How Snoopy Killed Peanuts

[Chris Allingham]

I know we've got some old farts around here like me who like comic strips. I grew up in Santa Rosa, CA, the home of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. As a kid, I was a Peanuts fan, I learned how to ice skate at the public ice rink he built in town, and of course I had a beagle named Snoopy.

So I found this article interesting. Warning, it is quite long. Thanks to my friend Kevin K for bringing it to my attention.

http://kotaku.com/how-snoopy-killed-peanuts-1724269473

 

[T Waite]

Like you, I grew up loving Peanuts. We had a one Beagle named Snoopy, and another named Peanut. I had all of the comic strip compilation books and used to laugh myself silly as a kid reading them in bed.

After reading the article it almost seems as if the author is more interested in deriding the strip than honestly reviewing it. It changed over time, they all do. Even strips with relatively short runs like Bloom County change, sometimes drastically, over a short period of time. I think the shorter answer is that it probably lasted too long and had run its course. Add to it Charles Schulz' age and health, and not much else would be expected.

 

[Len Dennis]

Comics like these weren't for kids, they were for adults. Maybe that's why I never cared for them.

Thanks for the link Chris. Explains a lot.

 

[Rich Dahl]

My favorite was below it always reminds me of the dog training seasons I had with my Golden Retrievers.

From Feb 7, 1982

 

[Bob H.]

It almost seems like there should be some Linus and Lucy piano music playing in the background.

Now about the strip, if you spent most of your life as Charles Schulz did with Peanuts, and aged along the way,
it would probably be not as easy to keep it fresh and interesting as it was in the beginning.

Now what about BC? Now there was a fun comic strip that lived for just about the right length of time.

 

[T Waite]

Comics like these weren't for kids, they were for adults. Maybe that's why I never cared for them.

Thanks for the link Chris. Explains a lot.

They were for both. Here's a classic example. Any kid could appreciate this for it's simplicity. An adult can understand the darker side.

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

Awesome article. It took a weird slant against Snoopy but I appreciate the history of it. He ruined it maybe in the way Fonzi ruined Happy Days. Like Urkle and Family Matters? Maybe not that bad. The Peanuts Christmas special is my favority Christmas special of all time. It gets me every time.