
While the ubiquity of the Peanuts characters is easy to observe, its influence has been portrayed in odd places. Schulz – (from last comic strip, February 13, 2000)"

I have been grateful over the years for the loyalty of our editors and the wonderful support and love expressed to me by fans of the comic strip.Ĭharlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy. My family does not wish "Peanuts" to be continued by anyone else, therefore I am announcing my retirement. Unfortunately, I am no longer able to maintain the schedule demanded by a daily comic strip. It has been the fulfillment of my childhood ambition. I have been fortunate to draw Charlie Brown and his friends for almost fifty years. Rumor has it that he would try to bring her to the movies at Highland Theater on Cleveland Avenue. The Little Red-Haired Girl in the strip was inspired by Schulz’ unrequited love for an accountant at the Art Instruction School where Schulz also taught. He learned how to golf and caddied at Highland National Golf Course, where the 15th hole sand trap is now shaped in Snoopy’s likeness. Some Highland Park landmarks represented significant points in Schulz’ life. Schulz initially named his panel work Li’l Folks, but the New York company that first syndicated his comics in the early 1950s insisted he change the name to Peanuts to avoid conflict with another strip Schulz detested the name throughout the remainder of his career. The Pioneer Press and The Minneapolis Tribune were the first two newspapers to feature Schulz on a weekly basis in the late 1940s. He was drafted into World War II after his high school graduation. Schulz’ first published drawing, a submission to Ripley’s Believe It or Not, depicted Spike the dog’s uncanny ability to eat tacks, pins and razor blades.

Schulz confirmed several times that his dog inspired his cartoons.Įventually, the Schulz family moved back to Saint Paul and lived in one of the apartments above the family barbershop. Despite the family’s multiple moves, Schulz kept Spike (a black and white pointer) that exhibited odd behavior. Like most of the Peanuts gang, Snoopy’s character was inspired by his personal life. During the Great Depression, a family illness led the family to move out to California for one year.

Over the course of his childhood, the Schulz family lived throughout Saint Paul on James Avenue, Macalester Street and Dayton Avenue. His father owned a barbershop on the corner of Selby and Snelling, in the place of the former O’Gara’s Bar and Grill. Schulz and his father were known to purchase newspapers from both Minneapolis and Saint Paul to make sure they saw every cartoon strip printed locally.

From a young age, he was called “Sparky” in reference to a racehorse from the cartoon strip Barney Google.
