Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - October 3, 2025

"Good grief!" You're 75!

An icon from my youth turned 75 yesterday. The first "Peanuts" comic strip appeared on October 2, 1950 - three years before I was born. But once I was old enough to read the funnies, Charlie Brown, Sally, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Woodstock, Pigpen, and the other characters became an ever-present part of my life.

While adults existed in the "Peanuts" universe, they were never seen. Baseball mounds, kite-eating trees, pumpkin patches, Christmas pageants, and the top of Snoopy's doghouse were frequently the settings for deep discussions about life.

Brother Dave also reads the comics, and "Peanuts" is a favorite. "It's always amazed me how cartoonists come up with so many life experiences and make them funny!" he said.

Friend and college roommate Deb also enjoyed the strip which appeared in the Kansas State Collegian during our 1970s years at the university. "They always seemed to hit the target of an emotion we were feeling that day," she said.

"Li'l Folks" was a strip by Charles M. Schulz that ran in the St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press from 1947-1950. In 1950, Schulz approached United Feature Syndicate to see if they would be interested in giving it national exposure. The group agreed, with the condition that the name be changed. "Li'l Folks" was thought to be too similar to other newspaper strips such as "Li'l Abner." "Peanuts" was chosen, a reference to the peanut gallery where the children sat on the popular "Howdy Doody" television show.

In his syndicated debut, Charlie Brown appeared as a child with a plain shirt. The zigzag was added two months later. According to "Life, in a Nutshell" in the July/August 2025 Smithsonian magazine, Charlie Brown - a lovable, relatable loser - was inspired by Schulz's own insecurities. In his 1975 book, "Peanuts Jubilee: My Life and Art with Charlie Brown and Others," Schulz wrote, "Most of us are much more acquainted with losing than we are with winning. Winning is great, but it isn’t funny."

Charlie Brown lived with his parents, younger-sister Sally, and their beagle Snoopy. Other characters joined the group over the years. Lucy, the crabby and opinionated neighbor, appeared in 1952 and her curious, thoughtful brother Linus, who always carried a security blanket - arrived later that same year.

While Charlie Brown was cautious and always believed in people's better instincts, Snoopy was fearless, at times portraying a novelist, a dancer, and a flying ace in World War I.

The strip was one of the most successful in history. Over its 50-year span, it appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers across 75 countries and was translated into 21 languages. The final strip appeared on February 13, 2000 - just a day after Schulz's death. The characters continue to reach new audiences through reruns in thousands of newspapers, stage productions, feature films, books, and consumer products.

I even have some paraphernalia myself, including a "Laughing Snoopy and Woodstock" coffee mug acquired during my working days, and three holiday ornaments. Dave, who loves pop culture items from the 1950s-1990s, recently bought five "Peanuts" PEZ dispensers at an online auction.

Other family members also have been influenced in one way or another. Daughter Katie helped with lighting at her high school's 2008 stage production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." She said that experience led her to decide to perform in subsequent musicals.

Her sister Mariya watches a Halloween-themed movie every night during the month of October, and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is on her list. In December, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" will more than likely be among those she watches.

One of the classic scenes from the latter is when Charlie Brown tries to decorate his forlorn little tree, made up of just a few twigs that sag when he adds an ornament. Deb and I had a similar tree with needles that fell off every time we tried to hang something on it.

The Christmas special was first broadcast in 1965 and it became an instant hit, winning a Peabody and an Emmy the following year. The jazz album from the movie's soundtrack remains the second-highest-selling jazz album of all time.

Both my brother and sister said they loved the TV shows when they were younger. Gaila added:

I loved watching the specials. I didn't like Lucy much for always fooling Charlie with lifting up the football just as he got ready to kick it. And he always had faith that she wouldn't pull it up again!

Gaila is referring to one of the running jokes where Charlie Brown is running to kick a football, only to have Lucy pull it away at the last second.

Interesting side note: in 1968, a teacher wrote letters to Schulz asking him to include a Black character in his strip so the kids in her classroom could feel included. ...

A November 2015 NPR "Morning Edition" story described that process. Los Angeles teacher Harriet Glickman wrote Schulz in April 1968, just 11 days after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. She thought Schulz could help promote tolerance and interracial friendship. After receiving ideas on how to make a Black character relatable, Schulz added Franklin to the cartoon's ensemble in July 1968. The strip drew praise from across the country, but also protests from Southern segregationists. Glickman said Franklin's presence was amazing during a time when comic strips were overwhelmingly white.

The influence of "Peanuts" stretched across the world, even going beyond our planet. In 1969, NASA christened the Apollo 10 lunar module "Snoopy," and the command module "Charlie Brown."

The strip also popularized phrases people today use in everyday conversations, including "good grief!" "security blanket," and "you blockhead!"

This year, Peanuts Worldwide is celebrating the 75th anniversary of Schulz's creation with new entertainment, worldwide exhibitions, corn mazes, and more.

I'll be among those celebrating too - celebrating the man whose comic strip still gives such happiness to millions.