Peanut Gallery | Graphic by Bethany Althauser | The Wright State Guardian
The Peanuts Characters have been entertaining children for decades. From comic strips to movies to amusement parks around the globe, creator Charles Schulz has crafted something special that families can bond over. Everyone has their favorite, and these are my top ten.
A small history of the Peanuts
The Peanuts debuted as a newspaper comic strip on Oct. 2, 1950, but the comic itself can be dated back to a 1948 prototype named “Lil Folks.”
Several characters have been added and taken away throughout the lifespan of the strip. Creator Charles Schulz was known for interacting with fans and adjusting from their feedback to round out his characters.
In 1952, the first Peanuts Comic Strip Compilation Book was published. There have been several releases since then. Over the Peanuts’ lifespan, 51 TV specials were aired, the first one being “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which came out in 1965, 15 years after the original comic release.
Peanuts then began to branch out into entertainment options. Ice rink shows, plays, a Broadway musical and, most notably, amusement parks.
The first amusement park to retain the licensing to Peanuts was Knott’s Berry Farm. Marion Knott, daughter of founders Walter and Cordelia Knott, approached Schulz requesting use of the license. With heavy involvement of Schulz, Knott’s Berry Farm’s Camp Snoopy opened in 1982.
In 1997, an Ohio-based chain, Cedar Fair, acquired Knott’s Berry Farm, giving them rights to use the Peanuts branding in all of their parks.
Overseas, Universal gained the rights to the characters and used them in Universal Studios Japan in 2001.
Now that the history lesson is out of the way, here is a subjective ranking of all of the characters from someone who loves and has a lot of knowledge on them.
10. Charlotte Braun (1954-1955)
Charlotte Braun is a minor character in the Peanuts timeline, only surviving a year. She was created to be a counterpart to Charlie Brown. She is a short little girl with curly hair that switches between blonde and brown.
Many people do not know Charlotte because she was only around for a year; however, she has infamy, being the only character in Peanuts that was killed off. Charlotte is described as mean, loud and bossy. This turned the majority of Peanuts fans off to her, causing Schulz to kill her off in a letter to a fan. She has not made an appearance since.
In today’s culture, she would 100% read as a girl boss, and I think if more modern fans knew about Charlotte, she would be a pretty popular character.
9. Marcie (1971-present)
Originally named Clara, Marcie is Peppermint Patty’s best friend. She is a smart girl with big, round glasses with a large affection for Charlie Brown and reading. She made her first appearance in 1971.
Marcie is a ride or die, she is always ending up in Patty’s drama. She helps Patty with school and her insecurities, although she is still able to tell Patty when she is wrong and is not afraid to do so. She is just all around a girl’s girl and gets no credit for it.
8. Pigpen (1954-present)
Pigpen is a really dirty kid. He never takes showers, and the dirt on him is said to be from ancient times. He takes pride in it.
Pigpen tries to be a good friend to everybody; however, he finds it hard to find anyone who fully accepts him. The only person to do so is Charlie. Pigpen wants to be class president one day, and he loves archeology.
In most comic strips, PigPen is actually kind of sweet. He just really likes his mud and politics. You cannot really fault him for that.
7. Linus Van Pelt (1952-present)
Linus is a kind boy who is always there to help out his friends (except when he has had it). He loves his blanket and looking for the Great Pumpkin. He plays second base on the baseball team and is always a quick wit.
He is always getting involved in Charlie Brown’s antics and is more often than not considered Charlie’s best friend.
Considering all of the grief Sally Brown, his sister, Lucy and their little brother, Rerun, give him about his blanket, it is very easy to feel bad for Linus, especially because he is very likable.
6. Sally Brown (1959-present)
Sally Brown is the little sister to Charlie Brown. She loves philosophy, despite her poor grades, but she especially loves Linus, following him everywhere and calling him her “Sweet Babboo.”
In ways, Sally can be incredibly relatable, especially if you have a little sister. She is kind of a know-it-all, but she has a heart of gold, and she really does care for her friends.
5. Lucy Van Pelt (1952-present)
Lucy Van Pelt is considered the main antagonist of the Peanuts franchise, but she is actually very opinionated and is known to give good advice.
She is a little girl that does not like Charlie Brown, and has unrequited love for the piano playing with Schroeder. She is also a women’s rights activist and wants to be the first female president.
Although, she can be a bit of a nag when she gets on Linus for his blanket and when she is being a nuisance to Charlie. Ultimately, she is reminiscent of many little girls in America. We all have a little Lucy in us.
4. Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown is the main character of Peanuts. This poor kid cannot catch a break. He is known for his bad luck and poor social skills when talking to “The Little Red Haired Girl.”
He is very patient when it comes to the antics that happen around him, and he puts up with a lot of things. He is the baseball manager and loves helping others. He and Snoopy are best friends; although, sometimes it feels like Snoopy owns him.
Charlie is another character that is really relatable. That is because a lot of Charlie Brown was based on Charles Schulz himself.
A fun fact about Charlie is in the “Lil Folks” prototype, there were four different characters with the name Charlie Brown. The Charlie Brown we know comes from the fourth and youngest character, who also has a dog that resembles Snoopy! Additionally, Charlie was named after a professor Schulz had in art school.
3. Snoopy (1950-present)
Snoopy is a mischievous dog. He is a writer and a book lover, reading one word of “War and Peace” a day. He is also very imaginative, conjuring up many personas that lead him to be a menace to everyone in the neighborhood.
There is a reason Snoopy became the face of the franchise. He is a cute, funny little dog that has a heart of gold.
2. Peppermint Patty (1966- present)
Peppermint Patty is the best friend to Marcie. She lives in the neighborhood next to the main cast. She loves sports, skating and especially Charlie Brown.
She likes to sit and contemplate life and her feelings. Particularly, she has bad self esteem due to her grades and her looks. She is really bad in school, often falling asleep.
Peppermint Patty is personally very relatable. She is very insecure and feels like she is not good enough sometimes, which is something every girl can relate to. She is very lucky to have Marcie by her side to help her.
1.Franklin (1968-present)
Franklin first met Charlie at the beach on vacation. He has an active lifestyle and is in several clubs, yet he still makes time for his friends. He loves spending time with his grandparents and learning about the old days, often quoting the Old Testament. He accepts his friend, Charlie Brown, flaws and all.
Franklin is the first Black character to appear in a newspaper comic strip. His inclusion comes after a fan sent Schulz several letters about the importance of having representation. There were several newspapers that stopped running the Peanuts comics for years due to his inclusion.
Franklin is all around a really good kid. He is the only one with a completely good moral compass and his significance to the Civil Rights movement cannot go unmentioned.
Conclusion
There is a character made for everyone in this comic. Every fan’s list is going to look different. All-in-all, the world Schulz created will continue to be one that families appreciate for years to come.
