Peanuts Strip Development

Intro

Over the years of the Peanuts strip’s creation by Charles M. Schulz, there were gradual changes that shaped the strip into how we know it today. Both novice readers and dedicated fans alike have been intrigued to understand just how this strip continues to be among the most famous of all time. But the hilarity woven throughout the strip displays how Schulz managed to hook numerous generations. Here are 2 examples of how Charles M. Schulz developed the strip to what it is today. 

Snoopy’s Jokes

Snoopy was introduced into the strip on November 4, 1950 initially portraying a dog with simple pleasures. Little did any of those early readers anticipate this average dog would become an almost “quixotic” character, with a remarkable ability to escape difficult real-world situations by simply making it into a fantasy. “[Snoopy’s] whole personality is a little bittersweet. But he is a very strong character. He can win or lose, be a disaster, a hero, or anything, and yet it all works out.” (Schulz - Pg. 345) His persona in the strip gradually adjusted from being a realistic dog to more of a quirky, imaginative beagle. These modifications to his character development first made a slow turn on October 10, 1965 when he imagined himself as a World War I flying ace. Skipping ahead 35 years, on February 13, 2000, Snoopy made his final appearance when he wrote a pizza gift card for Charlie Brown, which he refused because pizza wasn’t served there. Towards the end of this Sunday strip, Snoopy makes a gift card for dog food, and leaves the door with a can of it. He says, “I can’t believe it took me 3 years to think of that.” This is the sort of humor Snoopy evolved to become. 

Peanut’s artistic and character development

This principle is what set Schulz’s strip apart from every other comic strip. As he says in the book Celebrating Peanuts, “ A comic strip also has to grow. The only way you can stay ahead of your imitators is to search out new territories. Also, what is funny in a comic strip today will not necessarily be funny the following week. A good example of this is the character of snoopy. The fact that we could read Snoopy's thoughts was funny in itself when peanuts first began. Now, of course, it is the content of those thoughts that is important, and as he progresses in his imagination to new personalities, some of the things which he originally did as an ordinary dog would no longer be funny. Snoopy’s personality in the strip has to be watched very carefully, for it can get away from me.” (Schulz - Pg. 207) As Shulz continued to take new aspects on the Peanuts gang, both new and long-time readers alike are awed by the brilliance of this legacy. It is this true art that speaks to following generations. Snoopy’s journey from a simple dog to a whimsical and imaginative character showcases the brilliance of Schulz’s strip design. Who could have predicted the evolution of a comic strip character into such complexity?