“Good ol’ Charlie Brown… How I hate him!” That was the punchline of the very first “Peanuts” strip, published 76 years ago today, on October 2, 1950. Charles Schulz’s comic debuted in just seven newspapers through the United Feature syndicate, according to MinnPost, and the round-headed kid was getting picked on from panel one.
Schulz never even liked the name. He had called his strip “Li’l Folks,” and it was the syndicate that renamed it “Peanuts,” a title Schulz openly disliked for the rest of his life. The strip’s numbers ended up beyond argument. By the time he retired, “Peanuts” ran in 2,600 newspapers and reached 335 million readers across 75 countries, per KARE 11.
Charlie Brown Was Getting Picked On From The Very Beginning
The very first Peanuts strip featured just three characters: Charlie Brown, Shermy, and Patty. As Charlie Brown walked past, Shermy repeatedly greeted him as “Good ol’ Charlie Brown,” appearing perfectly friendly while Patty sat beside him. But once Charlie Brown was out of earshot, Shermy delivered the unexpected punchline: “How I hate him!” The four-panel comic established a theme that would follow Charlie Brown for the next 50 years. Even before Lucy started pulling away footballs and classmates began mocking his baseball skills, Schulz’s famous underdog was already having a rough time.
Some of the comic strip’s most beloved characters weren’t around when Peanuts debuted. Snoopy made his first appearance on October 4, 1950, just two days after Charlie Brown, but he initially behaved like an ordinary dog, walking on all fours rather than dancing, typing novels, or imagining himself as a World War I flying ace. Lucy didn’t arrive until 1952, while Linus, Schroeder, and other familiar faces gradually joined the neighborhood. Even Charlie Brown’s appearance evolved. According to the Charles M. Schulz Museum, his famous zigzag shirt didn’t appear until December 21, 1950, more than two months after the strip began.
An Unlikely Start For The Future Joe Cool
The comic’s earliest days were hardly a financial windfall for Schulz. According to the Charles M. Schulz Museum, he earned just $90 for his first month of Peanuts strips, which appeared Monday through Saturday in seven newspapers. The first full-color Sunday edition didn’t arrive until January 6, 1952. Schulz had previously faced rejection from several comic syndicates before United Feature finally accepted his work. Despite his dislike of the title Peanuts, he continued drawing the strip himself for nearly half a century, eventually producing 17,897 original comics and building one of the most successful newspaper features in history.
The ending remains one of the most poignant in American publishing.
Schulz died in his sleep on February 12, 2000, the night before his final original Sunday strip ran on February 13. The characters never left us, though. Just this week we covered how It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is celebrating its 60th anniversary with special events and collectibles.
Seventy-six years on, Charlie Brown still has not kicked that football. Somehow that is exactly why we love him.
