Thursday Thirteen

Peanuts! 

1. Peanuts premiered on October 2, 1950, in seven newspapers. Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz had wanted to call it Good Ol’ Charlie Brown, but the syndicate chose Peanuts. He disliked the name, considering it trivial.

2. Schulz wrote, drew, and inked every strip himself for 50 years, producing 17,897 strips.

3. The Little Red-Haired Girl was based on Schulz’s real-life lost love, Donna Johnson.

4.  Inspired by Schulz’s childhood dog Spike, Snoopy debuted on October 4, 1950, and evolved into a master of fantasy. He was a flying ace, lawyer, novelist, and more. Schulz used him to explore escape and imagination. Spike later appeared as Snoopy's brother.

5. Charlie Brown’s father, like Schulz’s own father, was a barber.

6. Schulz introduced Franklin in 1968 after MLK Jr.’s assassination, making him the first Black character in a mainstream comic strip. Woodstock was named after the 1969 music festival, and Peppermint Patty was inspired by a candy Schulz saw in a store.

7. Schulz popularized the term "security blanket" through Linus, though he didn’t coin it.

8. Schulz excluded adults from the strip, believing they’d be “uncomfortable” in the children’s world. In animated specials, the teacher’s “wah-wah” voice was created using a trombone, thanks to composer Vince Guaraldi.

9. By 1999, over 20,000 Peanuts products were being marketed annually.

10. At its peak, Peanuts was published in 2,600 newspapers, in 75 countries, and 21 languages.

11. Lucy’s Psychiatric Booth was inspired by real-life therapy and Schulz’s interest in psychology.

12. Shulz once said, “Charlie Brown must be the one who suffers,” making him a vessel for quiet endurance and emotional truth.

13. Schulz’s last strip ran on February 13, 2000, the day after he died. Scholar Robert Thompson called Peanuts “arguably the longest story ever told by one human being.”

*An AI tool helped me compile this list.*

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 927th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.