Where To Watch
Do you know the name the Peanuts comic strip debuted with?
Good grief!
What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. But what about a peanut? Specifically, what about "the" Peanuts, as in Charlie Brown and his adolescent cohorts?
The Peanuts origin story is intertwined with American history. The series creator, Charles Schulz, honed his craft while serving as a staff sergeant with the 20th Armored Division in Europe. Despite being drafted by the United States Army in World War II, he never stopped drawing. According to Kari Schuetz's 2016 biography about the cartoonist, Charles Schulz sketched pictures of his military camp to keep his skillset fresh while overseas. After the war, Schulz taught at art school for a few years before his big break.
That turning point came in 1947 when St. Paul Pioneer Press began publishing a weekly comic strip featuring Schulz's original character. Within three years, the strip's popularity spread and was carried by multiple newspapers.
But what was the comic strip known as?
As originally published, Charlie Brown was part of a strip called Li'l Folks. The characters we'd come to love looked slightly different initially, but the personality traits were there from the beginning. More importantly, the heart that would come to define Peanuts was on display even when it was known as Li'l Folks.
So, why the switch?
According to Karie Scheutz, Li'l Folks was too close to another comic strip's name. She then quotes Charles Schulz justifying the change.
"It probably doesn't matter what [the strip] is called," said Schulz, "so long as each effort brings some kind of joy to someone, someplace."
Related
8 Comments
The little boy (poor Shermy, gone too soon...) ACTUALLY says "HERE COMES Ol' Charlie Brown", then "Good Ol' Charlie Brown...", and finally the button/joke "HOW I hate him...." A Classic!!
Awwww...now I have to go watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas"... "Lights...please...?"
You might want to find a more reliable source to quote from than a children's book aimed at preschoolers.
You seem to have a lot of bones to pick...but incorrectly. NOWHERE in this article does it say that "Li'l Folks" (CAPITAL L, by the way...oops!!!) was "syndicated nationwide". It ACTUALLY says that
"the strip" was carried in multiple newspapers, and goes on to talk about how it was re-named Peanuts.
It ALSO doesn't say that Schulz was "indifferent". It merely quotes him. Is it correct? Who knows? Were you there?? Should we believe you over her? But you're adding a lot of unnecessary facts that ALSO may or may not be true.
The article states in the third paragraph, "Within three years, the strip's popularity SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY and was carried by multiple newspapers NATIONWIDE." [Caps mine for emphasis]. Do you not understand how comics syndication works or do you just have reading comprehension issues? Again, 'Li'l CAPITAL L Folks' appeared only regionally. This has been well documented.
Finally, Schulz has been cited in numerous interviews over Peanuts' five decade span how he detested the title (He wanted to name it "Charlie Brown"), and claimed it was the worst strip title ever. These statements are not difficult to locate. The book's "author" (creator of a series of cutesy-pie animal facts volumes, not exactly a comics historian) randomly pulled a quote (from an unnamed source) that gives the impression he was cavalier about the issue, when this was not the case. Don't take my word for it, do some research, unlike the writer here.
Try again, Johnny Bravo.