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> Charlie Brown may have been as popular as any character in all of literature Was he? Maybe this is true inside the US but from outside the US, I've always viewed the character as a peculiarly American artefact – something I was aware of but never really read or watched. This seemed to be reinforced by most major Charlie Brown titles seemingly tied to other American customs like Halloween and baseball.
> Charlie Brown may have been as popular as any character in all of literature Was he? Maybe this is true inside the US but from outside the US, I've always viewed the character as a peculiarly American artefact – something I was aware of but never really read or watched. This seemed to be reinforced by most major Charlie Brown titles seemingly tied to other American customs like Halloween and baseball.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would think the closest comparison to my eye is the Calvin and Hobbes commercialization? As a child of the 90s, I almost exclusively knew of Calvin stickers pissing on Ford and Chevy logos growing up. The great comic was a pleasant surprise for my teenage self.
Watterson refused to allow Calvin & Hobbes to be commercialized, other than the books. Those crass stickers are unauthorized knock-offs.
The Charles Schulz museum in Santa Rosa, CA is a must visit if you’re in the area! https://schulzmuseum.org/
It's fascinating to see Lucy, Linus, Schroeder and Sally grow from tots or babies to the developed characters we know today.
> Charlie Brown may have been as popular as any character in all of literature Was he? Maybe this is true inside the US but from outside the US, I've always viewed the character as a peculiarly American artefact – something I was aware of but never really read or watched. This seemed to be reinforced by most major Charlie Brown titles seemingly tied to other American customs like Halloween and baseball.
I think many people have seen only the commercially exploited peanuts imagery. In fact the comics - especially the older ones are incredibly clever and funny and insightful and there’s long running threads and connections and strong characters. Peanuts the tshirt/hat/poster/cup is crass. Peanuts the comic is genius. It exactly the same with Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge. The commercially exploited imagery is crass an…
I mean, even originally, Garfield strips had some substance, but Jim Davis really liked money, I think...
(And that's fine by me, nobody is forcing anyone to consume Garfield.)
> Charlie Brown may have been as popular as any character in all of literature Was he? Maybe this is true inside the US but from outside the US, I've always viewed the character as a peculiarly American artefact – something I was aware of but never really read or watched. This seemed to be reinforced by most major Charlie Brown titles seemingly tied to other American customs like Halloween and baseball.
I'm a musician, and something I've noticed is that children no longer recognize the "peanuts" theme song.