking all through the Old Testament, and I've found Abel, but I can't find Ken. Do you think maybe I'm using the wrong translation?" (4/24/71) [While on a school field trip at an art museum] "Maybe we'll get to see Ramona Lisa" (5/7/71) "I'm writing a story about some cave men. They're sitting around a campfire, see, when all of a sudden they're attacked by a huge thesaurus!" (6/22/71) [For a history report on the Egyptians] "Family life among the Egyptians was easier than it is today...they were all facing the same way." (1/3/72) "The Incas were people who lived a long time ago in Incaland. They had a highly developed civilization. They would still be here today, but they lacked motel facilities." (3/12/72) "Sheepherders raise lambs, from which we get lambchops. They also raise sheep, from which we get sheepchops." (4/19/72) "This report is on melons. Melons have to be planted between May 15th and June 5th. I don't know what you do if you happen to be out of town." (5/3/72) "Our wild life and our trees are protected by brave and dedicated men. These men live by themselves in towers, and are called Forest Strangers." (9/29/72) "I could write about how exciting it is when the grape boats come sailing into the arbor." (10/26/72) "The largest dinosaur that ever lived was the Bronchitis. It soon became extinct...it coughed a lot." (12/11/72) "Ten milligrams equals one centigram...ten decigrams equals one gram...ten grams equals one grampa." (12/13/72) "He was a very rich cowboy. He had a car and a horse. He kept his car in the carport, and he kept his horse in the horseport." (3/21/73) "Butterflies are free. What does this mean? It means you can have all of them you want." (5/4/73) "English theme: Vandalism as a Problem Today. Who is the leader of these vandals? I will tell you: they are encouraged by Evandalists." (5/7/73) "This is my report on rain. Rain is water which does not come out of faucets...after a storm, the rain goes down the drain, which is where I sometimes feel my education is also going." (11/7/73) [A history report on Ancient Greece] "Ancient Greece was ahead of its time, and before our time. They had no TV, but they had lots of philosophers. I, personally, would not want to sit all evening watching a philosopher." (5/1/74) "History of France: A Report on Cardinal Rishhalleouoooo." (2/6/75) "Today is the observance of Washington's birthday. Actually, his real birthday is not until this Saturday. There is a reason for this. He could not wait to open his presents." (2/17/75) "When writing about church history, we have to go back to the very beginning. Our pastor was born in 1930." (9/4/75) "I'm going to try to sign up for a course in theology...I want to learn all about religion. I want to learn about Moses, and St. Paul, and Minneapolis." (9/3/75) "I don't care anything about past participles; they don't interest me. How about present-day participles?" (2/17/76) "This is my report on Dick Moby." [Charlie Brown informs her that this is wrong. She considers, then says...] "How about Richard Moby?" (5/24/76) "Light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second...so why are afternoons so long?" (6/1/76) "Some people are right-handed...some people are left-handed...some people are able to use both hands with equal ease. Such people are called handbidextrous." (10/17/76) "Literature quiz: When did Mark Twain write 'Tom Sawyer'? If I know him, probably in the evenings." (4/6/78) "You know where King David wrote his psalms? Under a psalm tree!" (4/13/78) "Sir Walter Scott's most famous novel was Ivanhohoho." (4/19/78) "King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria conquered many nations, and carried off their booty...this meant that none of the little babies had any booties." (9/8/78) "I'm writing a story for school. It's all about Santa Claus and his rain gear." (12/18/78) "This is the classic story of Peter Rabbit and his coat of many colors." [to begin a book report] ... and, later in that same strip, "Wait until tomorrow, when I recite another classic, The Owl and the Fussy Cat." (9/23/79) "I'm drawing a cow, but I'm having trouble with the hoofseses." (9/10/80) "The sea is a body of water that would like to be an ocean." (1/21/81) "This is my report on Halley's Comma. It's a very famous comma -- he probably wrote home a lot." (3/6/81) "There are seven continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America, and Aunt Arctica." (5/25/81) "Britain was invaded in the year 43 by Roman Numerals." (10/6/84) "The farmer had a large house and a big red barn. Behind the barn the farmer had a pastor." (3/20/85) "He was a very arrogant cowboy -- he would only ride on pompous grass." (7/12/85) "The recreation room had a huge brick fireplace. The walls were covered with naughty pine." (8/20/86) "`Tess of the d'Urbervilles,' by Laural N. Hardy" [to begin a book report] (9/4/88) [For a report on volcanos] "Life in the village was peaceful, until the volcano interrupted." (5/15/90) [About a memorized Bible verse] "Maybe it was something Moses said, or something from the Book of Reevaluation." (6/18/99) 4.20) What is the name of the infamous "cat next door" which slashes at Snoopy's doghouse? World War II 4.21) What is the name of the town where Charlie Brown and his friends live? As far as "gospel" is concerned -- in other words, according to the newspaper strip -- their exact geographic location is intentionally left unknown, for the same reason that we never see the little red-haired girl, or Linus' favorite schoolteacher. This way each of us can imagine that Chuck, Snoopy, and the rest live in our own community. But... Schulz slipped a few clues in, here and there. The first came in the February 15, 1957, daily strip, when Lucy shows Charlie Brown a trophy she has just won. It identifies her as the "Outstanding Fussbudget of Hennepin County." Well, sports fans, Hennepin County actually exists: It's in Minnsota, specifically the county that includes Minneapolis. (St. Paul is in neighboring Ramsey County.) This should come as no surprise, since at the time Schulz and his family still were living in Minnesota. Uber-fan Don Weatherwax caught the next clue. The 1963 Determined book, SECURITY IS A THUMB AND A BLANKET, has an intriguing cartoon (eighth from the end, to be precise). The caption reads "Security is having a home town," and the picture shows Linus hugging a sign which states the following: Pinetree Corners Population 3,260 The illustration is clearly drawn by Charles Schulz, so we're left to wonder whether "Pinetree Corners" holds some special meaning, or the name was merely supplied in response to the publisher's demands... Perhaps even more interesting is an item called to my attention by Nick Straguzzi. When the character of 5 is introduced, on Sept. 30, 1963, he explains that his father has given everybody in his family numbers instead of names. In the following day's strip (Oct. 1), 5 identifies the "family name" (last name) as 95472, and even mentions that it's "...actually...our Zip Code number." Well, 5 lives -- or lived, anyway, for a time -- in Charlie Brown's neighborhood, and a reverse Zip Code directory reveals that 95472 belongs to Sebastopol, California. So...does that mean that Charlie Brown and his friends live in Sebastopol? Probably not. For one thing, it rarely snows, and the kids clearly spend a lot of time in the white stuff every winter. But it does seem that Schulz had a fondness for Northern California in general, what with this oblique reference to Sebastopol, and Snoopy's wrist-wrestling obsessions with Petaluma, to name just one other. As a Northern Californian myself, I have to admit that there are far worse ways of being recognized... And yet, the ties to Minnesota don't vanish completely. As Tim Chow pointed out, the March 23 1984, strip (reprinted in "The Way of the Fussbudget Is Not Easy") finds Peppermint Patty losing her homework to a severe windstorm. Among other things, she notes that "...my English theme was last seen on Selby Avenue, and my history paper is now flying over Highland Park." St. Paul, Minnesota, turns out to have a Selby Avenue and Highland Park...and while it's undoubtedly not the only American town with that distinction, Schulz's link to St. Paul is well known. In fact, Schulz was born at the corner of Selby and Snelling in St. Paul, above what is now O'Gara's Bar and Grill. As fan Tony Hill pointed out, Schulz rode the Selby Avenue streetcar to Central High School. The November 12, 1991, daily strip shows Linus in bed, with a pennant hanging on his wall that honors the "Sharks." As pointed out by Chris Lee, this probably was Charles Schulz's subtle way of honoring the San Jose Sharks, a National Hockey League team whose exploits the artist most certainly would have followed, as a Northern California resident. So does this point to the kids living in Northern California? Again, not necessarily...after all, Linus could have picked up such a pennant while attending a game, and brought it back to wherever he really lives! 4.22) Where do the kids go to school? Like many other "facts" in the Peanuts universe, this deceptively simple question triggers a multiplicity of answers. The first official acknowledgement of a school name came in the April 16, 1981, strip (reprinted in "You're Weird, Sir"); it quite clearly shows Linus entering the James Street Elementary School. If we therefore assume that Linus, Charlie Brown, Sally, Lucy, Schroeder and a few others attend classes in the same place, then this would seem to be their school. This information is consistent with a strip from all the way back in 1952 - August 14 - in which Schroeder tells Charlie Brown that his address is 1770 James Street (and he can remember the number because that's the year Beethoven was born). (It has been established that Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Roy and Franklin attend a different school together, but we don't yet know its name.) Unfortunately...it's not that simple. The January 22, 1986, daily strip (reprinted in "By Supper Possessed) shows Charlie Brown and Sally riding a schoolbus with the upper portion of the letters PINEC visible on the side of the bus. A few years later, in the January 8, 1990, strip (reprinted in "Make Way for the King of the Jungle"), this apparently new school name was verified, as Linus told Sally that they were (as usual) riding the school bus to Pinecrest Elementary School. So what happened? We do know, from her days of talking to her school building, that a horrified Sally once confronted the brick-strewn rubble that had been her school, after it quietly tumbled down. (It had "had all it could take.") For awhile, during the transition, Sally and everybody else apparently attended Peppermint Patty's school (where Charlie Brown wound up sharing a desk with the "rare gem," with limited success). Could it be that, rather than returning to James Street Elementary, they all went "back" to a different school, specifically Pinecrest? Nice thought...except that the tired school building "committed suicide" on January 9, 1976...which means that, five years later, the kids were already in James Street Elementary. Just to further muddy the waters, the June 1, 1986, Sunday strip shows Charlie Brown walking into ... Ace Elementary School. And, so, the mystery remains: Where DO they attend school? Beats me... (To make matters even worse, in the television specials the kids attend Birchwood Elementary School. While the TV specials are not "canonical," this seems a needless bit of additional confusion...) 4.23) Are Marcie and Clara one and the same? Tim Chow and I have argued amiably over this question for a long time, so it seems only fair to open the discussion. The facts: In the summer of 1968, Peppermint Patty becomes tent monitor for a trio of little girls, during a summer camp session. The girls are introduced on June 18, 1968: Sophie, Clara and Shirley. Clara bears a strong resemblance to the character we would later know as Marcie, with two key distinctions: she's shorter (and therefore younger), and her eyes show through the lenses of her glasses. Peppermint Patty returns to summer camp in 1971, and in the strip dated July 20, 1971, she meets a still smaller -- and therefore younger -- girl who now looks even more like Marcie, because her eyes no longer show through her glasses. She also displays the quite Marcie-like trait of addressing Peppermint Patty as "Sir." She remains unnamed in this sequence, however, and does not reveal her name until an adventure later that year, when she visits Peppermint Patty at home for a spirited round of Ha-Ha Herman. Peppermint Patty refers to her as "that weird little kid from camp" -- once again suggesting a difference in ages -- and Marcie finally gives her name a few strips later, when she identifies herself to Sally in the strip dated October 11, 1971. Okay, now the speculation: we all know that Marcie and Peppermint Patty have "become" the same age, since they're in the same class in school. This is not unusual in Schulz's world; characters "rapidly age" all the time, so as to better fit in with the other kids. (This issue is even addressed in another question.) So, on the subject of age, it's certainly possible that "Clara" could have become "Marcie." More to the point, if Marcie is "that weird little kid from camp," there's a strong suggestion that she may, indeed, be a slightly different Clara. We cannot escape the fact that Clara and Marcie look so much alike, and this has never really happened before...except with Linus and Rerun, who as brothers SHOULD look similar. Schulz could have changed his mind about Clara/Marcie's name, and why not? It wouldn't be the most unusual thing he'd ever done. But Tim, bless him, can point to evidence which strongly suggests that Clara and Marcie ARE two different characters: the fact that they appear at the same time -- although never together in the same panel -- in a much later storyline. Peppermint Patty and Marcie both become summer camp swimming instructors in 1987, and in the strip dated July 16, 1987, Peppermint Patty shows the camp lake to her students... one of whom is identified as Clara a few strips later. (These strips can be found in "If Beagles Could Fly.") But I remain unconvinced. This newer Clara looks NOTHING like the original Clara; she no longer has glasses at all, and now she has a bow on her head. Yes, the hairstyle is similar to Marcie's, but still... So, in effect, we have a choice: either Marcie's name was changed, or Clara's entire appearance was changed. Or both. And there the matter stands: a mystery, pure and simple. What do you think? 4.24) The football gags Of all the running jokes with which poor ol' Charlie Brown has been associated, none has a richer history -- nor a longer one -- that his attempts to kick the football. The fourth quarter of each year brought Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Lucy's latest clever little ruse to persuade Charlie Brown to try one more time ... and her equally creative excuse for yet another failure. With just a few exceptions, these Sunday strips appeared every September or October after the strip hit its stride in the late 1950s. That's a lot of decades, and a lot of excuses ... which probably explains why Schulz skipped a few years, here and there. Can we blame him for not having come up with a new scheme every year??? But how did it all begin? Believe it or not, with Violet, rather than Lucy. Yep, Charlie Brown's very first failed kick took place when Violet held the ball for him, in the 11/14/51 daily strip. Clearly worried that he might accidentally kick her hand, she pulls away at the last second while saying, "I can't go through with it!" Lucy's involvement began with the 11/16/52 Sunday strip. This was shortly after Lucy had been introduced, when she still looked (and was) several years younger than Charlie Brown. Aside from that, all the classic elements were in place ... and, as she pulled the football away at the last second, she explained, "I was afraid your shoes might be dirty." But this concept did not become a regular, annual feature until 12/16/56, by which time Lucy had "grown" and become Charlie Brown's peer. Beginning with this strip, and nearly every year since, we've been treated to yet another wonderful reason for Charlie Brown's failure. What follows is a dated list of these strips, along with the reason for Chuck's flat-on-his-back disgrace. Unless otherwise indicated, the speaker is always Lucy. "I'll give you a million dollars (to try again)." (12/16/56 -- Needless to say, she didn't) "I'm a changed person ... isn't this a face you can trust?" (9/22/57) "I give you my bonded word." (9/21/58) "You have to learn to be trusting..." (10/4/59) "The odds now are really in your favor!!" (10/16/60) This time, Chuck himself pulls back at the last moment, expecting to catch Lucy in the act. This prompts her to say, "Don't you trust anyone any more?" He then tries for real, with predictable results. (9/10/61) Charlie Brown works himself into this old loop: "This time she knows I know she knows..." (9/30/62) "A woman's handshake is not legally binding." (9/1/63) "Peculiar thing about this document ... it was never notarized." (10/4/64) (Lucy seems to be dozing.) "We fanatics are light sleepers, Charlie Brown." (10/17/65) The ball is jerked away by a chance muscle spasm ... a "ten-billion-to-one" muscle spasm. (9/25/66) Lucy promises a surprise: The results are the same, but then she says, "Would you like to see how that looked on instant replay?" (10/1/67) "Look at the innocence in my eyes." (9/29/68) (Lucy cries over his lack of faith.) "Never listen to a woman's tears, Charlie Brown." (9/28/69) "How long, O Lord?" Charlie Brown wails, flat on his back. "How long? All your life, Charlie Brown ... all your life." (10/11/70) "This year's football was pulled away from you through the courtesy of women's lib." (9/26/71) He tries to hedge his bets by seeking advice at Lucy's psychiatric booth, but... "Unfortunately, Charlie Brown, your average psychiatrist knows very little about kicking footballs." (10/8/72) Lucy beguiles him with a riddle: "What are the three things in life that are certain?" "Death and taxes," he muses, running, "and..." (11/11/73) She shows him a theater-style program that guarantees success, but... "In every program, Charlie Brown, there are always a few last-minute changes." (10/13/74) She accuses him of mistrusting all women, including his mother. "I'm not your mother, Charlie Brown." (10/19/75) She tells him she's going to pull it away, but he seems not to hear her. "Men never really listen to what women are saying, do they?" (9/12/76) "Just watch my eyes." (But she wears sunglasses.) (10/9/77) She gives him a banana before he begins his run, which initially puzzles him. "Bananas are high in potassium, Charlie Brown, which promotes healing of muscles." (10/1/78) In 1979, Charlie Brown winds up in the hospital for surgery. In a fit of desperation, Lucy promises not to pull the football away the next time, if only he'll get better. Well, he obviously gets better, and all the neighborhood kids await the results. This multi-week "novelette" climaxes in the 8/2/79 daily strip, when she doesn't pull the ball away ... but Charlie Brown misses and kicks her arm instead! By the following year, though, Lucy is up to her usual tricks: "To every thing there is a season ... and a time to pull away the football." (11/16/80) "Again, Charlie Brown ... and again, and again and again." (11/29/81) She mutters vaguely about symbolism, but still pulls the ball away. "Somehow, I've missed the symbolism," he says. "You also missed the ball, Charlie Brown," she replies. (10/10/82) What seems something of a climax: Charlie Brown rebels and walks away, emphatically saying, "I'm just glad you're the only person in the world who thinks I'm dumb enough to fall for that trick again." But, in the last panel, he sees more footballs held by Snoopy, Woodstock, Sally, Peppermint Patty and Marcie. This strip appears on the back cover of I'M NOT YOUR SWEET BABBOO (but not inside, oddly enough) and also in YOU DON'T LOOK 35, CHARLIE BROWN. (10/16/83) A rare stand-alone daily strip: During a phone call in which Peppermint Patty complains about Marcie's lack of sports ability, she (Peppermint Patty) concludes by saying, "She'll never be a football player ... some people never learn, do they?" Hearing Lucy calling him from outside, where she's holding the football yet again, Charlie Brown truthfully answers, "No, we don't." (10/13/84) And, for a few years, it seemed as though that would be it. 1984 and 1985 passed without our annual Sunday treat. But the gimmick returned in 1986, although the pattern had become a bit different. Henceforth, rather than being tricked into trying to kick the ball, Charlie Brown simply approaches this annual rite of humiliation as though it were an obligation ... along the lines of attending church each Sunday. The excuses, and Lucy's remarks, became more introspective and philosophical. "You look forward all year to a special moment, and before you know it, it's over." (10/19/86) (She checks a pocket calendar.) "This is the only time I can really fit you in." (10/4/87) "It's so sad ... eventually everything in life just becomes routine." (10/23/88) "Think how the years go by, Charlie Brown ... think of the regrets you'll have if you never risk anything..." (10/1/89) "I've been reading this book about holding the ball," she insists, in an early panel. But, then... "I wrote the book, Charlie Brown." (9/29/91) "I've discovered," Sally comments, as she watches this annual ritual, "that love makes us do strange things." "So does stupidity," her brother explains, wanting her to understand the distinction. (10/11/92) Lucy proudly displays a new ball, but... "It suddenly occurred to me that if I let you kick it, it wouldn't be new anymore..." (10/3/93) "How often do you think you can fool someone with the same trick?" Sally demands, watching her brother walk outside. "Pretty often, huh?" she says, a few panels later. (10/16/94) "If she pulls the ball away," Charlie Brown promises, "I'll sue." He's followed in the final panel by Snoopy in his Joe Attorney outfit ... and, in an unexpected development, we don't see him miss! (Neither do we see him succeed.) (10/29/95) "Symbolism, Charlie Brown! The ball! The desire! The triumph! It's all there!" (10/20/96) "People change ... times change ... you can feel it in the air." (9/21/97) "I have a new positive attitude," Charlie Brown announces. "I can't believe it," Lucy replies. "...you talk the talk and you walk the walk." And then, after the inevitable... "But you don't kick the kick." (11/15/98) Forced to retire from the field to eat lunch, Lucy leaves the football in Rerun's capable hands. When he walks into the house a few minutes later, she demands to know what happened. "You'll never know," the little fellow answers, at which point she wails with frustration. (And we don't know, either!) (10/24/99) And that, of course, is where it stopped. We're left to wonder if, during that final attempt, ol' Chuck actually WAS successful... 4.25) My class/church/drama group is putting on a production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," and one of the characters is named Patty. Is this the same person as Peppermint Patty? And, if not, who is this Patty person? No, Patty is not the same as Peppermint Patty. As the only neighborhood girl when the strip debuted in 1950, Patty had her hands full for awhile. She was Charlie Brown's sole tormentor in the early days, until Violet (another character you don't see currently) showed up a few months later. Separately, the two were unremarkable: Patty had many of the bossy tendencies that Lucy would eventually inherit, while Violet was initially quite the little Suzy Homemaker (her specialty: mud pies). But once teamed during the mid-1950s, they became a terrible force to behold. Poor Charlie Brown rarely stood a chance when both ganged up on him simultaneously, and their collective cruelty often transcended even Lucy's verbal abuse. Ultimately, this one-note personification meant doom for both girls; absent little brothers or psychiatrist's booths, neither Patty nor Violet would depart the 1960s with any delightful quirks or positive traits. Banishment to the Home for Retired Characters quickly followed, although not until after "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" had made its debut ... which is why Patty is included among the cast members. Along with Shermy and Frieda ("with the naturally curly hair"), Patty and Violet remain the most "important" early characters who no longer surface very often. But the two girls aren't completely gone; both make occasional cameo appearances. 4.26) What can be found inside Snoopy's doghouse? Trust me: This question was a blast to research. Snoopy's doghouse, like the fourth-dimensional tesseract dwelling in Robert A. Heinlein's classic 1940 short story, "And He Built a Crooked House" -- or like Doctor Who's wonderfully spacious and cluttered TARDIS, if your taste runs more toward the visual than the printed medium -- seems to have a whole lot more space inside than can be justified by its small exterior appearance. Sharp-eyed Anthony Rupert deserves a shout-out here, for catching a few that I missed. Over the years, all sorts of unusual items and rooms have been cited as being part of this fascinating structure, which also was destroyed and rebuilt several times, apparently without altering any of these wonderful properties. It probably all started with the 11/19/51 daily strip, in which Charlie Brown mentions that "everybody is buying television sets these days, and in the last panel we see a TV antenna perched on the roof of Snoopy's doghouse. About a year later, in the 10/19/52 Sunday strip, we actually see Snoopy watching TV. The doghouse's ingenious interior design hadn't yet kicked in, though, because Snoopy's tail and hind end can be seen poking out of the doghouse, as if the TV set were occupying all the remaining space. Things got interesting again with the 5/12/53 daily strip, where Snoopy is shown to occupy a "duplex": His dog house has a secondary structure fastened to the roof that looks very much like a birdhouse (and this was years before Woodstock appeared). By the 1/31/54 Sunday strip, the house had achieved its mysterious spaciousness: It is revealed to have a "recreation room," and five of the neighborhood kids pile in without too much trouble. From this point forward, we learn of (or see) the following: *) An air-conditioning unit...and a door, to keep in the cold air! (8/10/56) *) A phonograph (i.e. LP record player) (10/11/58) *) Sufficient space to allow SEVEN kids to pile in, much the way telephone booths were stuffed (5/18/59) This house was destroyed after hitting a tree, the results of a furious blanket chase between Linus and Snoopy, in the 7/26/59 Sunday strip. Before we learned of any other special features, Snoopy's home was destroyed again, this time by a huge icicle, in the 2/13/60 daily strip. From this point forward, however, things really got interesting, and we discovered that the house contained... *) A guest room (10/21/61) *) A pipe and deerstalker hat (1/28/62) *) A basement, which "gets flooded when it rains." (11/9/62) *) A den (1/5/63) *) A closet with a faulty latch that spills everything onto the ground, as with Fibber McGee's closet. (2/16/63) *) The aforementioned television and a clock radio, both hooked up to an in-built electrical outlet. (12/22/63 Sunday) *) Carpeting. (2/25/64) *) The beloved Van Gogh. (2/29/64, and mentioned several more times) *) A pool table (6/22/64) *) A stairway, and boxes of empty soda bottles. (6/24/64) *) Closets, as in more than one. (6/26/64) *) Floors (which need polish), closets and counter tops. (6/29/64) *) Fluorescent lights in the library (8/24/64) *) A mural on the ceiling, painted by Linus (9/21/64) *) A ping pong table (11/20/64) *) A potted philodendron. (11/23/64) *) A basketball hoop and net, mounted on the outside. (3/21/65 Sunday) *) A shower, which bespeaks indoor plumbing. (4/21/65) *) A mural, a pool table, a library and fluorescent lighting. (6/26/65) *) Silver candlesticks. (1/27/66) *) A grandfather clock. (3/6/66 Sunday) *) A cedar closet. (9/10/66) Disaster struck when a fire burned Snoopy's house to the ground on 9/19/66. Among the many items he lost, we also learned of numerous books and records (those things people used before CDs) and, on 9/28/66, a pair of pinking shears. This series of strips generated considerable reader interest, and countless fans wrote in to express their condolences. The new house wasn't long in coming, and Snoopy eagerly examined plans that included ceramic tile and a stairway (9/30/66). And while the Van Gogh went up in flames, it soon was replaced by an Andrew Wyeth painting (11/4/66). And, in no time at all, the new living quarters soon came to be just as equipped as the preceding house: *) A set of dominoes. (4/29/67) *) A photo album of every supper dish that Snoopy has owned. (8/25/67) *) A postage meter. (1/5/68) *) A servant's entrance. (2/24/68) *) A teakettle (implying a stove). (5/14/68) *) A picture of Tiny Tim. (9/10/68) *) A stereo. (11/3/68) *) A stained-glass window. (12/20/68) *) A carpeted front hall. (2/23/69) *) A bottle of cologne. (1/21/70) *) A color TV set. (6/20/70) *) A waffle iron. (10/17/70) *) A supply of TV dinners. (10/24/70) *) Electric socks. (11/19/70) *) A formal suit for a turn-about dance. (12/1/70) *) A whirlpool bath. (10/10/71) It's worth mentioning that the's doghouse is destroyed again during a sequence that climaxes on March 21, 1974, when Peppermint Patty finally learns that Snoopy is a beagle, rather than a "funny- looking kid with a big nose." We can assume that the doghouse is rebuilt to all prior specifications, but -- for the most part -- the notion of this dwelling's huge interior, and all its contents, quietly faded into the background by the end of the 1970s. Subsequent references were fewer and further between. *) A downstairs refrigerator. (8/9/75) *) A CB radio. (4/25/76) *) An automatic door. (8/26/78) *) A fishing pole, a hat and one wading boot. (8/28/79) *) An electric train set (12/11/81) *) Bunk beds. (6/7/98) Although not canonical, I should mention that this concept was included when the interior of Snoopy's house is shown in the television special "It's Magic, Charlie Brown." Here we learn that Snoopy's digs include a room with exercise equipment, sports equipment, lockers, awards and trophies; and a lab with a bunsen burner, flasks and distillation equipment. You gotta hand it to him...Snoopy obviously knows where to look for the best architects and interior designers! 4.27) How are natural laws violated in the world of Peanuts? Folks who grew up with Warner Brothers cartoons - specifically those involving the Coyote and the Roadrunner -- will recognize this scene (and its many variations): Scrambling to follow his prey around a tight curve, the Coyote misjudges his momentum and winds up standing in empty space ... but he doesn't plunge into the canyon below until AFTER he looks down and realizes that he's "floating on air." This common example of "cartoon physics" -- behavior that breaks known natural laws, invariably in pursuit of a good sight gag -- recently prompted a group of folks in the alt.comics.peanuts Internet newsgroup to cite examples of "Peanuts physics." We can't take credit for any of these, but the best certainly are worth repeating. Their authors are acknowledged. Can you think of others? I welcome readers to submit suggestions for additional examples of "Peanuts physics," and I'll add the good ones to the list. *) An arm raised above the head is longer than an arm at rest. ("Buzz Haircut") *) A body put into motion by impact with a small spherical object shall not come to rest until all outer clothing has become separated from it. ("Alley Assassin") *) Beagles can transport themselves fast enough, with uneven weight distribution concentrated in the cranial area while holding a tennis ball, over weeds that normally would not withstand the most minute stress from a human finger. (Katrina Constantino, referencing Snoopy's ability to walk on the tippy-tips of weeds.) *) Bodies in motion (human or canine) bearing a blanket become smaller, and by extension more flexible, when passing through an opening whose size is less than their combined area. ("Buzz Haircut") *) A body, when slugged, rotates 360 degrees or more about a horizontal axis. (Tim Chow) *) The act of performing music generates physical objects in the shape of musical notes. (Tim Chow) Similarly, beagles and unidentified yellow birds may perch, sleep and even dance upon these notes. (Alison Morrison) *) Beagles can "climb" air as though using an unseen diving board, thus to dive into a wading pool from a great height. (Chris Lee) *) Beagles also can fly ... at least, those with airfoil-shaped ears and the mutated musculature to rotate them at supernormal velocity. ("Buzz Haircut") *) Birds retain characteristics of their prehistoric ancestors, including teeth and awkward flight patterns. (Dave Hardenbrook) *) All bodies shall balance stably on a peaked doghouse roof. (Tim Chow) *) Cactus needles decrease in sharpness and strength, in direct proportion to the proximity of beagle skin ... or maybe beagle skin becomes tougher. ("Buzz Haircut") *) At a certain height above ground level, air pressure increases to the point where a kite easily can lift a child. ("Buzz Haircut") *) A helium balloon will, upon release, fly around of its own accord and return to the holder, if asked nicely. (John Merullo) *) Characters age according to whatever rules of space-time are most convenient. (Jeff Sharman) *) A child attempting to kick a football that has been pulled away shall describe a parabolic trajectory in the air. (Dave Hardenbrook) *) The forward velocity of a beagle creates a force that is equal to the gravitational pull exerted on and by a child holding a flannel blanket, such that the child can be suspended at a constant height above the ground. The time required to achieve said velocity is variable, with the minimum being a nose-length away from the seated child and blanket. Finally, the deceleration from said velocity is such that the child shall return to earth unharmed. (Julian McCarthy) *) All human beings above the age of 9 are invisible. (Dave Hardenbrook) *) Kites will not remain aloft unless given the additional incentive of a threatening shout from Lucy Van Pelt. (Fred Zicard) *) A kite will become attracted to, and become tangled within, the nearest tree. (James H. Vipond) Said trees are not only sentient beings, but also are capable of digesting aerodynamic objects composed of thin plastic with a wooden framework. (Dave Hardenbrook) *) Neural impulses can both pass through and originate from solid brick, if said brick is part of the exterior wall of an elementary school building. ("Buzz Haircut") *) Producing music not in the key of C Major -- or its related minor, A, which also has no sharps or flats -- is possible on a toy piano whose black keys are nothing but paint. (Dave Hardenbrook) *) A sheet of paper slapped on someone's face shall impale itself neatly on the nose. (Tim Chow) *) Upon reaching a critical size, a blown bubble of chewing gum will exhibit an upward force equal to the weight of the bubble-blower. ("davnkira") *) Vicious felines may sculpt doghouses into arbitrarily complex shapes with a single slash. (Tim Chow) *) Volume, or perception of volume, increases within the boundaries of a doghouse, water dish, bird's nest or bird bath. ("Buzz Haircut") *) When a beagle adopts the character of a vulture, his weight can be carried harmlessly on the tiny branches of bushes and small trees. (Alison Morrison) *) When a beagle walks on two feet instead of four, its front paws become hands and it can sit upright as human beings do. (James H. Vipond) *) Yelling -- particularly the words, "You blockhead!" - can produce sufficient wind energy to cause a child to tumble head-over-heels. (Dave Hardenbrook) *) Gravity can be suspended by fear of Lucy Van Pelt. (Katrina Constantino, referencing Snoopy's ability to stop his dive into a wading pool, when Lucy tells him to keep out.) 4.28) To what uses has Linus' blanket been put over the years? Both as a result of his own ingenuity, and as a frequent means of self-defense -- from big sister Lucy or his blanket-hating grandmother -- Linus has been very creative with his blanket, pretty much from the beginning. The blanket first adopted its signature use "for security" on October 17, 1954, and of course that remained its primary function from that point forward. But not quite two years later, ordered to be a bit more stylish while walking with Violet, the little guy executed a few deft flips and twirls, and suddenly the blanket transformed into a neck scarf (much like that Snoopy eventually would wear, when adopting his guise as the WWI Flying Ace). Schulz had found a new running gag, and he made the most of it over the years. Before proceeding with the list, though, I'll segregate a few cases that were the result of Lucy's unwanted interference (and therefore cannot really be attributed to Linus' creativity): *) a quilt for Lucy's doll's bed (she cut a square out from the middle of the blanket; 11/5/59) *) various representational shapes for a "flannelgraph" (Lucy at work with her scissors again; 3/19/61) *) flannel squares to clean Linus' glasses, during the short period he wore them (Lucy and her scissors, yet again; 2/21/62) *) Lucy's kite (which began the blanket's odyssey around the world; 6/12/62) *) an origami-style penguin (3/7/63) Additionally, Snoopy and Woodstock were responsible for ... ah ... imaginatively recreating the blanket a few times: *) a parachute, used by Snoopy (9/17/61) *) two sports coats, one for Snoopy and one for Woodstock (11/9/71) *) a hospital robe for Spike (8/16/75) The remaining transformations, however, can be credited solely to Linus: *) a cowboy's neckerchief (4/23/56) *) a stylish neck scarf (5/18/56) *) a bullfighter's cape (12/23/56) *) a whip or insect swatter ("fastest blanket in the West") (9/18/58) *) a pool table felt (3/19/59) *) a hammock (12/6/59) *) a big bow tie (3/23/60) *) a slingshot (1/22/61) *) second base, during a baseball game (3/31/61) *) Dracula's cape (7/18/61) *) an origami-style bunny (7/19/61) *) a monster that hisses at Lucy and attacks her (the blanket's own transformation, and the only time it becomes a sentient creature) (3/12/65) *) a "paper" airplane (6/23/68) *) a cummerbund (1/22/87) In the world of the television specials, Linus most famously turned his blanket into a shepherd's headdress, in "A Charlie Brown Christmas." 4.29) At what point did Snoopy quite definitely become Charlie Brown's dog? Casual fans generally assume that Snoopy always has belonged to Charlie Brown, at least since the beagle was returned to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm after briefly being taken home by his first owner, a little girl named Lila (this story lending itself to the second big-screen Peanuts film, "Snoopy Come Home"). But it didn't start out that way. When Peanuts first began in late 1950, with its small roster of characters, Snoopy was more a "neighborhood dog" who might pop up with any of the newspaper strip's first stars: Charlie Brown, Patty or Shermy. On October 25, 1950, for example, Snoopy can be seen eavesdropping as Patty makes a call from her toy telephone ... which definitely seems to be inside her house. In the November 7 strip that year, Snoopy is in Charlie Brown's house; and on several occasions Snoopy is shown keeping company with Shermy. On February 2, 1951, Patty quite clearly tells Charlie Brown that Snoopy lives in "that direction" ... which does NOT point to Charlie Brown's house. The first suggestion that Snoopy might have a specific connection to Charlie Brown comes on April 11, 1951, when the beagle shows up dressed in a zig-zag shirt just like Charlie Brown. But even here, it's hard to be sure; Snoopy might simply be making fun of poor ol' Chuck. Stronger evidence comes September 12, 1951, when we see that Charlie Brown has a picture of Snoopy in his room ... which seems to suggest that the beagle is, at last, specifically bonded with Chuck. (Or maybe not. A few weeks later, Snoopy goes "home" ... to Shermy's house!) On December 15, 1951, Charlie Brown repairs Snoopy's doghouse ... which certainly suggests that our beagle's home is in Chuck's yard. Unfortunately, on April 3, 1953, Patty and Schroeder ask a passing Charlie Brown what color he thinks THEY should paint Snoopy's house! That latter incident notwithstanding, by 1953 Snoopy still is visiting other kids in their homes, but there are no strong indications that he lives with anybody except Charlie Brown. On November 28, 1953, for example, Charlie Brown tells Snoopy to go to bed, and both definitely are in Chuck's house. But ambiguity creeps in once more. On December 5, 1954, after slipping Snoopy a piece of candy that came from Pig Pen's pocket, Charlie Brown says, "Psst ... Snoopy, ol' pal ... you'd better come home with me, and have a drink of water." Take note of the words "with me" ... one would think, if Snoopy lives with Charlie Brown, that Chuck would simply say, "You'd better come home." Finally, on October 15, 1955, Charlie Brown gives Snoopy some food from the dinner table, while saying, "There you are, old friend" ... a phrase that strongly suggests ownership. A few weeks later, on November 1, Charlie Brown gives Snoopy his dinner in front of the family TV set ... definitely in Chuck's house. On November 3, Charlie Brown tells Violet that "All the dogs in the city [now] have to be kept tied up." Violet asks if he has tied up Snoopy, and Charlie Brown says "Of course ... what else could I do?" Clearly, at this point, Violet is identifying Snoopy as Charlie Brown's dog. And a few weeks later, on November 18, Charlie Brown tells Patty that he has Snoopy (who's no longer roped to a tree) "tied up with a sense of obligation" ... another strong indication of ownership. Feeding Snoopy becomes more of a habit; on December 8, Charlie Brown tells Shermy that he'll be out in a minute, after he "attends to the hound." On March 10, 1956, Charlie Brown tells Lucy that Snoopy always brings his supper dish to him when he (Snoopy) is hungry. On December 14, 1956, Charlie Brown buys Snoopy a new collar ("...something more masculine"). On November 14, 1957, Charlie Brown refers to Snoopy as "My pal" and says that "Everyone should have a dog to greet him when he comes home." And finally -- FINALLY -- we get the smoking gun on September 1, 1958, as Charlie Brown is writing a letter to his pencil-pal. As his faithful friend peers onto the table to see what's going on, Charlie Brown adds, "Oh, yes, I also have a dog named Snoopy. He's kind of crazy." As of that moment, Snoopy is -- without question -- Charlie Brown's dog! 4.30) What type of bird is Woodstock? Short answer: We've no idea. Schulz never told us. But he did play around with the concept in several strips that ran over an extended period of time, in which Snoopy wondered if his little friend might be a variety of different birds, and Woodstock attempted to imitate each. It started with a crow (May 11, 1979), and then, more than a year later, Snoopy gets serious on September 13, 1980, by checking his "Guide to Birds." He first suggests that Woodstock might be an American bittern, and several strips follow during which dog and bird buddy imitate the noises of various species: a Caroline wren (September 22, 1980), a rufous-sided towhee (September 24, 1980), a yellow-billed cuckoo (September 29, 1980), a Canada goose (October 1, 1980), a warbler (October 3, 1980) and a mourning warbler (October 9, 1980). Snoopy finally gives up trying to figure it out, and hurts Woodstock's feelings by saying, "For all I know, you're a duck" (October 11, 1980). Snoopy takes it back with a quick hug, at which point it becomes clear that it doesn't matter what type of bird Woodstock is; the only important fact is that he's Snoopy's best friend. Many of the strips cited above can be seen in the collections HERE COMES THE APRIL FOOL and DR. BEAGLE AND MR. HYDE. Sadly, many others remain unreprinted, including the one that mentions the "Guide to Birds." It's also worth noting, as my buddy Tim Chow pointed out, that Schulz toyed with the concept that this was an acquirable rather than an innate characteristic; that is, Woodstock could grow up to be an eagle (!) if he did well enough at eagle camp. (Apparently, that never happened...) 4.31) Which squadron does the WWI Flying Ace belong to? Military personnel hit us with this question fairly frequently, and I can appreciate it being near and dear to their hearts. For the most part, Snoopy -- in his guise as the WWI Flying Ace -- only refers to "my squadron" in the dozen or so strips that discuss the issue. But once -- on April 16, 1968 -- he specifically mentioned flying over Pont-a-Mousson as part of the Eighth U.S. Aero Squadron. Stand tall! 5) THE TV SPECIALS 5.1) What was the first special, and when did it debut? "A Charlie Brown Christmas" first aired on December 9, 1965. It won the hearts and minds of everybody who watched it -- not to mention several awards -- and has remained an annual staple ever since. 5.2) Who voiced the characters in that first special? Although the cast has -- out of necessity -- changed over the years, as various children become too old for the roles, many of us still have a soft spot for those first pioneers. Thanks to Ray Hamel (by way of Scott McGuire), they are: Charlie Brown -- Peter Robbins Lucy Van Pelt -- Tracy Stratford Linus Van Pelt -- Christopher Shea Schroeder/Pigpen/Shermy -- Chris Doran Patty -- Karen Mendelson Sally Brown -- Cathy Steinberg Frieda -- Ann Altieri Violet -- Sally Dryer-Barker Snoopy -- Bill Melendez Yes, it's the same Bill Melendez who supervises the actual animation...and he STILL voices Snoopy! 5.3) Has anybody compiled a list of TV specials, and commented on their availability on video? Scott McGuire maintains an outstanding list of animated specials, with synopses and trivia, their original air-dates, and their availability on video and DVD. His list can be reached at the following web address: http://web.mit.edu/smcguire/www/peanuts.html or from the links on the Peanuts Collectors Club WWW page (see answer to 1.2 above). 5.4) Are any of the TV specials still airing? Cable's Nickelodeon now has the sole rights to most of the animated specials -- including the 1980s Saturday morning series, and lesser-known efforts such as THE BIG STUFFED DOG and THE GIRL IN THE RED TRUCK -- and they can be seen infrequently during the week, although the schedule changes periodically. (At the moment, "infrequently" means not very often, alas.) Check our Club website for up-to-the-moment information. Nickelodeon does NOT, however, own broadcast rights to what might be considered the "classic" holiday episodes, such as A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING, and IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN. After decades on the venerable CBS network, these shows now "belong" to ABC, which (for now, anyway) has promised to treat them with a bit more respect than CBS did during the latter years of its contract. They'll still be rolled out at the appropriate time of year. 5.5) Will there be more new specials? What are they, and when will they air? To further herald its acquisition of the classic Peanuts TV specials, ABC-TV commissioned A CHARLIE BROWN VALENTINE, the first new half-hour special to be televised in eight years. It aired on February 14, 2002, and delivered respectable ratings. It was followed by LUCY MUST BE TRADED, CHARLIE BROWN, which debuted August 29, 2003. The next one, I WANT A DOG FOR CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN -- which concerns Rerun's efforts to get his own dog -- debuted in December 2003, also on ABC-TV. It ran an hour, rather than just 30 minutes. HE'S A BULLY, CHARLIE BROWN has been scheduled for "the first half of 2006," which thus far is rather vague. As soon as we get further details, we'll let you know! 5.6) Were soundtracks released? Walt Disney's Buena Vista Records handled soundtracks for many of the early Peanuts TV specials, and fans of Vince Guaraldi's music will find the albums a delight; they're pretty much the entire show, minus the visual. Soundtracks were issued in several different formats, although always on vinyl; none of these has been re-issued on CD. Original release dates are given, when known. Unless otherwise indicated, Guaraldi performed the music. The information in this section comes from "The Golden Age of Walt Disney Records, 1933-1988," by R. Michael Murray; published by Antiques Trader Books, 1997. *** Buena Vista 3700 LP series (Charlie Brown Records), issued with gatefold covers containing booklets: 3701: A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (10/78), red cover with Christmas bulbs and the kids around a christmas tree. 3702: CHARLIE BROWN'S ALL-STARS (3/79), a white cover that features the kids on a pitcher's mound. 3703: HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN (3/79), the cover shows Snoopy on his doghouse. 3704: IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN (10/78), the cover shows Snoopy jumping over a pumpkin. 3705: YOU'RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN (6/79), the cover shows Charlie spraying a hose on Snoopy *** Buena Vista 2600 LP series (Charlie Brown Records), a cheaper pressing release of the 3700 series, with different covers. This series did not have gatefold covers or booklets: 2602: CHARLIE BROWN'S ALL-STARS (3/79), a yellow cover with team photo snapshots. 2603: HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN (3/79), a cover that shows Charlie bringing a bowl to a dancing Snoopy. 2604: IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN (10/78), the cover shows Linus and Sally in the pumpkin patch. 2605: YOU'RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN (6/79). *** Buena Vista 400 series EPs Charlie Brown Eps: These 33&1/3 EPs are 7 inches in diameter and continued the LLP concept (which could refer to the phrase "little long play" records), with 24-page booklets. 401: A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (10/77) 402: CHARLIE BROWN'S ALL-STARS (7/78) 403: HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN (7/78) 404: IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN (10/78) 405: YOU'RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN (10/78) 406: SNOOPY, COME HOME (1/80, big-screen film soundtrack; music by Guaraldi, even though he didn't do the movie!) 407: IT'S YOUR FIRST KISS, CHARLIE BROWN (7/80, not Guaraldi) 408: YOU'RE A GOOD SPORT, CHARLIE BROWN (7/80) 409: IT'S A MYSTERY, CHARLIE BROWN (7/80) 410: IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN (7/80) 411: YOU'RE THE GREATEST, CHARLIE BROWN (7/80, not Guaraldi) *** The FLASHBEAGLE LPs Disneyland 2500 series: 2518, FLASHBEAGLE (3/84, not Guaraldi) Buena Vista 62500 series: 62518, FLASHBEAGLE (3/84) 45RPM single: 574, "Snoopy"/"Flashbeagle," by Desiree Goyette 5.7) TV commercials -- general information Animator Bill Melendez, after working with Walt Disney, Leon Schlesinger Cartoons (eventually Warner Brothers), and UPA (where Mr. Magoo stumbled into things), joined Playhouse Pictures in 1955. This studio made mostly commercials, including the still fondly remembered "It's a F-o-o-o-o-o-o-rd" dog. When the granddaughter of a Ford advertising executive suggested that the Peanuts characters promote Ford's new Falcon, Melendez found himself introduced to Charles Schulz. An animated Charlie Brown became an official Ford spokesman in late 1960 (in black-and- white), and the rest of the gang followed almost immediately. This was the Falcon's 1961 model year (the second year of the Falcon's production). Further information on this campaign comes from the April 2002 issue of Collectible Automobile (and I'm deeply indebted to Howard White for sending this information along). Quoting from page 55 of an article devoted to the 1960-65 Falcon, and specifically in reference to the 1961 model: "Falcon began one of the most successful automobile marketing campaigns ever with its tie to the characters from Charles Schulz's Peanuts comic strip. Just that name alone would signify thrift. One of this writer's favorites from the campaign had Charlie Brown asking piano prodigy Schroeder if he knew that the Futura was the baby cousin of the Thunderbird. Sitting at his keyboard, the young maestro replied, 'No, but if you whistle a few bars, I'll fake it.'" In late 1963, although the looks of the new 1964 Falcon were considerably changed, Charlie Brown and his Peanuts friends continued to appear in print and TV ads, and also in the folders and deluxe print catalogs published for the car (and these are a lot of fun to read through, with the Peanuts gang popping up on every page or so, with very clever publicity slogans). The kids continued to pitch Ford ads through at least 1964, when they also "starred" in animated introductions to the Tennessee Ernie Ford television variety hour (sponsored, of course, by Ford). Meanwhile... San Francisco producer Lee Mendelson was putting together a documentary titled A DAY IN THE LIFE OF CHARLES SCHULZ, and decided he wanted an animated sequence. Naturally, Melendez got involved; naturally, the two men became partners when the chance came to make A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS. Since those early Ford spots, the Peanuts gang have lent their services (and reputations) to Dolly Madison, Weber's Bread, Knott's Berry Farm, Friendly's Family Restaurants (for their 25th anniversary), and -- more recently and most successfully -- MET-Life Insurance. MET-Life, in particular, has done quite well by the relationship, with literally dozens of different commercials (and newspaper and magazine ads) produced. Nor should we overlook Pig-Pen's stylish campaign for Regina Vacuum Cleaners...definitely a case of getting the right man for the job! 6) THE MOVIES 6.1) How many movies featured the Peanuts gang? Four. The first, A BOY NAMED CHARLIE BROWN, was released in 1969. Its central story concerned Charlie Brown's initial success in a local spelling bee, and his attempt to parlay that into national fame. Although it has the benefit of being the only film to use Vince Guaraldi's jazz themes, it also has the (questionable) benefit of Rod McKuen's lyrics to the title song. The second, 1972's SNOOPY COME HOME, featured Woodstock's big- screen debut. The story is a lengthier take on the HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN television special: Snoopy decides life at home could do with some improvements, so he and Woodstock take off to find America. The third, 1977's RACE FOR YOUR LIFE, CHARLIE BROWN, is the weakest of the quartet. The story, involving a river-rafting race between rival camp factions, would have been better served by a (shorter) television special. Happily, 1980's BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN concluded the series on a happier note. Charlie Brown and some friends -- with Lucy blissfully absent -- fly to France and make some new acquaintances, and have an adventure in a spooky old manor. (It's interesting to note that the TV special WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED, CHARLIE BROWN is an unofficial epilogue to this film; both should be viewed together.) 6.2) Are they available on video? Absolutely, and you shouldn't have any trouble finding them. All four films also turn up quite frequently on various pay-cable channels. 6.3) Were soundtracks released? Two of them, not that you're ever going to see one. Soundtrack LPs were pressed for both A BOY NAMED CHARLIE BROWN (Columbia Records, OS-3500) and SNOOPY COME HOME (Columbia Records, S-31541), but neither has been re-issued on CD. The albums are both quite scarce, command high secondary-market prices, and are rarely in very good condition. 7) THE PLAYS 7.1) "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" Think you know your Peanuts plays? Really? Don't be so sure... Singer/comedienne Kaye Ballard (perhaps best known, these days, for starring in television's "The Mothers-in-Law" for two years in the late 1960s) included some Peanuts-themed humor in her nightclub acts of the early 60s, but even though Columbia issued an LP with this material, it never really caught on. In December of 1966, MGM's "King Leo" record label released what may have been one of the first-known "concept albums," as we now understand the term. Called "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," it was identified as "an original MGM Album Musical based on Charles Schulz's Peanuts." Its 10 songs were professionally arranged and orchestrated by Jay Blackton, and the cast prominently featured "Orson Bean as Charlie Brown." At the time, Bean was well known for stage work and quite recognized as a panelist on game shows such as "I've Got a Secret," "Keep Talking," and "To Tell the Truth." Barbara Minkus (one of the repertory players in television's "Love, American Style") played Lucy. Bill Hinnant played Snoopy, and a relative unknown by the name of Clark Gesner played Linus. Minkus knew Arthur Whitelaw and saw to it that he heard the album. Whitelaw contacted a friend, Gene Person, and after securing permission from Charles Schulz to expand upon this concept, the two encouraged Gesner to write the outline for a musical play. The combination of talent, luck and serendipity that eventually transformed this "concept album" into the off-Broadway hit we know and love so well is a fascinating tale, and we can only hope that those involved eventually put the facts on paper, so that we one day may read all about it. But, in the meanwhile, we're left with a bit of Peanuts trivia that you probably didn't know: This MGM album predates the play! In other words, Gesner's music and lyrics existed prior to their being "married" to the skits and dialogue that eventually filled the spaces between the songs. This MGM album contains only 10 songs, with their order of performance completely different from that of the play that followed. Not yet part of the package were "The Book Report," "The Red Baron," "Queen Lucy" and the "Glee Club Rehearsal." YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN began what was to become a truly phenomenal Off-Broadway run on March 7, 1967, at New York City's Theater 80, St. Marks. The cast had gone into rehearsal not even a month earlier -- February 10 -- without a finished script. The show itself, as finally published, didn't really "gel" until after it opened. Gary Burghoff -- later to achieve fame as Radar O'Reilly in both the film and TV versions of ``M.A.S.H.'' -- starred as Charlie Brown. The rest of the cast included Bill Hinnant (again) as Snoopy, Reva Rose as Lucy, Bob Balaban (an actor/director who appeared in "Absence of Malice" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," among others) as Linus, Skip Hinnant as Schroeder, and Karen Johnson as Patty. The show ran four years and 1,597 performances in New York, fielded nine touring companies in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., London, and San Francisco, and has become the most performed musical in the history of American theater. (Not bad for a blockhead, hmm?) In San Francisco, the cast was accompanied by a two-man band: Don Sheffey (keyboards) and Earl Zindars (drums and percussion). Whitelaw and Person produced 15 "sit down" productions in the United States during the first two years, and six or seven abroad. The play was published in book form by Random House in 1967, in the small hardcover format similar to Holt, Rinehart & Winston titles such as "Snoopy and the Red Baron," "I Never Promised You an Apple Orchard," and a few others. Musician and lyricist Clark Gesner, in his foreword, introduced this as the document resulting from "...ten songs, a few long scenes, two producers, one small theater, six medium-sized actors, one each of director, assistant director, writer, musical supervisor, lighting designer, and scenic designer, and ten years' worth of Charles Schulz's drawings." Despite Gesner's carefully itemized list, the book actually cites 13 songs, 12 of which wound up on the 1967 Original Cast Soundtrack LP (MGM 1E-9 and S1E-9, mono and stereo). The show's 13th song, "Glee Club Rehearsal," is replaced on the album by "Queen Lucy," which is really only a few exchanges of Act 1 dialog between Linus and Lucy, set to a background theme. Although "Glee Club Rehearsal" remains part of the show as published and licensed by the Tams-Witmark Music Library (to which professional and amateur theater groups write when desiring to produce the play), it was never issued on a soundtrack LP (at least, not until the 1999 Broadway revival, about which more below). That's a shame, since it remains of one the play's funniest bits, as the kids squabble amongst themselves -- initially over a pencil -- while singing a heartfelt rendition of "Home on the Range." Pickwick Records issued a Studio Cast LP (PC-3069 and SPC-3069, mono and stereo), with music conducted by "Bugs" Bower and a cast which included Ron Marshall (known at the time for his recordings on children's albums) and Connie Zimet (with show credits in, among others, "Guys & Dolls" and "South Pacific"). The album cover is rather droll, as it pictures -- rather than any characters or performers -- the objects of primary importance to Charlie Brown and his friends: the blanket, the supperdish, the piano, the kite, the dog house, some baseball equipment, and a lollipop (!). The liner notes are pretty cute; here, for example, is what we learn about the kite: The kite belongs to Charlie Brown. He has been flying it for years. That is, he has been trying to fly it for years. The kite doesn't seem to want to leave the ground. Charlie Brown wants desperately to get the kite into the air. To find out who wins in this long, hard struggle, listen to band 5, side 1. This recording presents the same 10 songs featured on the original MGM Album Musical, and while the performances aren't quite up to the previous two recordings, the LP is certainly worth seeking in a used record store. Zimet, one of the performers who worked on this album, happened across this document in July 1999 and supplied the following information, as One Who Was There: "All of us on that album were basically studio/jingle singers. Bill Dean (Linus) was a former Metropolitan Opera singer who found monetary independence in the lucrative jingle field as all of us did. Jim Campbell (Snoopy) became one of the main jingle contractors by the end of the '60s and throughout the '70s and early '80s. I, too, was a jingle singer/actress who'd been doing theater professionally since age 8 but found my happiest milieu to be studio work. Ron Marshall was a children's album mainstay. We all were a kind of troupe (augmented by other studio singers) that worked together on film sound tracks and did backup for almost every major label as well as the kids' stuff -- most of that for Pickwick and its subsidiaries, like Peter Pan -- besides singing on almost every major jingle produced in New York in the '60s, '70s and into the '80s. "What you don't know is that all the performances on that album were sight-read. We literally had 10 minutes or so to run each song down and then record it. We literally worked off publisher galleys, since the sheet music was just about to be released and Pickwick would never have spent the money to have 10 songs professionally copied just for the session. Those were the smallest damn notes on a page I'd ever seen. "On top of that, none of us had seen the show, nor had we heard the other albums, although I knew Barbara Minkus and knew she'd been on what I thought was the first studio album of the show, with Orson and Skip. "Clark Gesner was there for the entire recording which, if I recall, we did on two consecutive afternoons in a studio on W. 42nd Street down the street from a theater that was playing ( I will never forget this title) a movie called "Kiss My Whip." Clark produced, along with "Bugs" Bower. "We had a good time on that session. Jim Campbell was a hoot to watch doing Snoopy. We may not have been as polished as the previous recordings, but we sure as hell were spontaneous (and damn good sight readers.) "I have no idea where my fellow studio compatriots are now, or what they're doing. I'm still in "the biz," but more concentrated in the field of voice-overs and based out of South Florida." (Many thanks also to Ken Lieck, for giving me the opportunity to hear this album.) The version that genuinely made the play a household name appeared as a Hallmark "Hall of Fame" special on television, also produced by Whitelaw and Person. This performance starred Wendell Burton as Charlie Brown; the rest of the cast included Ruby Perrson as Lucy, Barry Livingston (Ernie on TV's "My Three Sons") as Linus, Mark Montgomery as Schroeder, Noelle Matlovsky as Patty, and Bill Hinnant, once again, as Snoopy. (Obviously, he had the part down cold.) This album has 15 cuts: the original 10 from the MGM Album Musical, plus "The Book Report" and "The Red Baron," plus a reprise of the title song, an Overture and some "Quick Changes" music. It was issued by Atlantic Records (SD-7252) in 1973. Kid Stuff Records released an album of "Songs from YOUR [sic] A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN," about which the less said, the better. Suffice it to mention that the vocal talent of the Kid Stuff Repertory Company was roughly on par with the company's spelling. Whitelaw also cites Danish and French recordings of the show, but no information is known about these albums. Although Tams-Witmark owns the rights to the play itself, a sheet music folio of vocal selections is available from MPL Communications, distributed by the Hal Leonard Corporation. This 48-page music book contains the words and music to the most common 10 songs (as noted above for MGM's Studio Cast album), along with three pages of black-and-white photos. The most frustrating aspect of all this, though, is that only one of these albums is currently available on CD. The original off-Broadway cast recording was briefly released on CD -- Polydor 820 262-2 Y-1 -- but quickly went out-of-print...and stayed out of print for decades. Finally, in late 2000, Decca Broadway released a re-mastered CD of the original 1967 off-Broadway cast album (Decca Broadway 012 159 851-2). In addition to all 14 tracks from the original LP, this release includes four bonus tracks taken from the never-before-heard 1966 demo record composer Clark Gesner sent to Charles Schulz in order to obtain permission to create the musical. The CD is accompanied by a 12-page booklet containing production photos, a show synopsis and an overview of the show's history. This CD sounds great and the bonus demo tracks are really quite nice, sounding similar but simpler (since they were done with just a piano and two voices) than their final versions...and you're hearing the very music that Schulz heard when making a decision to give the musical the go-ahead! How does this release differ from the RCA CD of the 1999 version of the Broadway revival? Many of the musical's songs were re-orchestrated for the 1999 version, whereas this CD contains the original versions. Plus, the Decca CD contains three tracks -- "The Red Baron", "Queen Lucy" and "Peanuts Potpourri" -- that aren't on the 1999 album. These three tracks aren't songs per se; they're spoken skits from the play. Both CDs are worth owning. In spite of being "the most performed musical in the history of American theater," for years and years the show couldn't catch a break with modern technology! But all that changed, thanks to the 1999 Broadway revival and its CD score (RCA 09026-63384-2). This album includes the 10 original songs, plus "The Book Report" and the elusive "Glee Club Rehearsal," along with two new songs by musical supervisor Andrew Lippa: "Beethoven Day" (a showpiece for Schroeder) and "My New Philosophy" (a bring-the-house-down number for Sally, who in this production replaces Patty). As mentioned above, "Red Baron" is gone, along with a bit more of Gesner's original material; the rest has been re-orchestrated ... but it's still the show we've all grown to love. Sadly, Gesner never had another theatrical hit. His sole shot at Broadway itself -- "The Utter Glory of Morris E. Hall" -- closed after exactly one performance, in May of 1979. 7.2) "Snoopy!" In December 1975 -- not quite a decade after Charlie Brown made his first stage appearance -- SNOOPY! debuted at San Francisco's Little Fox Theater (which had housed San Francisco's run of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN). It followed the same song-and-sketch format of its predecessor, with simple sets and punchlines derived directly from the comic strip. Larry Grossman wrote the music, Hal Hackady handled the lyrics, and the book was credited to Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw (who also directed), and Michael L. Grace. There were character changes: Sally (Roxann Pyle) appeared instead of Patty, and Peppermint Patty (Pamela Myers) replaced Schroeder. Don Potter starred as Snoopy, with James Gleason as Charlie Brown, Carla Manning as Lucy, and Jimmy Dodge as Linus. Woodstock also made his (her?) stage debut, played in mime first by Alfred Mazza, and later by elfin Cathy Cahn. DRG Records released the Original Cast Soundtrack (DRG S-6103) of this San Francisco production in 1975, which was later re-issued on CD (and remains in print today). Aside from the orchestral "Overture" and "Woodstock's Theme," the album contains 13 songs... ...one of which -- "Friend" -- is no longer part of the play! Tams-Witmark also controls the rights to SNOOPY! Nowhere in their 68-page script will you find any trace of "Friend," although -- as a quick listen to the soundtrack reveals -- it's a perfectly delightful little tune. In point of fact, it originally was the Act 1 finale, a role now filled by Snoopy's solo on "Daisy Hill." This change was made when the play moved to New York, as Charles Schulz did not believe that "Friend" was quite up to the quality of the other numbers. To make matters even more confusing, Chappell Music Company's 64-page sheet music folio (with eight pages of black-and-white photos) DOES include this song...while deleting "Edgar Allan Poe," "The Vigil," "The Great Writer," and "The Big Bow-Wow." But wait...it gets better! After circulating through the United States like its predecessor, SNOOPY! finally made it to New York six years later. Another new song, "Hurry Up Face," was added to the New York production when Lorna Luft took over the role of Peppermint Patty. Another new number, "When Do the Good Times Start," was written by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady for this New York run, but it remained unused until Whitelaw was commissioned to direct a London production, which opened at Newbury's Watermill Theatre on August 2, 1983. The show opened to rave reviews and ran at the Duchess Theatre for two years, and then went on the road in England for another year. Polydor Records issued an Original Cast Soundtrack of this London production (S-820247-1). Teddy Kempner starred as Snoopy, Robert Locke played Charlie Brown, Zoe Bright played Lucy, Susie Blake played Sally, Nicky Croydon played Peppermint Patty, Mark Hadfield played Linus, and Anthony Best played Woodstock. So, by the time the dust had settled, the play had "blossomed" from its San Francisco origins with four new numbers: the aforementioned Peppermint Patty solo, "Hurry Up, Face," and a solo by Snoopy on "Mother's Day"; Lucy, Snoopy, Sally, and Peppermint Patty with "Dime a Dozen"; and the entire ensemble Act 1 closer, "When Do the Good Things Start?" All came from Grossman and Hackady, and the play's overture also was reworked slightly, to incorporate themes from the new songs. The new songs are delightful: every bit as charming and clever as those which "survived" the San Francisco run. Consider the lyrics to "Hurry Up Face," an ode in which Peppermint Patty laments the tomboyish looks which (she believes) prevent her from finding True Love: Hurry up, face...make it snappy...come on, come on. Fall into place...make me happy...come on, come on. How long can I wait, face? I'm feeling the strain... That you're running late, face...is as plain...as... ...the nose on my face...can you doubt it? Come on, come on. Get on my case...how's about it? Come on, come on! Show me your heart...is in the right place... Come on, come on, come on...hurry up, face! Won't you please try...try to hurry...how time has flown! Years flying by...and I worry...I'll be alone! You're falling behind, face...don't do this to me... My mirror's not blind, face...it can see...that... ...you're losing the race...by a nose, so...get out the lead. Hurry up, face...on your toes, go...full speed ahead! Show me your heart...is in the right place... One of these days, I'll bet... You're gonna catch up yet... So, on your mark, get set...hurry up, face! (Gimme a break!) The London cast CD was re-issued in 1998 and now is readily available, so you can purchase both and check out the differences for yourself! Many shows go through modifications and flat-out changes during their early stages (this happened constantly with the shows on which George and Ira Gershwin worked), but we don't often get such an opportunity to hear the results before and after. For those desiring to "put on a show," Tams-Witmark also includes a British version of the show and score, which includes the sheet music to these additional songs. 8) THE MUSIC 8.1) What Vince Guaraldi CDs exist? The late Vince Guaraldi, who scored the first 15 TV specials and co-scored the first film, released three albums of his Peanuts themes. Happily, all have remained quite popular, and were quickly re-released as CDs ... and, just shy of the millennium, were joined by a fourth. The most popular is A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, on the Fantasy label (#8431). It includes all eleven songs from the album, plus a previously unissued "bonus track" of "Greensleeves" (actually a longer version of cut #2, "What Child is This"). This is what my father always called "tasty jazz": a trio, with Guaraldi on piano, Fred Marshall on bass, and Jerry Granelli on drums. This album has been re-mastered and re-released a few times over the years, notably in 2006 and 2012, both times with additional bonus tracks. Next up is A BOY NAMED CHARLIE BROWN (not to be confused with the soundtrack to the film of the same title), also on the Fantasy label (#8430). This is Guaraldi's soundtrack to a television "documentary" (available on DVD from the Charles Schulz Museum) which profiled Charlie Brown and Charles Schulz. The CD includes all nine songs from the album, plus a previously unissued "bonus track" of "Fly Me to the Moon" (which has nothing to do with Peanuts, but is certainly performed in the same style). This is once again Guaraldi's trio, with Marshall and Granelli. Guaraldi switched labels and styles for his third and final Peanuts recording (during his lifetie). OH GOOD GRIEF! is A short album on the Warner Brothers label, and is a much richer sound, and more a product of the late "swinging '60s": Guaraldi on piano/electric harpsichord, Carl Burnett on drums, Stanley Gilbert on bass, and Eddie Duran on electric guitar. Thirty years after that album, Fantasy released a "new," posthumous collection of Guaraldi's Peanuts television themes. CHARLIE BROWN'S HOLIDAY HITS also is a short album, and it repeats five cuts from "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas." But it includes no fewer than nine previously unreleased tracks: "Joe Cool," "Surfin' Snoopy," "Heartburn Waltz," "Track Meet," "Charlie's Blues," "Great Pumpkin Waltz," the main theme to "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," Guaraldi's cover of "Camptown Races" and a vocal rendition of "Oh, Good Grief" by producer Lee Mendelson's son, Glenn, and his sixth-grade class. (Who even knew that song had lyrics???) Some of these "new" tracks are monaural and sound a bit "raw," with the jump starts and quick fades of unrefinished television cues, but who cares? Larry Kelp's extensive liner notes include all sorts of great information, and the credits -- which appear to be accurate -- reflect a Who's Who of the personnel with whom Guaraldi played all this wonderful music. Summer 2003 saw the release of THE CHARLIE BROWN SUITE, a new collection from Bluebird Jazz, thanks to the efforts of Dave Guaraldi, Vince's son. The album's centerpiece is its title track: a lengthy (40 minutes!) orchestration of six familiar Peanuts themes, performed live as a multi-movement suite. The album also includes a smashing version of "Linus and Lucy" and a live rendition of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind." In 2006 and 2007, Dave Guaraldi released two more CDs of his father's Peanuts music, "The Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Specials," volumne 1 and 2. Both contain random tracks from "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," "There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown," "You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown," "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown," "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown," "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" and "It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown." Some of the tracks are little more than background music that doesn't "read" well on its own, but both albums have a bunch of full-length compositions that will delight Peanuts music fans. The spring of 2010 saw the Concord release of "Peanuts Portraits," a collection of tracks themed to specific members of the Peanuts gang. The blend of old and new tracks includes two prizes: alternate versions of "Frieda (With the Naturally Curly Hair)" and "Schroeder," both running quite a bit longer than their original appearances on the 1964 album "A Boy Named Charlie Brown." Stray tracks of Peanuts music also appear on these Guaraldi albums: "Peppermint Patty," on the CD re-issue of VINCE GUARALDI WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO BOYS CHORUS; "The Masked Marvel," on ALMA-VILLE; "Charlie Brown Blues" and the title theme to "You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown," both on OAXACA; "The Masked Marvel" (a different, slightly longer take) and yet another different version of "Linus and Lucy," on NORTH BEACH. Yet another version of "Linus and Lucy," the title theme to "There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown" and a bit of underscore from "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown," titled "Woodstock's Pad," all on the double-CD ON THE AIR. A previously unissued track titled "Blues for Peanuts," on the compilation double-CD THE DEFINITIVE VINCE GUARALDI. 8.2) Have other artists recorded Guaraldi's Peanuts music? Oh, yes. One of the most unusual is Cyrus Chestnut's 2000 cover of the complete album of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (Atlantic 2A-83366). Along with guests such as Vanessa Williams, Brian McKnight and the Manhattan Transfer, Chestnut delivers his own interpretations of every one of the Guaraldi album's original cuts, and adds a few original numbers of his own ("Me and Charlie Brown" and "Baby Dance"). Chestnut isn't the only artist to cover much of that famous TV special. Jazz pianist Jim Martinez's 2005 album, "A Jim Martinez Jazzy Christmas," features his renditions of Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here," "Skating" and "Christmas Is Coming," along with Martinez's arrangements of "O Christmas Tree," "The Christmas Song" and "Greensleeves," all of which Guaraldi covered in that holiday special. The Eric Byrd Trio did the same thing, with its 2009 album, also called "A Charlie Brown Christmas." It includes "O Christmas Tree," "Skating," "My Little Drum," "Christmas Time Is Here," "Linus and Lucy," "Greensleeves" and "Christmas Is Coming." 2009 also saw the release of the Lenny Marcus Trio's "Comfort and Joy," which includes several of the same Guaraldi songs and arrangements: "Christmas Is Coming," "O Christmas Tree," "Christmas Time Is Here," "Greensleeves" and "My Little Drum." The jazz piano trio The Ornaments got into the act next, with their 2011 release, "A Vince Guaraldi Christmas: Live at Middletree." They cover the entire album, including a nod to Beethoven's "Fur Elise." Jazz pianist Lori Mechem issued her own cover the same year: "Christmas Is Coming: A Tribute to A Charlie Brown Christmas." Mechem and her combo cover the entire album (absent "Fur Elise"), while also adding arrangements of a few more Christmas standards and one more Peanuts track ("The Charlie Brown Theme"). Backing up again, 2000 saw the release of David Benoit's HERE'S TO YOU, CHARLIE BROWN: 50 GREAT YEARS, on the GRP label (314 543 637-2). This lovely album features 10 cuts, of which seven are by Guaraldi. (One of the others is Clark Gesner's "Happiness," from YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN; the other two are Benoit originals, most definitely in the Guaraldi Peanuts mold.) Perhaps most intriguing is that the lead-off rendition of "Linus and Lucy," thanks to the magic of mixing, teams the David Benoit Trio with Guaraldi himself! Aside from Benoit and Christian McBride (bass) and Peter Erskine (drums, percussion), the special guests are Marc Antoine, Russell Malone, Chris Botti, Michael Brecker and Al Jarreau. It's a very pleasant and "tasty" album. The most popular album by other folks probably is HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CHARLIE BROWN, also on the GRP label (GRD-9596), released to coincide with the strip's 40th birthday. The music first was heard on a TV special called "You Don't Look 40, Charlie Brown." It's a grand mix of classic Guaraldi tunes and a few new instrumentals from Dave Grusin and Dave Brubeck, interpreted by jazz talents such as B.B. King, Chick Corea, Joe Williams, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Ritenour and Kenny G. David Benoit has his rendition of "Linus and Lucy" on his THIS SIDE UP CD (En Pointe, ENP 0001), but the same version can be found on the HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CD mentioned above. "Linus and Lucy" also appears on several others CDs. Solo fingerstyle acoustic guitarist Steven King includes his rendition on LET IT RING, which he self-publishes; write or call him at P.O. Box 1557, Renton, Washington, 98057-1557; (206) 226-4515. The price is roughly $17. There's a nice little trio jazz version of "Linus and Lucy" on the primarily classical RCA CD, SCHROEDER'S GREATEST HITS. Mixed in with the likes of Beethoven and Mozart are Ken Bichel on piano, John Miller on bass, and Ronnie Zito on drums. Jazz versions also come from Andrew York, on his PERFECT SKY release (Artifax, #789); Rick Eldridge, on his SOLO FLIGHTS album (Pentagram Records, #001); and a wonderful up-tempo version by Norman Brown (improperly titled "Charlie Brown Christmas," which is rather odd), on A MOJAZZ CHRISTMAS VOLUME 2 (MoJazz 314530695-2). Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops include a jazz trio version by by John Coliani (piano), John Leitham (bass) and Donny Osborne (drums) on YOUNG AT HEART (Telarc Records, #80245), and Gary Hoey contributes a rock-guitar version as part of his soundtrack (Reprise, #45615) to the film ENDLESS SUMMER II. The aforementioned Jim Martinez includes it on his album "Good Grief! It's Jim Martinez." Portland, Oregon's Tall Jazz (Mike Horsfall on keyboards, Kurt Deutscher on drums, and Dan Presley on bass) have a superb rendition of "The Red Baron" on their 1993 HOW 'BOUT NOW release (PHD 1002-CD). The CD may be hard to find outside the West Coast, but you can contact Tall Jazz at (503) 232-5346. Additionally, three jazz greats have released unofficial soundtracks of their compositions for specific episodes of the THIS IS AMERICA, CHARLIE BROWN television miniseries. The first is Dave Brubeck's QUIET AS THE MOON (on the Musicmasters label), which has the themes employed in the "NASA/Space Station" episode. Aside from his interpretations of Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy" and "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (the tune which, while not exactly a Peanuts theme, was the mega-hit which launched Guaraldi's fame), Brubeck has eight original compositions, plus new covers of the standards "Bicycle Built for Two" and "When You Wish Upon a Star." Aside from the entertaining music, the 13-page CD booklet also has numerous animated cel sketches from the TV episode, and boasts a delightful color cover with the entire gang. JOE COOL'S BLUES (on the Columbia label) is actually two CDs in one. Eight cuts, all played by the Wynton Marsalis Septet, are drawn from the "Wright Brothers" miniseries episode: seven original compositions, plus Marsalis' take on Guaraldi's ubiquitous "Linus and Lucy." The other five cuts -- all new renditions of other Guaraldi themes -- are performed by Wynton's father, Ellis, and his trio; Germaine Bazzle contributes a spirited vocal on the last one, "Little Birdie." These are particularly nice, since they reflect Guaraldi's original trio sound, while bearing completely different interpretations. Windham Hill pianist George Winston frequently performed "Linus and Lucy" in live concerts back in the day, and tantalized us for years by promising to record it (and other) Guaraldi compositions on CD. He finally did it with LINUS & LUCY: THE MUSIC OF VINCE GUARALDI; it's a perfectly marvelous solo piano collection of sixteen Guaraldi tunes, eleven of them directly related to various Peanuts television specials. He also has recorded a lovely solo piano version of "Christmas Time Is Here," but that appears on a different CD: Windham Hill's THE CAROLS OF CHRISTMAS. David Benoit's 2008 album, JAZZ FOR PEANUTS, features some of his TV themes from later Peanuts specials he scored, along with a few tracks lifted from above-mentioned albums by Wynton Marsalis and Dave Brubeck. One of the more unusual Guaraldi tribute albums is Aaron Brask's 2008 release, THE GUARALDI SESSIONS. This intriguing CD features 20 Guaraldi compositions, most of them from various Peanuts TV specials, and all arranged for the instrument Brask plays ... the French horn! In early 2010, Winston has revisited his musical hero a second time with LOVE WILL COME: THE MUSIC OF VINCE GUARALDI, VOLUME 2, a new collection of Guaraldi interpretations. Many of the songs from Winston's new album are from Peanuts TV episodes. These include "Time For Love," from "There's No Time For Love, Charlie Brown"; "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," "Love Will Come," "Woodstock," "Little Birdie," "It Was a Short Summer Charlie Brown," "Rain, Rain, Go Away," "Air Music" and "You're Elected Charlie Brown." The album also features other Guaraldi compositions from his jazz albums. While Peanuts fans might argue in favor of "Linus and Lucy," it would appear that "Christmas Time Is Here" will likely become the Peanuts standard for which Guaraldi will be remembered best. It is covered by new artists every year, and has become a very popular holiday jazz standard. David Benoit actually has recorded the cut twice; the rendition appears on his 1996 holiday CD, REMEMBERING CHRISTMAS, features a vocal by Michael "Popsicle Toes" Franks. This CD actually pays special tribute to "A Charlie Brown Christmas," since Benoit also includes spirited covers of "Skating" and "Christmas Is Coming." (See next question for a lengthy listing of "Christmas Time Is Here" covers.) Ken Lieck brought my attention to an intriguing oddity: an LP-sized (12") dance single from Pow Wow Records (1619 Broadway, New York, NY 10019...if they still exist). The sleeve is plain cardboard, with no artwork on either side. The disk, item #pw429 and released in 1988, contains three different mixes of "Linus and Lucy," all credited to a performer going by the name of "Schroeder" (probably an alias...wouldn't you think???). Side 1 contains one version of the song, while Side 2 has the other two mixes. Each features the central "Linus and Lucy" piano riff, augmented with differing levels of a generic dance beat. Ken compares the "sound" to that employed by the "Hooked on Classics" recordings: very electronic, and very monotonous. Colin Birge weighs in with another find: Bassist Stu Hamm, who has done considerable session work and toured with rock guitarists such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson, has for years thrown a fairly long musical quote from "Linus and Lucy" into his solos. You can hear this on his 1991 album "The Urge," in a song called "Quahogs Anyone?" The song is actually a live recording of a long bass solo he performed at a show in Santa Barbara, California, in 1980. Hamm's particular take on it is that he plays it as a bass guitar solo, both rhythm and melody lines together, no overdubbing 8.3) How many folks have recorded their own versions of "Christmas Time Is Here"? "I don't think I'm a great piano player," Vince Guaraldi once said, "but I would like to have people like me, to play pretty tunes and reach the audience. And I hope some of those tunes will become standards. I want to write standards, not just hits." He certainly got his wish with "Christmas Time Is Here." Songwriters and musicians produce new holiday and Christmas songs every year, no doubt attempting to hit the lightning in a bottle that will, over the course of time, transfer what might be a pleasant -- but mostly unfamiliar - little tune into a seasonal perennial along the lines of "Jingle Bells" or "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Many try; few succeed; the Windham Hill label has turned the process into a cottage industry with all its "Winter Solstice" CDs. But the process can -- and will -- take decades, before the public fully embraces a song and elevates it into that holiday pantheon. "Christmas Time Is Here" has become such a song. The best part (and I hope Guaraldi is in a position to take note of this) is that the song has been treated with so much respect. By virtue of its having been covered by jazz greats and near-greats, Guaraldi's simple little song -- introduced in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and still heard, every year, by folks who've turned that experience into an essential part of the holidays - has entered the lexicon of Christmas...and of Christmas jazz. The list below is by no means definitive; it grows every year. (I've also tried to ignore inferior versions; while the Christmas Jug Band's version might be ... intriguing ... once or twice, it's hardly something you'd want to share.) But it provides ample evidence of the song's popularity, and -- if you're like I am -- it'll point the way toward assembling a first-rate collection of holiday jazz, highlighted by some truly splendid versions of our favorite holiday song. And while I've concentrated below on jazz, plenty of other artists have recorded or performed the song. The Silent League has a version, and in 2005 a folksinging trio -- Meaghan Smith, Jill Barber and Rose Cousins -- did a particularly lovely live version on Canadian TV. So the song's fame continues to spread. All these versions exist on CD, although some of them have (alas!) gone out of print. I used to distinguish between those that were and were not readily available, but with the rise of eBay, Amazon's third-party vendors and so many other Web outlets, you should be able to find just about anything on this list. Bear in mind that some will be found only at Web outlets such as cdbaby.com and ejazzlines.com. Happy listening! Beegie Adair, "Quiet Christmas" and a second version on "Bossa Nova Christmas" Bill Augustine and Malcolm Cecil, "A Jazzy Christmas #2" Patti Austin, "A GRP Christmas, volume 2" (also on "Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown") Anita Baker, "Christmas Fantasy" Jon Ballantyne, "Justin Time for Christmas" Dan Baraszu and Joseph Patrick Moore, "Christmas Time Is Here" The James Bazen Big Band, "Merry Christmas Take One" Tony Bennett, "A Swingin' Christmas" David Benoit, "Christmas Time" David Benoit and Michael Franks, "Remembering Christmas" The Charlie Bertini Quintet, "Christmas Cookies" Nate Birkey, "Christmas" Terence Blanchard, "Swing Into Christmas" George Blondheim, "A Little Christmas Jazz" The Boston Pops Orchestra, "Holiday Pops" Buselli Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, "Carol of the Bells" Eric Byrd Trio, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Cartoon Christmas Trio, "Cartoon Christmas Trio" Laura Caviani Trio, "Relaxing Holiday Jazz" Michael Chertock, "Christmas at the Movies" Cyrus Chestnut, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Chicago (yes, the rock group), "Chicago XXV: What's It Gonna Be, Santa?" Cincinatti Pops Orchestra, "Christmas Time Is Here" The Stanley Clarke Trio, "A Mellow Jazz Christmas" Dawn Clement, "Christmas with Dawn" Rosemary Clooney, "A Concord Jazz Christmas, volume 1" (also on her own "White Christmas" collection) Shawn Colvin, "Holiday Songs and Lullabies" Mark Douthit, "December Morning" Nathan Eklund, "Crafty Christmas" Equanimous Jones Quartet, "Calm Down, It's Christmas" Ron Eschete, "Christmas Impressions" Etowah Jazz Society, "What Jazz Is This" Stephen Mark Fennell, "Christmas Wish" Simon, Stephen and Tim Fisk, "Calm Abide" Bobby Floyd, "Floyd's Finest Gift" Fourplay, "Snowbound" Brian Gorell & Shane Conaway, "In the Swing of Christmas" Tom Grant and Rebecca Kilgore, "Winter Warm" Vince Guaraldi, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (original release in 1965, re-mastered in 2006) Sean Harkness, "A Windham Hill Christmas: I'll Be Home for Christmas" (also on "Windham Hill Holiday Guitar Collection") Michael Allen Harrison Quartet, "Holiday Jazz" Charlie Hunter, "Yule Be Boppin'" David Huntsinger, "Sentimental Season" Mark J., "Christmas Keys" (regional to Oregon; hard to find) Boney James, "Boney's Funky Christmas" Plas Johnson, "Christmas in Hollywood" Matt King Trio, "Welcome, Christmas" Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, "Christmas Time is Here" Diana Krall, "Christmas Songs" The Stephen Kummer Trio, "Christmas in the City" Julian Lage and Gary Mazzaroppi, "An NPR Jazz Christmas with Marian McPartland and Friends, Volume 3" Vincent Lars, "A MoJazz Christmas, Volume 2" Charles Lazarus, "Merry & Bright" Richard Leach, "My Favorite Christmas Things" Sam Levine, "Christmas by the Fire" Kenny Loggins, "December" Chris McDonald Orchestra, "Big Band Christmas Swing" Brian McKnight, "40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas" Sarah McLachlan (with Diana Krall on piano), "Wintersong" Mainstream Jazz Ensemble, "Jazz Christmas Songs" Melissa Manchester, "Joy" The Manhattan Transfer, "An Acapella Christmas" Martan Mann & Mannkind, "Christmastime" Lenny Marcus Trio, "Comfort and Joy" Eric Marienthal, "40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas" Thomas Marriott/Bill Anschell Quartet, "The Cool Season" Ellis Marsalis, "A Jazz Piano Christmas" and a second version on "A New Orleans Christmas Carol" Jim Martinez, "A Jim Martinez Christmas" Lori Mechem, "Brazilian Christmas" and also a different version on "Christmas Is Coming" Brad Mehldau Trio, "A Warner Bros. Jazz Christmas Party" Monday Off (that's the name of a group), "Christmas Time Is Here" Doug Munro and La Pompe Attack, "A Very Gypsy Christmas" Nate Najar Trio, "Christmas with the Nate Najar Trio" Joe Negri, "Guitars for Christmas" The New England Jazz Ensemble, "Wishes You a Cookin' Christmas" New World Jazz Project, "Christmas Time Is Here" The Now and Then Trio, "Christmas Time Is Here" Octobop, "West Coast Christmas" The Ornaments, "A Vince Guaraldi Christmas: Live at Middletree" Grant Osborne Trio, "Little Town: Carols for Christmas" Rob Parton Big Band, "Christmas Time Is Here" Rik Pfenninger, "A Simple Christmas 1" John Pizzarelli, "Let's Share Christmas" Dianne Reeves, "Christmas Time Is Here" Rochford Jazz Ensemble, "Christmas With the Rochford Jazz Ensemble" Patrice Rushen, Stanley Clarke and Ndugu Chancler, "Jazzy Christmas" Rich Severson Jazz Quartet, "Blue Christmas" Bob Shaw, "A Christmas Celebration" Spyro Gyra, "A Night Before Christmas" John Stetch, "Justin Time for Christmas, Volume 3" Mike Strickland, "Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas" Style Is Back in Style, "Christmas Is for Us Kids" Take 6, "Here's to You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years" Tall Jazz, "Winter Jazz II" (regional to Oregon; hard to find) Trio West "Trio West Plays Holiday Songs" Greg Vail, "Is It Christmas Yet?" Curt Warren, "A Little Bit of Christmas Jazz" Grover Washington Jr., "Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection" Stan Whitmire, "A Piano Christmas" Nancy Wilson, "A Nancy Wilson Christmas" George Winston, "The Carols of Christmas" Warren Wolf, "It's Christmas on Mack Avenue" 8.4) What about the other two Guaraldi compositions on the "Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack? "Christmas Time Is Here" has completed its transition from "mere" Peanuts TV special adornment to fully fledged holiday standard, as proven by all the artists above who've covered the song. But what about the other two original Guaraldi compositions from that first Peanuts TV special, "Christmas Is Coming" and "Skating"? They, too, have been gaining momentum over the years, although certainly not to the same degree. But if you're a die-hard completist, you'll find quite entertaining covers in the following lists. As with the albums that have covered "Christmas Time Is Here," above, these are known to be in print and available unless otherwise specified. Let's begin with "Christmas Is Coming": David Benoit, "Remember Christmas" David Benoit (second version), "40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas" Eric Byrd Trio, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Cyrus Chestnut, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Lenny Marcus Trio, "Comfort and Joy" Jim Martinez, "A Jim Martinez Jazzy Christmas" Lori Mechem, "Brazilian Christmas" and also a different version on "Christmas Is Coming" The Ornaments, "A Vince Guaraldi Christmas: Live at Middletree" George Winston, "A Windham Hill Christmas" Tyler Yarema Jazz Quartet, "Tis the Season to Be Jazzy" And, finally, "Skating": (Be advised, by the way, that the track titled "Skating" on the Thomas Marriott/Bill Anschell Quartet holiday album, "The Cool Season," is not the familiar Guaraldi tune, but an original by quartet bassist Jeff Johnson. You'd think he could have called it something else!) David Benoit, "Remember Christmas" Norman Brown, "40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas" Eric Byrd Trio, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Cyrus Chestnut, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Boney James, "Christmas Present" Jim Martinez, "A Jim Martinez Jazzy Christmas" Lori Mechem, "Christmas Is Coming" The Ornaments, "A Vince Guaraldi Christmas: Live at Middletree" George Winston, "Winter Solstice on Ice" 8.5) Does sheet music exist for any of these tunes? Yes, but until recently most of it could be hard to find. Because of its popularity, "Linus and Lucy" has always been fairly common as a sheet music single. It can be found in the current Warners catalog, from which any good-sized music store should be able to order. By the same token, "Christmas Time is Here" is always easy to find, particularly around the holidays. At the moment, would-be Peanuts music performers are in luck, because Hal Leonard released a raft of new music books in late 2001, for a variety of ages and skills. For the most part, the song selections mirror those Hal Leonard published in 1984, in "Charlie Brown's Greatest Hits" (see below). The formats and titles available are: * "The Charlie Brown Collection" (#00313177, medium-level piano solo), 18 songs and 8 pages of full-color Peanuts art, for $14.95; * "The Charlie Brown Collection" (#00316070, easy piano), 18 songs and 8 pages of full-color Peanuts art, for $14.95; * "The Charlie Brown Collection" (#00100149, E-Z Play Today), 11 songs, for $6.95; * "The Charlie Brown Collection" (#00316071, Big-Note piano), 12 songs, for $10.95; * "The Charlie Brown Collection" (#00316072, Five-Finger piano), 8 songs, for $7.95; * "A Charlie Brown Christmas," a collection of 10 songs from the TV special, arranged in each of the five levels indicated above. Hal Leonard also re-issued the singles "Linus and Lucy," "Christmas Time Is Here" and "The Charlie Brown Theme," in a style that matches the new books. The best one, however, is "The Peanuts Illustrated Songbook" (#00313178, $19.95), an absolutely gorgeous 120-page book that'll appeal both to budding pianists and plain ol' fans of Vince Guaraldi, who have no intention of setting finger to keyboard. It contains a whopping 30 songs, including several -- among them "Frieda," "Surfin' Snoopy" and the main theme to the Thanksgiving special -- that haven't been released prior to this point. The arrangements are medium-level, and certainly "dense" enough to sound reasonably true to the recorded originals. Better yet, the front of the book has an impressive 20-page introduction, by Hank Bordowitz, that talks about Guaraldi and his career, both in terms of his Peanuts work and also his mainstream jazz efforts. George Winston and Vince's son, Dave, are quoted in this introduction, which also includes quite a few old photos of Vince at work and play ... along with plenty of full-color Peanuts line art. Information about Guaraldi is even more scarce than his sheet music (and I should know, since I've contributed a great deal of what little exists), and so this volume is very welcome. Finally, Hal Leonard also has released "The Vince Guaraldi Collection" (#00672486, $19.95), which is a true conversation-stopper for those folks who absolutely want to play PRECISELY like Guaraldi. The book contains note-for-note transcriptions of four Guaraldi originals -- "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," "Christmas Time Is Here," "Linus and Lucy" and "Star Song" -- along with his arrangements of five other cuts from early albums: "Greensleeves" and "O Tannenbaum," from "A Charlie Brown Christmas"; and "Manha de Carnaval," "Outra Vez" and "Samba de Orfeu." This is the real deal, boys and girls; these nine songs take up 85 full pages, and -- unless you're a prodigy -- these aren't pieces that you'll master during the last few hours before you want to impress folks at a dinner party. Your humble FAQ-meister has waited his entire life for a book like this, and we're talking ... well, a long time! The book also includes a short (one page) biography that apparently wrote itself, as nobody is credited. There's also no transcription credit, which perhaps makes sense from the standpoint that this is, after all, Vince's own music ... but somebody put a helluva lot of time into this book, and I'm saddened that we'll never know who that was. BE ADVISED, HOWEVER: Musician David Welch points out that while the piano transcriptions are excellent, the same cannot be said of the chord transcriptions that appear above the notes. They're quite wrong in many cases, and the book apparently would be next to useless for guitar players and anybody else relying on those chords. Tsk, tsk, tsk! Historically, the quest is more difficult. In the late '60s and early '70s, Pointer Publications, a division of what then was Hal Leonard/Pointer Publications, put out a series of easy piano books -- the Peanuts Keyboard Fun series -- most of which were adapted from the early TV specials. The books typically contained 32 pages, and the two center pages featured full-color illustrations from the show in question. The musical contents tended to cross over from book to book; in other words, if you had two books, they'd have some of the same songs, and some unique to each book. For example, the book for "He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown" includes 12 songs, all by Vince Guaraldi: "Baseball Theme," "Blue Charlie Brown," "Bon Voyage," "Happiness Theme," "He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown" (title theme), "Housewife Theme," "Linus and Lucy" (of course!), "Oh, Good Grief," "Peppermint Patty," "Red Baron," "Schroeder" and "Schroeder's Wolfgang." These TV score books were $2.95 each, and included the following volumes: * "A Charlie Brown Christmas" * "Charlie Brown's All Stars" * "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" * "You're in Love, Charlie Brown" * "He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown" * "It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown" Pointer also published a score book for the first Peanuts feature film, "A Boy Named Charlie Brown." Aside from some of the familiar Guaraldi tunes, this also includes incidental music by John Scott Trotter (such as "Bus Wheel Blues") and Rod McKuen's title song, along with the other vocals ("Champion Charlie Brown," etc.). The good news is that this book, believe it or not, is still available from a Web site that handles Rod McKuen's music: http://www.stanyanhouse.com. Additionally, Pointer produced two Organ Fun Books, with the same songs arranged for this instrument. The first book, at $2.95, included a "Peanuts Keyboard Guide and Guide for Parents and Teachers," while the second book, at $1.95, featured a "Peanuts Pointers chart which offers special creative styling techniques." (Probably not the same as a master class from Mr. Guaraldi himself, however...) Finally, the Peanuts Music Fun Notebook, also at $2.95, "allows children to learn music through doing -- reading, drawing and coloring exercises. The book features Snoopy Snip-Outs, small flash cards which teach basic fundamentals such as names of notes, note values, rests and rhythm patterns." These are all long out of print and absolutely impossible to find (although if anybody reading these words owns one or more, I'd sure like to hear about it!). Thanks to a fan named Marcie (yes, it's really her name!), I learned that a songbook had been published with the music from the second big-screen Peanuts feature, "Snoopy Come Home." This 56-page folio book -- spiral-bound, as all sheet music should be! -- was put out by Charles Hansen Music and Books, 1860 Broadway, New York NY 10023. Based on the copyright dates, it seems to have been released in 1972; its item number is K540. In addition to separate lyrics pages and piano/vocal versions of songs such as "The Best of Buddies" and "Fundamental-Friend-Dependability," the book includes an introduction by Charles Schulz and a brief synopsis of the film, with illustrations. The music itself isn't nearly as complicated as Vince Guaraldi's jazz arrangements, making it possible to become a "Peanuts music wizard" in a few weeks. In 1984, the Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, now freed of Pointer Publications, brought out "Charlie Brown's Greatest Hits" (#HL00240155), originally published at $5.95. This 56-page volume has reasonably complete transcriptions of 18 different songs, all by Vince Guaraldi and arranged by Lee Evans. Hal Leonard has a website, at http://www.halleonard.com, where you'll find that it's still possible to order the collection, for $10.95. (There's also a beginner version -- #00240154 -- for $8.95.) You also can order them by calling Music Dispatch, at (800) 637-2852. (It should be noted that sheet music is one aspect of the Peanuts merchandising phenomenon which hasn't yet been seized upon by maniacal fans.) CPP/Belwin Inc.'s "Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown" (#P0868SMX) is much easier to find...but don't wait too long. These books don't seem to linger in print. This particular 36-page volume has the music for all 11 of the songs found on the CD of the same name, and eight are Guaraldi compositions (including, of course, "Linus and Lucy"). The level of difficulty is higher; these are rich piano transcriptions that sound fabulous when played by somebody who takes the time to learn them well. Another book, definitely still available, is an earlier songbook to "A Charlie Brown Christmas." It contains all the music from the same-titled CD, and -- better yet -- arranged in Guaraldi's unique style, transcribed for piano by Bill Galliford and David Pugh. So, you not only get Guaraldi Peanuts originals such as "Linus and Lucy" and "Christmas is Coming," you get his jazzy interpretations of "What Child Is This" and "O, Christmas Tree." As with "The Vince Guaraldi Collection," described above, the transcriptions are dead-on accurate; if your piano is in tune, you can play along with the CD and sound just like the master himself...or, better yet, surprise your friends during the holiday season by launching into a swinging rendition of "The Christmas Song." The book exists in both easy piano and "regular" versions -- the latter, when first published, was $13.95 for 32 pages -- and can be ordered from CPP Belwin Inc. 15800 NW 48th Avenue Miami, Florida 33014 (305) 620-1500 If you have a credit card, they'll take an order over the phone. CPP Belwin also produced the folio book that goes with Dave Brubeck's "Quiet as the Moon" CD, which features music used in the "NASA Space Station" episode of "This Is America, Charlie Brown." Published in 1992 at a cost of $12.95, the 32-page volume includes transcriptions of eight original Brubeck tunes, two by Guaraldi ("Linus and Lucy" and "Cast Your Fate to the Wind"), and an up-tempo arrangement of Harry Dacre's "Bicycle Built for Two." The front of the book also includes three pages of text and storyboard illustrations that describe the making of that particular animated episode, as recalled by Brubeck himself. Thanks to the enduring popularity of both Peanuts plays, songbooks are readily available for them. The latest edition of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" is published by MPL Communications and distributed by Hal Leonard; the 48-page book, which currently runs $8.95, includes the music for 10 songs and has three pages of black-and-white photographs of scenes from the play. The book does not have music from these four songs: "The Book Report," "The Red Baron," "Queen Lucy" or "Glee Club Rehearsal." On the other hand, if you'd like those songs and all the instrumental passages between them, then definitely look for Hal Leonard's 117-page version of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." This is a commercially produced version of the complete orchestral score that one obtains from Tams Witmark when actually putting on a production of the play, and it has everything: piano reductions of the various instrumental passages, multi-part harmony where necessary, and even occasional dialogue cues that preface or conclude a particular cut. (And the piano accompaniment isn't trivial, on several of the songs.) Short of somehow obtaining individual scores for all the different instruments, the average civilian can't do better than this book. Chappell/Intersong Music Group, also distributed by Hal Leonard, has the rights to "Snoopy!!!" The 64-page book, currently $8.95, has 10 songs and eight pages of black-and-white pictures from the play. The contents can be a bit mysterious and frustrating for a true fan, since one song -- "Friend" -- is no longer part of the play as usually performed, and four others -- "Edgar Allan Poe," "The Vigil," "The Great Writer" and "The Big Bow-Wow" -- are not included. (Needless to say, this book also does not include the four additional songs present only in the British version of this play. To my knowledge, a British folio songbook has not been produced.) Finally, we come to "The Peanuts Gallery," a concerto by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Sheet music is available for it, as well. The Theodore Presser Company released three versions of the music from this concerto. "Lullaby for Linus" is a two-minute movement, which Zwilich herself has arranged for solo piano. "Snoopy Does the Samba," another movement, is also available, along with the entire solo piano part with a piano reduction of the orchestra. "Peanuts Gallery" salutes the comic strip characters we know and love, and was premiered at Carnegie Hall, March 22, 1997. Zwilich was the first woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize in music, and has written many pieces for piano, chamber ensembles, orchestra, and band. "Lullaby for Linus" (140-40075) and "Snoopy Does the Samba" (140-40076) are sold through music dealers, as is the complete "Peanuts Gallery" (440-40021). More information and a brochure about Ellen Taaffe Zwilich are available from Presser's Sales Department at (610) 525-3636, ext. 41; fax (610) 527-7841; e-mail sales@presser.com. 8.6) Speaking of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's "The Peanuts Gallery," has it been released on CD? Yes ... but it sure took awhile! A live performance of the concerto was broadcast by National Public Radio stations in February 2000, but that wasn't issued on CD. Similarly, a PBS special that traced the origins of this work, and which included a complete performance, originally was broadcast in October 2006 on PBS stations, but also hasn't been released. This television special turns up on various PBS stations from time to time, particularly during pledge breaks, so be on the lookout. Happily, the work finally was released on CD in 2010, under the Naxos label's "American Classics" banner. Three of Zwilich's works are assembled on this album, which is titled for the longest work, "Millennium Fantasy" (Naxos 8.559656). It's joined by "Peanuts Gallery" and "Images." The music is performed by the Florida State University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alexander JimŽnez; the pianist (on "Peanuts Gallery") is Jeffrey Biegel. 8.7) What are the lyrics to "Joe Cool"? One of Snoopy's favorite alter-egos gained his own theme song, thanks to the animated TV specials. The song first was used in the 1972 TV special "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown," with these verses: Joe Cool...back in school. Hangin' round the water fountain, Playin' the fool. Joe Cool...take it light. If the principal catches you, You're out of sight. (Take those shades off...walkin' round the halls.) Joe Cool...makin' the rounds. Checkin' all the kiddies, Up and down. Joe Cool...play it straight. If the principal catches you, It's gon-na...be...too late. (Yeaaaahhh...better learn to add now.) The following year, in the TV special "There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown," the song collected a few more verses. To reflect Snoopy's temporary responsibilities as a supermarket check-out clerk, these lines were added: Joe Cool...after school. Workin' in the supermarket, Just like a mule. Joe Cool...do it right. And be careful of the manager, He's dy-na-mite. (Check each item...get those prices right!) Joe Cool...straighten things out. Take it easy, buddy... You don't have to shout. Joe Cool...just relax. If you bug the poor ol' manager, You get the ax. (Pay attention...don't you mess things up!) Joe Cool...after school. Working in the supermarket, Breaking the rules. Joe Cool...playin' the clown. Just be careful of the shopping carts, They're goin'...to bring...you down. (Yeah...goin' for a ride now...) Many years later, when B.B. King was selected to sing this song for the 1989 GRP album "Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown," the decision was made to go with an entirely new set of lyrics that were not specific to any particular Peanuts TV special. These new lyrics, credited to Desiree Goyette, go as follows: Joe Cool...startin' today. Hey, it looks a little cloudy, But that's okay...'cause he's Joe Cool Joe Cool...dressin' up right, Going out to catch a lady to take out tonight. Put the shades on...precious pearly white; Lookin' casual, feelin' dynomite. Joe Cool...struttin' the streets, Trying to impress each little darling he meets. He says, "Hey baby...how 'bout a midnight snack?" She says, "Got a date already; I'll catch you later, Jack." He says, "Take it easy baby. Don't come on too strong. What's your hurry? You got all day long." Joe Cool...he heads home. But he's not sure. Yeah, he's thumbing his finger Through his little black book. Now here's one you ain't seen for a while. You know, the little French cutie With the little pretty smile. Dial that number; flash all of your charms If you want that babe, that baby in your arms. I said, Joe Cool, well, he got that date. He showed up not a minute early, not a minute too late. He sais, "Hey baby...here's a flower for you." She said, "Come a little closer. I've got something for you, too." Keep it light now...playin' by the rules. Then she slaps him; he feels like a fool. he says "Hey baby...what did you do that for?" She says, "You ain't called me In at least a year or more." He heads home...but he's no fool. He may not have a girlfriend but, At least he's cool...Joe Cool. Joe Cool...he'll be okay. Just remember tomorrow is another day. Oh yes...Joe Cool. 8.8) Can any of these songs be downloaded in some format, so I can hear them on my computer? Libraries of MIDI, WAV and other formats are now all over the Web. The easiest way to find some is simply to search through Yahoo or some other Internet search engine. Start with the key words VINCE GUARALDI or LINUS AND LUCY or PEANUTS; that should get you started pretty well. 8.9) Where can I find a copy of "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron"? A darn good question! A minor rock group calling itself The Royal Guardsmen had a breakout hit in the mid-60s, with the aforementioned song: "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron." Considering how ubiquitous it was for quite a few years, its scarcity now is a mystery. The song, which ran 2 minutes and 43 seconds, was released on a 45 RPM single from Laurie Records Inc. in New York. The item number was 3366, and the "B"-side single was "I Needed You," clocking in at 2:07. The Royal Guardsmen even produced a lively video for this hit single, and you can see it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxzg_iM-T4E Not long after, that hit was followed by two more songs by the same group, and on the same label: "The Return of The Red Baron," running 2:10, appeared on a 45 RPM single numbered 3379. Its "B"-side companion was "Sweetmeats Slide," also running 2:10. Finally, "Snoopy's Christmas," running 3:10, completed the trilogy. It was released on a 45 RPM numbered 3416, with "It Kinda Looks Like Christmas" (running 2:12) on side B. All three were later gathered together onto an LP titled MERRY SNOOPY'S CHRISTMAS, item # HDY-1913 from Holiday Records, a division of Phoenix Entertainment and Talent, located at 200 W. 57th Street, New York NY 10019. Needless to say, this LP -- and the 8-track cartridge and audiocassette onto which it also was released -- are out of print, although you should always investigate "remainder" bins. Both front and back covers have illustrations by Charles Schulz. The front cover is a lovely shot of Snoopy, wearing red pajamas and a nightcap, and carrying a candle, surrounded by a Christmas wreath. The back cover is dominated by a shot of the WWI Flying Ace leaning against his Sopwith Camel (doghouse). On the far side, the Royal Guardsmen -- Bill, John, Chris, Barry, Tom, and Billy -- are pictured in similar, comic-art style. Side 1 has all three of the aforementioned musical bouts between Snoopy and the Red Baron, strung together by a sort of newscast-style "storyline." Side 2 contains the following cuts: I Say Love Down behind the Lines It's Sopwith Camel Time It's So Right to Be in Love Airplane Song It Kinda Looks Like Christmas While cute as novelty tunes, the obscurity of these B-side songs is probably well-deserved... More importantly, however, most (all?) of these cuts are available on a CD titled THE ROYAL GUARDSMEN ANTHOLOGY, which also includes the more obscure "Snoopy for President." If you have trouble ordering this CD at your local music store, try calling The Collector's Choice Music Catalog, at (800) 923-1122. Laura's Warm Puppy Page -- a web site which can be accessed from The Peanuts Collector's Club web pages (see above) -- reprints the lyrics to "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron." Go wild! 8.10) Have musicians recorded songs that mention the Peanuts characters, or serve as a tribute to them? The most famous examples, of course, are those by the Royal Guardsmen noted above. The next most famous artist (actually, in terms of historical impact, that's underselling this gentleman something fierce) would be Rod McKuen, who released a 1970 album of his film music titled "A Boy Named Charlie Brown." It includes two different vocal versions of "Champion Charlie Brown," a vocal of "A Boy Named Charlie Brown," and instrumental versions of "Failure Face" and -- wait for it -- "Something for Snoopy," one of the songs McKuen wrote that wasn't used in the film! All these versions are different than what we hear in the movie. The album also includes McKuen's work from "Natalie," "Joanna" and "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie." The LP never has been re-issued on CD, but (big "but") the LP still is available and on sale from McKuen's Web site, http://www.stanyanhouse.com. (And yes, I mean it's STILL available; this isn't an outdated FAQ entry that I forgot about. Visit the site and find out for yourself!) See, I knew there was a reason to hang onto those turntables... Other tributes to the Peanuts gang have cropped up over the years (and feel free to call my attention to them!), but I'm particularly delighted by the following passage from the 1998 song "Dreamtime," by a great Northern California-based folk/rock group dubbed Natalie Cortez & the Ultra Violets: It's gettin' close to Halloween, I can smell it in the air, and I feel it in the trees: Jumping, crunching through the leaves Like Charlie Brown, Linus and Peppermint Patty, Waiting in the pumpkin patch for you-know-who... The song can be found on their CD, "Ten Who Dared: Live at The Palms," which can be ordered by writing them at P.O. Box 595, Davis, CA 95617-0595. If you're in a hurry, visit their Web site: http://www.jps.net/april2/ultraviolets If you enjoy pleasant folk/rock, I can't recommend them highly enough; the CD is really a treat. With respect to folks you're more likely to know, Tori Amos, on her Album "Boys for Pele," has a song called "Not the Red Baron, " which contains the lines... "Not the Red Baron, not Charlie Brown..." and "Not the Red Baron, no, not Charlie's wonderful dog..." Dishwalla recorded a song titled "Charlie Brown's Parents," Which includes the lyrics "because it feels like I'm talking to Charlie Brown's parents/feels like I'm talkin' to a lonely man without a vision/stuffed his mouth with indecision..." Chinese fan Yeo Keng Leong cited this example from a 2000 Chinese pop song titled "If You're Not Real," performed by East Asian singer Faye Wong: "I ask myself "if your looks change to resemble that of Snoopy's, "will they leave behind the same memories?" 9) THEME PARKS/MERCHANTS 9.1) What can you tell me about the Charles M. Schulz Museum? The Charles M. Schulz Museum, which opened August 16, 2002, is at 2301 Hardies Lane, Santa Rosa, California 95403. The phone number is (707) 579-4452. Hours are noon to 5:30 p.m. weekdays (closed Tuesdays), and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Visit the Museum Web site at http://www.schulzmuseum.org. The mission of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is to preserve, display, and interpret the art of Charles M. Schulz. The Museum will carry out this mission through exhibits and programming which: *) Illustrate the scope of Schulz's multi-faceted career; *) Communicate the stories, inspirations and influences of Charles M. Schulz; *) Celebrate the life of Charles M. Schulz and the Peanuts characters; *) Build understanding of cartoonists and cartoon art. The Museum's goals: *) To educate visitors to the unique place of Charles M. Schulz in the history of cartooning, and to increase awareness and appreciation of his work; *) To provide access to primary materials relating to the life and work of Charles M. Schulz for scholars and other serious students through the Research Center; *) To acquire selected materials, which enhance and support the Museum's missions and goals; *) To lend works of art and related materials from the collection to other institutions when appropriate and feasible, considering budgetary constraints; *) To achieve the Museum's mission in an atmosphere that remains true to the character of Charles M. Schulz and the Peanuts characters. Aside from all that high-falutin' prose, let us assure you that the Museum is a grand way to spend an afternoon. Exhibits are scheduled to rotate three or four times per year, and Museum members receive (among other things) a newsletter published three or four times per year. 9.2) Are there any Peanuts theme parks? Certainly! Read on... (Special thanks to See-yan Wong, for bringing this section of the FAQ up to date, particularly with respect to international sites.) UNITED STATES The United States has several locations for Knott's Camp Snoopy. The first and oldest is located within Knott's Berry Farm, in the greater Los Angeles area of Southern California. (Their address is 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, CA 90620.) It's a self- contained, child-oriented theme park -- e.g. gentler rides -- hidden within the larger Knott's park. (As I recall, it's not possible to just gain access to Camp Snoopy and bypass the Knott's admission fees...although it IS possible to get what's known as a "shopper's pass," which will get you into the Peanuts gift shops for as long as you wish.) The official Web site is www.knotts.com/ The second location once was right in the heart of the enclosed Mall of America, in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Alas, that one closed in early 2006. Subsequent to those two, which can be said to have started the franchise, other Camp Snoopy locations have followed: Michigan's Adventure -- just north of Muskegon is Michigan's largest amusement and water park 4750 Whitehall Road, Muskegon, Michigan 49445 (231) 766-3377 www.miadventure.com info@miadventure.com Cedar Point One Cedar Point Dr., Sandusky, Ohio 44870-5259 (419) 627-2350 www.cedarpoint.com/campsnoopy/ Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom 3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18104 (610) 395-3724 www.dorneypark.com info@dorneypark.com Worlds of Fun 4545 Worlds of Fun Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64161 (816) 454-4545 www.worldsoffun.com And you also should check out... Lilly's Cafe (Snoopy Cafe) 1031 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, California 90291 (310) 314-0004 http://www.lillysfrenchcafe.com/ JAPAN We must thank our Japanese friends for keeping Charles Schulz and Peanuts so popular, with so many Snoopy Town locations! The first, in Osaka, opened on March 16, 1995; the others followed during the subsequent years. The addresses and phone numbers below actually are for the Snoopy Town shops at the various parks, but of course if you can find the shops, you'll also find the parks themselves. We must report unhappy news, however ... United Feature Syndicate discontinued its 40-year franchise with the Lalaport Corporation in March 2008. Therefore, the existing 11 Snoopy Town Shops gradually closed from January 2008 to March 2008. Details (on the order of the closing of the shops) were published on the website http://townshop.snoopy.co.jp Meanwhile, United Feature Syndicate signed a new franchise contract with the Kiddy Land Corporation (http://www.kiddyland.co.jp) in Tokyo December 2007. Kiddy Land announced that it is going to continue the "tradition" of the Snoopy Town shop; the first Snoopy shops run by the Kiddy Land Corp opened in Tokyo in spring 2008. Additional details will be announced on the Kiddy Land website and at http://town.snoopy.co.jp/. The first "Snoopy Town Mini" opened on March 8th: Snoopy Town Mini Tokyo-eki Ichibangai-ten ("eki" means "station", and "ten" means "shop") B1 Level of Tokyo-eki Ichibangai, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Tel:03-3215-7030 Osaka Umeda-ten and Minatomirai-ten Opened on April 29th. Osaka Umeda-ten is located in Kiddy Land Osaka Umeda-ten. Snoopy Town Shop Osaka Umeda-ten Kiddy Land Osaka Umeda-ten, Hankyu Sanbangai, 1-1-3 Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka Tel:06-6372-7751 The new Minatomirai-ten is located at the same place as the former Minatomirai-ten, which closed. Snoopy Town Yokohama Minatomirai-ten 2F 3rd Queen's Square 2-3-4 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama Tel: 045-640-1032 The Harajuku-ten will open on May 24th. The first Snoopy Cafe, managed by TV Tokyo Broadband Entertainment, Inc., opened on March 27th. http://cafe.snoopy.co.jp/ Snoopy Cafe Tressa Yokohama South Building, 700 Morooka-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama The URL of Tressa Yokohama: http://www.tressa-yokohama.jp/ Osaka's Universal Studios Japan features a "Snoopy Studios" section of the park, which boasts Snoopy's Sound Stage Adventure and Snoopy's Playland. Visit www.usj.co.jp/studioguide/attraction/e_index.htm for more details. Finally, Japanese fans also might want to visit these two sites: Official Online Shop: http://eshop.snoopy.co.jp/webshop/index.html Dinos Online Shop: "My Snoopy Goods" http://www.dinos.co.jp/snoopygoods/index.html Peanuts cellphone games and images (only in Japanese): http://mobile.snoopy.co.jp/ HONG KONG Snoopy World 3/F, New Town Plaza Sha Tin Hong Kong http://www.rmlicensing.com/ENG/snoopy/snoopyworld.htm This park is adjacent to KCR Shatin Station, at the intersection of Tai Po Road and Sha Tin Rural Committe Road, with the Shing Mun River Channel bordering it on the south. And a growing series of Charlie Brown Cafes: The Charlie Brown Cafe (1) 2/F Dundas Square, 43H Dundas Street Mong Kok, Kowloon Hong Kong (opposite the Ka Lok Shopping Center) Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday Telephone: 852-23888202 Fax: 852-23888310 Website: www.rmlicensing.com/ENG/snoopy/charlie_brown_cafe/html/shop.htm www.charliebrowncafe.com The Charlie Brown Cafe (2) G/F, Block II, Tsui Yuen Mansion 8 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok Kowloon, Hong Kong Telephone: 852-23888203 Fax: 852-23888103 The Charlie Brown Cafe (3) Shop Nos. G34, G47B-G48, Ground Floor Empire Centre, 68 Mody Road Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Telephone: 852-23666302 Fax: 852-23666310 The Charlie Brown Cafe (4) G/F-1/F, Kok Pah Mansion 58-60 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon, Hong Kong Telephone: 852-23666315 / 23666325 Fax: 852-23666755 The Charlie Brown Cafe (5) Shop Nos. 350-351, Level 3 Tsuen Wan Plaza, 4-30 Tai Pai Street, Tsuen Wan, N.T., Hong Kong Telephone: 852-24999612 Fax: 852-24999613 CHINA Snoopy Fun Fun Garden JiaXin Citiplaza, Shunde, China Ma Lok-shan (Snoopy) Cartoon Dream Workshop [Temporarily closed; expected to re-open in 2008] Address: North Village 105 Federal Highways, Zhong Shan City South, Zhong Shan, China. Telephone: +86 0760 3338383 Opening Hours: 0830 - 1800 Admission: RMB $15 MACAU Snoopy Aji Ono Bakery No. 32 Avenida de Horta e Costa, Macau 9.3) Are there any stores or dealers devoted exclusively to Peanuts merchandise? You bet! The most important, in terms of its popularity as a fan pilgrimage site, is The Snoopy Gallery and Gift Shop at 1665 W. Steele Lane, in Santa Rosa, California 95401 (about an hour north of San Francisco). Their phone number is (707) 546-3385, and they have a website at http://www.snoopygift.com Located next to the Redwood Empire Ice Arena -- where the annual Snoopy ice show is a must-see event -- this two-story complex is both store and museum rolled into one. The first floor is devoted entirely to Peanuts merchandise, except for a small corner filled with skating and hockey supplies. You name it, and you'll find it: books, clothes, jigsaw puzzles, posters, stickers, Christmas ornaments, greeting cards, computer software, a very nice selection of infant clothes and toys, and anything else the friendly manager can dig up. The second floor is filled with Charles Schulz's many awards and magazine covers, along with several displays of original sketches and newspaper strips, all displayed attractively in glass showcases. The building is surrounded on two sides by a huge wrap-around carpet (on the walls!), and two large moving displays of the characters keep patrons amused. Snoopy (a large, human-sized version) has even been known to make the occasional appearance. Not too far away from the ice arena, just outside Santa Rosa, you'll find Charlie Brown's Cafe at Sonoma State University. This Charlie Brown's Cafe is an inviting, warm eatery offering full-scale espresso service, Artisan's Bakery pastry and quiche, bagels and hot cereal every morning, European influenced lunch and dinner items, as well as two soups each day, (one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian), beautiful and delicious salads, and a wide variety of cold beverages including frappes and smoothies. Hours are 7 1.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The phone number is (707) 664-3370. And while you're at Sonoma State, don't forget to visit the Schulz Information Center, on the first floor of the library side of the campus: 1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park; the phone number is (707) 664-2993. United Media has its own on-line Snoopy shop: http://www.snoopy.com (The Mall of America, in Minnesota, terminated its relationship with he Peanuts gang and no longer has its Peanuts stores. More's the pity!) Knott's Berry Farm in Southern California sells Peanuts merchandise at two shops: the Snoopy Boutique and Snoopy's Camp Store. The latter can be reached at (714) 220-5302, and the park's general access number is (714) 827-1776. Snoopy's Boutique can be reached at extension 4131 or 4132. See above for full address. Each of the U.S. and international Camp Snoopy, Snoopy Town and other Peanuts-themed parks mentioned above also has its own specialty shops, where you'll find plenty of goodies featuring Charlie Brown and the gang. Finally, I should mention some superb mail-order outfits devoted exclusively (or at least extensively) to Peanuts merchandise: The Crazy Collector LLC (Leslie Kaelin) 5703 Spring Bluff Drive Crestwood, Kentucky 40014 (502) 241-2035 FAX: (502) 241-2396 e-mail: crazycollector@earthlink.net http://www.crazycollector.net Snodgrass Sales, Inc. (Marsha Snodgrass) 8091 Wabash Ave. Terre Haute, Indiana 47803-3971 (812) 877-1897, (800) 373-9871 FAX: (812) 877-6971 e-mail: Marsha@SnodgrassSales.com http://www.SnodgrassSales.com Joe Collector (Carla and Steve Olson) 673 Sheridan Court Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047-2774 Phone: (847) 726-1130 Fax: (847) 726-8618 e-mail Carla@JoeCollector.com http://www.JoeCollector.com Snoop to Nuts Ltd. (Sandra Cramer) P.O. Box 253 Edison, New Jersey 08818 Phone and FAX: (732) 985-8029 s2n@pipeline.com http://www.snoop2nuts.com Turka-llectables (Thomas Turka) 109 Maiden Lane Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania 15065-2827 (724) 295-0163 snpyplus@comcast.net Play House Harajuku Omotesando 1-13-18, Jinumae Tokyo, Japan 3470-6107 Nuts Design (Hedwig Keek) Etalage vertoging, Aslsmeerweg 27 1059 AB Amsterdam, Holland (020) 669-82-20 9.4) What happened to Santa Rosa's annual Snoopy ice show? Sadly, the news here is bad. As reported January 28, 2004, in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, the annual Peanuts-themed Christmas ice show has been cancelled. After an 18-year run, Snoopy and company have skated their last holiday show at Santa Rosa's ice arena. The family of "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles M. Schulz announced that they decided to end the show, which had become a tradition for thousands of fans. Although it was never a money-maker, the decision wasn't based on finances, said Jean Schulz, the cartoonist's widow. The production had become a huge effort, closed the arena to recreational skaters and came on top of other arena events throughout the year. It seemed time to let it go, she said. "It's only made easier by the philosophical knowledge that nothing goes on forever," she said. "But saying goodbye to anything or anyone is difficult." Until a few years ago, there were as many as 37 performances annually, drawing more than 40,000 people. In recent years, the schedule was cut to 27 performances and in 2003 the whole run was sold out, bringing in more than 27,000 people, said Jim Doe, vice president of arena operations. Sigh. What a grand tradition this was. Every year, Santa Rosa, California's Redwood Empire Ice Arena transformed into a different Christmas ice fantasyland. Seating was half the fun: the rink had bleachers mostly in the front; the other two sides were dominated by small tables and chairs, and patrons purchasing those tickets received complimentary cakes and cookies, and all the coffee/hot apple cider/hot chocolate they could consume. The shows, which easily lasted two hours or more, featured Olympic skating champions in solo performances, alternating with opulent production numbers starring the Peanuts characters. (Snoopy on skates was quite the sight.) Charles Schulz frequently was known to quietly peek at a show now and then, just to check on how things were going. (Remember, he built the Redwood Empire Ice Arena.) 10) TRADING CARDS/POGS 10.1) How many sets of trading cards have been released? Will there be more? Collecting these can be a challenge. We must start with the six-card set released as premiums by Dolly Madison in 1983. The baseball-themed cards featured Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Pepperming Patty, Schroeder and Snoopy. Ziploc got into the act a decade later, with a nine-card set, also baseball themed, which featured Charlie Brown, Franklin, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Schroeder, Snoopy and Woodstock. Both these sets are tremendously difficult to find, particularly in good condtion. The next set was a small, 33-card "demo set." The cards are full color, most devoted to one character with "stats" (facts) about that character on the back. There are a few special cards, with reproductions of play or film posters, and stills from some of the television specials. And, of course, one has a nice shot of Charles Schulz. Aside from existing as separate cards, you also can find these uncut as a single huge "poster." The first full-sized set of cards is the Peanuts Classics Series I. The set contains 200 cards, numbered 1-200, plus two special hologram cards. Each card reproduces a full daily or Sunday comic strip (on the back, identified by date), with one panel blown up for the card's front. Rather oddly, the strips are only from 1959, 1969, 1979, and 1989! The second full-sized set is known as the Gold & Silver Baseball Edition. It also has 200 cards, numbered 201-400. As the title suggests, these are all baseball-themed comic strips. Aside from the gold and silver borders, the presentation is the same...although the date of each strip is absent. These strips are uniformly drawn from 1969-1993. And that's it ... for now, anyway. 10.2) How many sets of POGs were released? It's a bit tough to distinguish between all the POGs -- a VERY short-lived collector's phenomenon of the early 1990s -- but I'll give it a whack. Knotts Berry Farm first released a card with five punch-out POGs, for visitors to their Camp Snoopy. 1993 saw a similar approach taken for the six-POG "Series 1" card. Since then, I've seen at least half a dozen more Knotts POG sets, although each has been fairly small. Other POGs currently available form a larger set, numbered 1-60. This series has 12 different plastic "slammers," and two more hologram slammers. The same company has also issued two heavy bronze slammers, and I've more recently seen at least 10 more POGs (with slightly metallic colors), although these don't seem to be numbered. No doubt there are more. 11) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DISCLAIMER I would like to thank the following individuals, who have helped and contributed to this document: Charles Schulz, for The Word...for starting everything in the first place, and keeping us all laughing and crying for so many wonderful years. Andrea Podley, founder and ongoing "Head Beagle" of the Peanuts Collectors Club, whose patience with -- and affection for -- all Peanuts fans is a gift beyond value. Gayna, whose shared devotion for this most wonderful hobby persuaded me that it was, indeed, "cool" for a guy to admit his fondness for a round-headed kid and his smart-alecky beagle. ___________________________________________ Please do NOT capriciously amend or "correct" this FAQ. If you have comments, revisions, or suggestions for additional topics, e-mail them to me at bang@dcn.davis.ca.us, and I'll happily incorporate the pertinent changes myself (and provide credit where appropriate). ___________________________________________ This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranties. While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Copyright (c) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 by Derrick Bang, all rights reserved. This FAQ may NOT be distributed for financial gain. This FAQ may not be reproduced or included in part or in full, in any print or electronic collections, compilations or publications, without express permission from the author. The sole exception is that permission is granted for this article to be reproduced in full in Usenet archive sites, such as Google Groups. To refer to this FAQ from your Web site, please link to this address: http://www.FiveCentsPlease.org/dpb/peantfaq.txt