The Peanuts FAQ File
Scott McGuire
please send any comments or questions to him at:
ba...@wheel.dcn.davis.ca.us .
------------
Revised April 18, 1999
Posted April 26, 1999
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 ba...@wheel.dcn.davis.ca.us, and I'll happily
incorporate the pertinent changes myself (and provide credit
where appropriate).
If you have received an older copy of this document, the most
recent version always can be found in the alt.comics.peanuts
newsgroup, or on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~bang/peanuts/peantfaq.txt
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 newcomers
to this newsgroup. 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) Is there a World Wide Web (WWW) page devoted to
Peanuts?
1.3) Do FTP sites exist where I can download
Peanuts .GIF images?
1.4) Are there other relevant WWW sites?
1.5) Do banks have Peanuts checks available?
1.6) Is there any great Peanuts software "out there" (most
specifically, a screensaver)?
1.7) Collecting
1.7a) Is there a standard Reference/Price Guide
for Peanuts collectibles?
1.7b) Are there definitive lists of ink stampers,
Christmas ornaments, plush toys, magnets, etc.?
1.8) Has anybody compiled a definitive list of
newspaper/magazine articles and interviews with
Schulz, and about his strip?
2) CHARLES M. SCHULZ
2.1) When (and where) was Charles Monroe Schulz born?
2.2) Where does Schulz live? Can I write him a letter?
2.3) When did Schulz begin Li'l Folks, the strip which
preceded Peanuts?
2.4) Can I get a copy of the BIOGRAPHY episode about
Schulz, which debuted 12/25/95?
2.5) Is Schulz still drawing and writing Peanuts? I heard
somebody else took his place years ago!
2.6) Just how wealthy is Schulz?
2.7) How can I learn more about Charles Schulz?
3) THE DAILY COMIC STRIP
3.1) When did Peanuts begin?
3.2) Have all the newspaper strips been reprinted in
books?
3.3) Can you help me find a strip I remember seeing
[some time ago], which concerned [fill in the
blank]?
* 3.4) Haven't I seen that punchline before?
3.5) Books about Peanuts
3.5a) The chronological reprint books
3.5b) Anthologies
3.5c) Special books
3.5d) Foreign titles
3.5e) Non-Peanuts books by Charles Schulz
4) THE CHARACTERS
* 4.1) When did [your favorite character] first appear?
4.2) Has anybody compiled a list of all the characters
ever to appear in the strip?
4.3) What is the origin of Charlie Brown's name?
4.4) What is the origin of the little red-haired girl? Has
she ever actually appeared in the strip?
4.5) When is Snoopy's birthday?
* 4.6) How many different roles has Snoopy played?
4.7) What are the names of Snoopy's siblings?
4.8) What are the titles of the "Bunny-Wunnies"
books which Snoopy loves so much?
4.9) What's the complete text of Snoopy's novel?
4.10) Do any other characters have "real" roots?
4.11) How old are Charlie Brown and his friends (as "real" characters)?
* 4.12) Have adults ever appeared in the strip?
4.13) Who plays which position on Charlie Brown's baseball team?
*4.14) Sally's School Malapropisms
4.15) What is the name of the infamous "cat next door"
which slashes at Snoopy's doghouse?
* 4.16) What is the name of the town where Charlie Brown
and his friends live?
4.17) Are Marcie and Clara one and the same?
4.18) The football gags
4.19) 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?
* 4.20) What can be found inside Snoopy's doghouse?
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) 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) Does sheet music exist for any of these tunes?
8.5) What are the lyrics to "Joe Cool"?
8.6) Can any of these songs be downloaded in .WAV
or .AU format, so I can hear them on my computer?
8.7) Where can I find a copy of "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron"?
8.8) Have musicians recorded songs that mention the
Peanuts characters, or serve as a tribute to them?
9) THEME PARKS/MERCHANTS
9.1) Are there any Peanuts theme parks?
9.2) Are there any stores or dealers devoted exclusively to
Peanuts merchandise?
9.3) What's this about a 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 have been released? Will
there be more?
11) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DISCLAIMER
*******************************************************
1) GENERAL QUESTIONS
1.1) Is there a club devoted to Peanuts fans?
Yes, the Peanuts Collectors 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 still
manages the ever-increasing duties with the sole assistance of
her husband, Phil. She publishes 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.
International membership now stands at over 2500 folks. Further
questions about the Club should be directed to:
The Peanuts Collectors Club, Inc.
539 Sudden Valley
Bellingham, WA 98226 USA
Membership dues are as follows
United States -- $25
Mexico & Canada -- $30
All Other Countries -- $50
These dues entitle an individual to one year's membership
in the Peanuts Collectors Club, which includes four
consecutive issues of the Club Newsletter. Members also
receive modest discounts at Snoopy's Gift Shop & Gallery,
and shops at both locations of Knotts Camp Snoopy.
Note: $1 of each subscription fee is donated to Canine Companions
for Independence, an organization near and dear to the hearts
of Charles and Jeannie Schulz
Checks -- U.S. funds only, please -- should be made payable
to the Peanuts Collectors Club, Inc., and mailed to the address above.
(A bit more information can be found at the Club World Wide Web
site; see answer to question 1.2 below.)
1.1a) Are there regional meetings?
Yes, and they're generally 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 (currently) bi-annual
Beaglefest. (See next answer.)
1.1b) When is the next Beaglefest?
Beaglefest III brought roughly 350 people to a Santa Rosa,
California lodge for a memorable three days in July 1993;
Beaglefest IV gathered upwards of 700 folks in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul Holiday Inn International, for four equally
fabulous days in July 1995. Beaglefest V, in July 1997,
brought somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 avid fans
back to the Santa Rosa area.
As of this moment, Beaglefest VI has not been announced,
although I suspect there may be a three-year gap this time,
so that it coincides with Peanuts' 50th anniversary, in
the year 2000. Watch this space for updates.
1.2) Is there a World Wide Web (WWW) page devoted to
Peanuts?
Absolutely!
United Media has its own Peanuts web pages, filled with
all sorts of nifty illustrations and information. There's a
trivia contest which changes weekly, an archive of
character profiles, greetings to Charles Schulz from
various celebrities, photos of Peanuts-themed art,
and many, many other features to keep folks amused.
(You can also read each day's comic strip here!)
The page is beautifully maintained, and can be seen at:
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/
The Peanuts Collectors Club also has its own web page.
Dubbed the Peanuts Collectors Club WWW Server, it can
be reached at this Internet address:
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~bang/peanuts
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. One of the newest comes from MetLife, the insurance
firm long associated with Charlie Brown and the gang. It's
also a lot of fun, so be sure to check it out
1.3) Do FTP sites exist where I can download
Peanuts .GIF images?
Well...undoubtedly, yes. But for legal reasons involving
copyright issues, we're not really in a position to share such
information. Sorry 'bout that...
1.4) Are there other relevant WWW sites?
See the answer to 1.2 above.
1.5) Do banks have Peanuts checks available?
As of mid-September 1995, you can order Peanuts
checks from any banking institution which deals
with Deluxe Check Printers (which is pretty much
all of them, in the United States).
There are 10 check designs -- far more than usual,
with other styles -- all in subdued pastel tones. The
text on each check is in a font similar to Schulz's
lettering style, and you can select any one of 12
"woodcuts" to appear in the upper left corner of
each check.
Additionally, there are two checkbook covers:
a plastic one, with the entire gang in a happy
pose; and a fancier leather one, with Charlie Brown
stitched onto a cover which also has his
trademarked yellow stripe.
If your bank doesn't actually provide checks from
Deluxe, you're probably out of luck. It is
remotely possible -- if you're on extremely good
terms with a bank representative willing to be
persistent -- that your bank may be able to put
an order through for you. (It'll probably depend
on how much the Deluxe rep at the other end
wants to persuade your bank to start carrying
their checks!) But don't be surprised if this
doesn't work
And it is, alas, absolutely impossible to handle
this as an individual.
1.6) Is there any great Peanuts software "out there" (most
specifically, a screensaver)?
But of course!
Individual Software, Inc. produces a marvelous product
called the Peanuts Family Organizer. It keeps track of
daily/weekly/monthly/yearly appointments, activities,
and so forth. Each person tracked is represented by a
different character icon, and every day the user is
greeted by a new Peanuts comic strip. Their address is:
Individual Software
5870 Stoneridge Drive #1
Pleasanton, California 94588-9900
(800) 331-3313
And, in Europe:
Individual Software Europe BVBA
Interleuvenlaan 21, Bus 2
3001 Leuven (Haasrode)
Belgium
32 (0) 16-400-444
Image Smith has quite a few different products,
including several clever childrens' educational
activities. They are:
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 are available for Mac and PC- Windows.
Image Smith also has a cute Peanuts Mouse Pad and
Wrist Pad ("Please excuse my typping.")
It must be noted, however, that Image Smith has
been absorbed by Philips Media, which promises to
continue support for all the products above.
Their address is:
Philips Media
c/o Startek
111 Havana Street
Aurora, Colorado 80010
(303) 739-4131
(800) 876-6679
However...the Peanuts Screen Saver, the product most
folks seem to want, appears to have gone out of print.
I occasionally hear of folks finding one in a bargain bin,
but I haven't heard of one being "on the shelf" for a
long time. Somebody needs to release a new one...
1.7) Collecting
1.7a) Is there a standard Reference/Price Guide
for Peanuts collectibles?
Yes...although it's out-of-print. (NOTHING stays in print long
enough these days!) It's THE OFFICIAL PRICE GUIDE TO PEANUTS
COLLECTIBLES, by Freddi Margolin and Andrea 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 yet, so it's still a pretty good
indication of what you can expect. Best of all, it's got LOTS of
pictures -- some in full color -- and makes a superb reference.
1.7b) Are there definitive lists of ink stampers,
Christmas ornaments, plush toys, magnets, etc.?
Yes, and they're most likely to appear in the Club newsletter.
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. 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?)
1.8) 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 has
been quite the popular interview subject during the past 45
years.
2) CHARLES M. SCHULZ
2.1) When (and where) was Charles Monroe Schulz born?
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).
2.2) Where does Schulz live? Can I write him a letter?
Like every other celebrity, Charles Schulz deserves his
privacy...God knows he doesn't get enough of it. I will reveal
that he lives in Santa Rosa, California...more than that, you
won't learn here!
On the subject of mail, however, it is possible to write to him
at this address:
Charles Schulz
Number One Snoopy Place
Santa Rosa
California 95403 USA
Don't expect a reply, quick or otherwise...he receives a lot
of fan mail!
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. Begun in 1947
as a Sunday feature in the women's section of the St. Paul
Pioneer Press (Schulz's home-town paper), 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 two years.
In 1949, wanting a raise and better exposure for his work,
Schulz approached his editor and requested daily status,
better placement in the paper, and a bit more money. In
true Charlie Brown fashion, the editor declined, and
Schulz felt obliged to resign.
During this time, Schulz also published a series of 17
one-panel cartoons in the Saturday Evening Post.
Although not named, most of these cartoons bore a
strong resemblance to Li'l Folks, 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 -- page 72
May 21, 1949 -- page 166
July 16, 1949 -- page 114
November 19, 1949 -- page 132
February 11, 1950 -- page 45
February 18, 1950 -- page 129
April 19, 1950 -- page 140 (it has been discovered that
this date is incorrect; if anybody can correct it, let me know!)
April 29, 1950 -- page 87
May 6, 1950 -- page 79
July 8, 1950 -- page 54
Although most libraries are unlikely to archive back
issues of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (unless you live
in St. Paul!), it shouldn't be hard to track down bound
volumes of the Saturday Evening Post. The research is
its own reward; these vintage strips give ample evidence
of the emerging genius just months from greater renown.
(The issues and page numbers shown above were
researched by Peanuts Collector's Club members
Caryl Hall and Norma Truax, for a feature which first
appeared in the Club's fourth-quarter 1993 newsletter.)
2.4) Can I get a copy of the BIOGRAPHY episode about
Schulz, which debuted 12/25/95?
Absolutely.
The 60-minute program (less commercials) debuted on
Christmas Day, 1995, on cable's Arts & Entertainment Network,
and was an instant hit with fans. Although A&E is certain to
repeat it, those not willing to wait can order their own copy on
videotape. Just call A&E at (800) 423-1212. Ask for the
Charles Schulz episode of BIOGRAPHY; the price is $19.95
for the tape, plus another $3.95 for shipping.
A&E also has its own website, and you can place the order
there, as well. Its address is: http:// www.aetv.com
2.5) Is Schulz still drawing and writing Peanuts? I heard
somebody else took his place years ago!
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've
always been rendered by the same hand?
For the record, Charles Schulz is now -- and has always
been -- the only person to draw, write, and letter his beloved
comic strip. While it is true that other daily strips are drawn
and/or written by "consortiums" overseen by the strip's
creator, this has never been the case with Peanuts.
Schulz has also made it plain that the strip retires with him.
When he finally stops -- an eventuality we all hope is many,
many years away -- nobody else will take over.
That is absolutely as it should be.
2.6) Just how wealthy is Schulz?
As my grandmother would have said, upon hearing such an
impertinent question, that's nobody's business but his. Let's
just say he can probably afford to eat more than jelly-bread
sandwiches.
2.7) 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
his biography:
GOOD GRIEF: THE STORY OF CHARLES M. SCHULZ
by Rheta Grimsley Johnson
(paperback), 262 pages second edition (June 1995)
Andrews & McMeel; ISBN: 0836280970
It's an enjoyable and informative read, and provides
all sorts of nifty background on Charlie Brown and
his "mentor."
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.
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) Have all the newspaper strips been reprinted in
books?
No. In spite of all the books of reprinted strips which have been
published since 1952, there are still roughly 2,500 strips which
have never 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 -- as of July 1, 1995 -- Schulz had
published 16,296 strips. 2,500 is roughly 15% of that number!
3.3) 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" -- you'll probably get an answer from somebody following
this newsgroup...perhaps even me. 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!
3.4) Haven't I seen that punchline before?
Charles Schulz has drawn well over 16,000 individual strips
since PEANUTS debuted in 1950, and that's a lot of gags and
storylines. It's therefore inevitable that individual ideas might
occur 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, a few duplications have appeared
over the years, and they're cited below. (Thanks to Tim Chow
for some preliminary legwork.)
***) Snoopy's consistency.
"So here I am starting a new year," Snoopy muses to himself,
in the January 2, 1960 daily strip (reprinted in Go Fly a Kite,
Charlie Brown). 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 (reprinted in You Can Do It, Charlie Brown).
"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.
***) The "rather small congregation."
Back when Charlie Brown's younger sister Sally was still
pretty new to the world, she proved quite the impressionable
audience for odd facts and amusements. On February 8, 1963
(in a strip reprinted in You Can Do It, Charlie Brown)
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 (in a strip reprinted in
You're Something Else, Charlie Brown), 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 (in a strip reprinted in As You Like It, Charlie Brown),
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!"
***) 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 -- 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 strips (reprinted in
You've Had it, Charlie Brown), Snoopy approaches
Schroeder's piano, plinks a few notes with one paw,
and gets a rather curious result: paw-shaped notes,
instead of the usual round notes we'd recognize on
a page of music.
This gag resurfaced a few 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' Snoop to ensure that
nobody is watching, the strips are pretty much identical!
***) 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."
***) Snoopy's deft touch.
No doubt about it; Snoopy is one talented beagle.
In the 5/23/56 daily strip, reprinted in "Peanuts,"
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 6/22/98
daily strip (not yet reprinted). 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!
***) 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 5/28/61 Sunday strip, reprinted in
"We're Right Behind You, Charlie Brown," 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
8/5/98 daily strip (as yet unreprinted), 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 8/5/98 strip bears this message, reading
sideways: "Happy birthday, Amy."
3.5) Books about Peanuts
3.5a) 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 1995's MAKE WAY FOR THE KING OF THE JUNGLE.
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, Nat Gertler, and Dom Grillo,
which can be accessed through the Peanuts Collectors Club
WWW page (see answer to question 1.2)
3.5b) 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. Most
people assume that these books merely re-collect strips already
reprinted elsewhere, but that's not entirely true. THE SNOOPY
FESTIVAL, for example, has roughly 200 strips not collected
elsewhere. 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 Dom Grillo. If you're a completest, it's best to follow
the general rule: if ya ain't got it yet, buy it!
3.5c) 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.
3.5d) 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
3.5e) 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.
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, and TWO-BY-FOURS.
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) is available now, in a 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.
From there, it gets a little tough. Because the strips are not
dated in the reprint books, it's not at all easy to determine the
exact date of, say, Lucy's first appearance. And since not all
strips have been reprinted, the important ones in question may
not even be in any books thus far released. By way of example,
Linus, Lucy, and Pig-Pen all debuted in strips which haven't been
seen since their first newspaper appearance.
A daunting challenge, to be sure...but not impossible.
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.
A few of these anonymous folks deserve mention,
though, 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
Violet -- 2/7/51
Schroeder -- 5/30/51
Lucy -- 3/3/52
Linus -- 9/19/52 (but not named until 9/22/52)
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 (but she's mentioned by name much earlier)
(Snoopy's original owner)
Thibault -- 6/5/70
(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. The group became racially
diverse with the arrival of Raymond on 10/13/88,
and Fred was introduced 4/2/90. Most recently,
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
(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 9/24/82)
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)
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, so who knows
what the future has in store???)
Peggy Jean -- 7/23/90
(Charlie Brown's summer camp sweetheart, who calls him "Brownie Charles")
Larry -- 5/28/91
(The minister's son, who Sally kicked 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
(Summer camp kid)
Andy -- 2/14/94 (and named 2/19/94)
Emily -- 2/11/95
(Charlie Brown's occasional dance partner)
Joe Agate -- 4/7/95
(Game hustler who took all Rerun's
marbles, until Charlie Brown won 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 "rescued" Spike after he was "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) Has anybody compiled a list of all the characters
ever to appear in the strip?
See above.
Because the world of Peanuts remains quite dynamic,
new characters pop up all the time...and lists go
out of date just as rapidly. But it's a start...
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.
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) What is the origin of the little red-haired girl? Has
she ever actually appeared 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 does not have full control over what happens in the TV
specials, and he has 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 does 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 will be 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.
4.5) 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 reminds us, doesn'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,
which can be seen in the first reprint collection, PEANUTS.
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, in a strip
which has NOT been reprinted in one of the "official"
chronological titles (although it does turn up in a Sparkler
book). 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?
4.6) How many different roles has Snoopy played?
Dozens. Scores. More than one hundred.
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.
The following list identifies the first time Snoopy
took each of these many roles.
A shark (in a wading pool) -- 7/21/54
A wolf -- 1/26/55
A rhinoceros -- 2/22/55
A snake -- 8/29/55
A pelican -- 11/21/55
Lucy -- 11/22/55
Violet -- 11/23/55
A moose -- 11/24/55
Beethoven -- 11/25/55
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
Big Man on Campus (an early Joe Cool) -- 1/29/59
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 jungle ape -- 5/3/62
A shepherd -- 7/1/62
A gargoyle -- 9/27/62
A teddy bear -- 12/28/62
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 author -- 7/12/65
An assistant psychiatrist (for Lucy) -- 6/25/65
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 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 -- 4/22/68
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 "Head Beagle" -- 2/16/70
The World-Famous Grocery Clerk -- 8/25/70
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 World-Famous Tennis Star -- 5/30/73
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 -- 5/10/75
The World-Famous Jogger -- 5/17/76
A helicopter -- 2/1/77
An owl -- 10/27/77
Peppermint Patty (a disguise) -- 12/5/77
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
"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
A still-life painter -- 4/21/92
The pilot for Ace Airlines -- 6/8/92
Joe Grunge -- 4/26/93
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
4.7) 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"
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...so perhaps
we'll one day meet a few more.
4.8) 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 April 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!
4.9) 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.)
4.10) Do any other characters have "real" roots?
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."
4.11) How old are Charlie Brown and his friends (as "real" characters)?
This is a fascinating question, mostly because Charles Schulz has
wisely resisted the urge to time-stamp his characters...although he
has made a few slips over the years, one of them quite recently.
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 not yet reprinted -- October 30, 1950 -- Patty
and Shermy present Charlie Brown with a birthday cake 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 -- also not
yet reprinted -- the punchline concludes with Charlie Brown's
announcement that he is "only four years old."
(While we're on the subject of birthdays, the 1/18/54
strip, reprinted in MORE PEANUTS, 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.)
Schroeder's age was given as 3 on May 1, 1953. Linus
was said to be 5 on May 5, 1956 (and again on September 2, 1958).
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 six 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
one, which would make Linus at least six, which would now
make Charlie Brown at least seven. (See how hard this is?)
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!
In the April 3, 1971, strip, Charlie Brown tells Linus,
"Only thirteen more years and I'll be twenty-one." As
of that moment, therefore, Charlie Brown was 8.
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 unfortunately conflicts with the age of choice for the
"older" kids, since more recently, on February 19, 1997,
Lucy quite definitely claimed to be seven. ("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.
As of the October 15, 1995 Sunday strip, however, we
know Rerun is 5 years old...because he says so! How long
he will remain this age, and what this does to everybody
else's age, is anybody's guess.
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 and Sally
Rerun
As you can see, providing an absolute answer to this
question is about as hard as nailing jello to a wall. Charles
Schulz has kept his universe a fluid organism, one with
occasional changes. (Remember, Snoopy once identified
himself as "an only dog"!) That means gradual shifts
over time, not necessarily consistent with each other.
4.12) 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 (reprinted in PEANUTS),
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, reprinted in GOOD GRIEF, MORE PEANUTS!
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!
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, and it's also hard to find,
since the strips in question have never been
reprinted in a book. But the proof is waiting to be
found, and requires only a trip to the library, a
microfilm reader, and editions of either the
Washington Post or the Chicago Tribune dating
back to May 1954.
Much more recently, Schulz has 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 goes
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 adults with whom the kids have
actually interacted...as opposed to 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,
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.
***) 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.
4.13) Who plays which position on Charlie Brown's baseball team?
This is a fascinating question, if only because the
information has 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 even Lucy tried her hand at it...once.
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).
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!)
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, by the way, that Peppermint
Patty and Franklin have their own teams.)
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).
4.14) Sally's School Malapropisms
Of the many running gags Schulz has 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 one of the first of these
gags -- "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)
"Light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second...so
why are afternoons so long?" (6/1/76)
"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)
"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)
"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)
"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)
4.15) What is the name of the infamous "cat next door"
which slashes at Snoopy's doghouse?
WWII (as in World War II)
4.16) 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...
As I was reminded by eagle-eyed Don Weatherwax,
there's a small bit of evidence to the contrary. 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...
4.17) Are Marcie and Clara one and the same?
Tim Chow and I have argued amiably over this question
for awhile, 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. (The cartoon
is reprinted in "You're You, Charlie Brown.") 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 September 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. (All these strips can be
found in "Ha Ha Herman, Charlie Brown.")
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?
4.18) 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 brings 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 have
appeared every September or October since 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!"
Disbelievers can find this strip reprinted in PEANUTS.
Lucy's involvement began with an as-yet unreprinted
Sunday strip: 11/16/52. 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 11/16/56, 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." (9/8/63)
"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)
And, for a few years, it seemed as though that would be it. 1984 and
1985 passed without our annual 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. (11/11/92)
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)
4.19) 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.
4.20) 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
the bus occupied by the Spice Girls in the film "Spice
World," 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.
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 10/19/52 daily strip, which
shows Snoopy watching television inside his doghouse.
(An antenna is perched on the roof.) The 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)
*) 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 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 stairway. (6/24/64)
*) Closets, as in more than one. (6/26/64)
*) 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). No doubt
the new living quarters soon came to be just as equipped as
the preceding house.
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!
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,
their original air-dates, and their availability on video. His
list can be reached through links obtained from 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 several times
a week, although the schedule changes periodically. 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. These are still controlled by CBS-TV,
which (sometimes) trots them out at the appropriate time of year.
5.5) Will there be more new specials? What are they,
and when will they air?
Actually, it has been a little while since the last new television special,
possibly because the eight-part animated miniseries, THIS IS
AMERICA, CHARLIE BROWN, was so poorly received. (And, in my
humble opinion, it was only "poorly received" because local CBS
affiliates were so capricious about scheduling each episode!)
Perhaps in an effort to underwrite expenses, two of the more recent
specials -- IT'S CHRISTMASTIME AGAIN CHARLIE BROWN and YOU'RE IN
THE SUPERBOWL CHARLIE BROWN -- were co-sponsored by Shell, and
could be purchased in videotape at Shell gas stations, in
addition to their (so far) one-time television airing.
In late summer 1997, the newest special -- IT WAS YOUR BEST
BIRTHDAY EVER, CHARLIE BROWN -- debuted as a
direct-to-video item.
New ones on television? No specifics yet, although one is
reportedly in the wings for the 1997/98 season. You'll find
the announcement here, as soon as we get any details.
5.6) 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 1959 (in black-and-
white), and the rest of the gang followed almost immediately.
The kids continued to pitch Ford ads through the early 60s, 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 1,300 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?)
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.
(Many thanks to Ken Lieck, for giving me the
opportunity to hear this rendition.)
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 NOT 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. In spite
of being "the most performed musical in the history of American
theater," the show can't catch a break with modern technology!
But all that has changed, thanks to the 1999 Broadway
revival. A CD score of that production is available
now (RCA 09026-63384-2), and we fans finally can own at least
one version of this show on CD. Best of all, it 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). "Red
Baron" is gone, and it should be mentioned that this revival
drops some of Gesner's original material and re-orchestrates
many of his songs, 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.
After circulating through the United States like its predecessor,
SNOOPY! finally made it to New York six years later. DRG Records
released the Original Cast Soundtrack (DRG S-6103) 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!
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 "Greensleaves" (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.
(The CD liner notes get the personnel incorrect, as can be
proven by examining the original LP credits.)
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" (sadly not yet available on video) 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. OH GOOD GRIEF! is on the Warner Brothers
label, and -- since it exactly duplicates the eight songs from
the album -- it clocks in at only 28 minutes. It is, however, 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.
Now Peanuts fans have four albums to play to death!
8.2) Have other artists recorded Guaraldi's Peanuts
music?
Oh, yes. The newest release comes from George Winston (see below),
but the most popular HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CHARLIE BROWN,
released on the GRP label (GRD-9596) 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); and Rick Eldridge, on his SOLO FLIGHTS album
(Pentagram Records, #001). Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops
include an orchestral version in 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.
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 has frequently
performed "Linus and Lucy" in live concerts, and has tantalized
us for years by promising to record it (and other) Guaraldi
compositions on CD. And he has finally done it! LINUS & LUCY:
THE MUSIC OF VINCE GUARALDI hit the stores September 17,
1996; 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.
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.
Patti Austin's vocal appears both on the aforementioned
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CHARLIE BROWN and GRP
CHRISTMAS 2, while Rosemary Clooney has a lovely
vocal on the CONCORD JAZZ CHRISTMAS. Instrumental
versions have been recorded by David Benoit (on his
CHRISTMASTIME release), Ron Eschete (CHRISTMAS
IMPRESSIONS), Terence Blanchard (SWING INTO
CHRISTMAS), and Jon Ballantyne (JUSTIN TIME FOR
CHRISTMAS). There's a cute Dixieland version on the
1993 release, CHRISTMAS COOKIES, which features
Charlie Bertini, Randy Morris, and Dave Gannett.
All these CDs are in print, although they
tend to appear only during November and December.
David Benoit actually has recorded the cut twice. The
newer rendition appears on his 1996 holiday CD,
REMEMBERING CHRISTMAS, with 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."
Ellis Marsalis played a lovely instrumental rendition on
National Public Radio's annual "Christmas Piano Jazz"
special awhile back, but it has not yet been released on CD.
(To my profound disappointment, it is not included among the
19 cuts on the 1996 NPR JAZZ PIANO CHRISTMAS release.)
Finally, 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.
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.
All these versions exist on CD, although some of them have
(alas!) gone out of print. The list has been cross-checked with
the on-line "superstore" CDNOW, and if one is known to be
no longer available, I have indicated as much.
Happy listening!
Patti Austin, "A GRP Christmas, volume 2"
(also on "Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown")
Jon Ballantyne, "Justin Time for Christmas"
The Beach Boys, "Ultimate Christmas"
David Benoit, "Christmas Time" (out of print)
David Benoit and Michael Franks, "Remembering Christmas"
Terence Blanchard, "Swing Into Christmas"
The Boston Pops Orchestra, "Holiday Pops"
Michael Chertock, "Christmas at the Movies"
Chicago (yes, the rock group), "Chicago XXV"
Rosemary Clooney, "A Concord Jazz Christmas, volume 1"
(also on her own "White Christmas" collection)
Ron Eschete, "Christmas Impressions" (out of print)
Vince Guaraldi, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (of course!)
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"
Diana Krall, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
Kenny Loggins, "December"
Melissa Manchester, "Joy"
Brad Mehldau Trio, "A Warner Bros. Jazz Christmas"
John Pizzarelli, "Let's Share Christmas"
Tall Jazz, "Winter Jazz II"
Grover Washington Jr., "Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection"
Stan Whitmire, "A Piano Christmas"
George Winston, "The Carols of Christmas"
Additionally, Ellis Marsalis played a gorgeous solo piano
version on one of National Public Radio's "Jazz Piano Christmas"
specials, but it has not yet been released on CD. (I sure love
listening to the tape I made, though...)
8.4) Does sheet music exist for any of these tunes?
Yes, but it's hard to find.
Because of its popularity, "Linus and Lucy" is 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 not hard to
find, particularly around the holidays.
From there, the quest becomes difficult. In the late '60s and
early '70s, Pointer Publications, a division of 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.).
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.hallwonard.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.
Debbe Cummings also tells me about Sunhawk Corporation
(web address http://www.sunhawk.com), a service where you
can download and print sheetmusic for a small fee. By the time
you read these words, they should have some Warner Bros.
music scores, among them "Linus and Lucy". It will print and play out
for $4.95. Sunhawk hopes that in the future Warner Bros. will be
releasing more of Guaraldi's music to them. They can be called
at 1-888-SUNHAWK or FAXed at (206) 528-0942.
(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 the 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." 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."
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, there's a new shining star in the Peanuts music genre,
an entirely new concerto called "The Peanuts Gallery," by
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Although this piece has not yet been
recorded and released on CD, sheet music is available for it
(which should make practicing rather interesting, since those
of us who haven't heard any of the precious few live
performances don't really know what it's supposed to sound like!).
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 sa...@presser.com.
8.5) 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 published
lyrics, copyright 1971 and credited to Desiree Goyette, are:
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.
The following year, in the TV special "You're Not
Elected, Charlie Brown," these verses appeared:
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.)
A few years later, in the TV special "There's No Time for
Love, Charlie Brown," the song collected even 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...)
8.6) Can any of these songs be downloaded in .WAV
or .AU format, so I can hear them on my computer?
Dr. David Egger's Web site, which can be reached via the Peanuts
Collectors Club Web page (see the answer to question 1.2 above),
has two versions of "Linus and Lucy" .au files which can be
downloaded and (re)played to your heart's content. The first,
LINUS_AN.AU, is David Benoit's rendition of the song, as heard on
the GRP CD HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CHARLIE BROWN. The second,
PEANUTS.AU, is a nice little trio jazz rendition by unknown
artists. (It's not Guaraldi.) As Dr. Egger advises, though, the
files are fairly large, and will take some time to reach your
computer. PLAN ON AN HOUR FOR EACH.
Just in passing, your WINDOWS software should have a .WAV player,
and the latest version of NETSCAPE includes an .AU player.
If anybody reading knows of other locations for this theme,
where other themes can be found, please let me know and I'll
acknowledge those sites.
8.7) 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.
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!
8.8) 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. Others 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.
9) THEME PARKS/MERCHANTS
9.1) Are there any Peanuts theme parks?
Certainly! The United States has two locations for Knott's Camp
Snoopy. The first 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 second location is right in the heart of the enclosed
Mall of America, in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Their
actual address is 5000 Center Court, Bloomington, MN 55425.
Overseas travelers should take note of the new (opened March 16,
1995) Snoopy Town in Osaka, Japan. Since funds do not permit such
extravagances, I cannot speak for the experience...but I'm told
the place is pretty overwhelming. Their address is 2-7-70 Matta
Omiya, Tsurumi-ku, Osaka City 538, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
Their phone number is 81-6-913-8800. Their stores include the
Gallery House, the Theme House, the Garden House,
the Woodstock Shop, the Lucy Shop, the Peppermint Patty Shop,
Restaurant Snoopy, and Olaf's Snacks.
9.2) 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.
The Mall of America, in Minnesota, has two different stores
in and around Camp Snoopy. Joe Cool's Hot Shop can be
reached at (612) 883-8789 and Snoopy's Boutique is at (612) 883-8630.
See above for full address.
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.
Finally, I should mention some superb mail-order outfits devoted
exclusively (or at least extensively) to Peanuts merchandise:
The Crazy Collector (Leslie Kaelin)
5703 Spring Bluff Dr.
Crestwood, Kentucky 40014
(502) 241-2035 FAX: (502) 241-2396
Beaglemania (Brenda Bates)
146 Glenwood Avenue
Port Colborne, Ontario
L3K 5N1 Canada
(905) 835-1566 FAX: (905) 835-6929
Snodgrass Sales, Inc. (Marsha Snodgrass)
1222 Lafayette Ave.
Terre Haute, Indiana 47804 (send $2 for their catalog)
(812) 234-2033
http://www.a1.com/snodgrass/ (website)
Snooping Around (Karen Olson)
297 Brookfield Road
Brimfield, Massachusetts 01010
(413) 245-7187
email: sno...@meganet.net
http://web.meganet.net./snoopy
Turka-llectables (Thomas Turka)
109 Maiden Lane
Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania 15065-2827
(412) 295-0163
snpy...@3rdm.net
Cartoon Collections (Robert Casterline)
37 Public Square
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18701
(717) 821-2291
or
Fun Art Galleries (Robert Casterline)
1307 Celebrity Circle, B-115
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 29577
(803) 444-3233 (these folks have an
impressive supply of signed lithographs,
hand-painted cels, and original strips)
Beagle & Co. (Chuck E. Macy)
333 Main Street
Swoyersville, Pennsylvania 18704
(717) 288-7084
Nuts Design (Hedwig Keek)
Etalage vertoging, Aslsmeerweg 27
1059 AB Amsterdam, Holland
(020) 669-82-20
9.3) What's this about a Snoopy ice show?
Information on each year's Christmas ice show at the
Redwood Empire Ice Arena, in Santa Rosa, California, is
usually released in October.
Tickets are on sale now for the 1998 show, "Tis the Season."
It will run from December 4 through 29.
Bleachers tickets have ranged from $10 to $15, while table seating
ranged from $26 to $40. All sales are final, so be absolutely
sure of your plans. Showdates run from early December
through the end of the month. Redwood Empire now accepts
orders by telephone; call them at (707) 546-3385. Tickets also
may be ordered through any BASS outlet.
Write for further details to:
Redwood Empire Ice Operations
1665 W. Steele Lane
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Ohhhhh...what a grand tradition this is. Every year, Santa Rosa,
California's Redwood Empire Ice Arena transforms into a different
Christmas ice fantasyland. Seating is half the fun: the rink has
bleachers on only one side; the other two sides have small tables
and chairs, and patrons purchasing those tickets receive
complimentary cakes and cookies, and all the coffee/hot apple
cider/hot chocolate they can consume. (Be advised: restroom space
is not ample, so don't drink too much!) The shows, which easily
last more than two hours, feature Olympic skating champions in
solo performances, alternating with opulent production numbers
starring the Peanuts characters. (Snoopy on skates is quite the
sight.) Charles Schulz has been known to quietly peek at a show
now and then, just to check on how things are going. (He owns the
Redwood Empire Ice Arena.)
Figure Skating Groupie Janet Wiedeman adds the following
intriguing aside:
At least three world champion skaters have performed
Peanuts-themed numbers on TV in recent years:
1. Kurt Browning skated to the Coasters' "Charlie Brown", which
is except for the name not particularly Peanuts-connected, but
he did wear the yellow shirt with zigzag stripe and baseball cap
of OUR Charlie Brown.
2. Kristi Yamaguchi performed as Lucy to Wynton Marsalis's version
of Linus and Lucy.
3. Scott Hamilton used "Skating" from A Charlie Brown Christmas
in his most recent (hopefully not last) Discover Stars on Ice tour.
Anyone know of any others?
10) TRADING CARDS/POGS
10.1) How many sets of trading cards have been
released? Will there be more?
Three sets of trading cards have thus far been released.
The first 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.
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 1969-1990.
10.2) How many sets of POGs have been released? Will
there be more?
It's a bit tough to distinguish between all the POGs, 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 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 ba...@wheel.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 by Derrick Bang, all rights reserved.
This FAQ may be posted to any USENET group, on-line service, or
BBS as long as it is posted in its entirety and includes this
copyright statement.
This FAQ may NOT be distributed for financial gain.
This FAQ may NOT be included in commercial collections or
compilations without express permission from the author