How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024) • Hacker News Board

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#71

Post by bsenftner » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 2:03 PM UTC

Aloha wrote: post #45

analog31 wrote: post #15

I'm a musician, and something I've noticed is that children no longer recognize the "peanuts" theme song.

I wish Vince Guaraldi had lived longer, I really like his style of Jazz, its both the kind of thing you can leave on in the background, and its music that takes you places. Cast your fate to the Wind and Alma-Ville are still some favorites. I also consider his arrangement of the peanuts music into a cohesive whole to be pretty masterful - its out of print now, but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Charlie_Brown_Suite…

My wife, as a teen, had the job of being Vince Guaraldi's chaperone / guide for a series of concerts during the 70's. She's got great stories of hanging out and partying with his people.

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#72

Post by garyrob » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 2:13 PM UTC

kulahan wrote: post #48

Does anyone simply not get how this comic got so popular? I've never read a strip from this comic and once felt anything interesting. It's not a Calvin and Hobbes, it's not a Howard the Duck, it's just... I dunno, cute? I guess people like it because it's kinda cute? I know, I'm being something of a Bah Humbug, but I legitimately cannot see the draw of this comic. It reminds me of Family Circus - no story, just vague…

As someone born in 1956, I and everyone I knew were great enjoyers of Peanuts, and I still appreciate those strips when I see them.

There's a combination of solace in the face of cruelty, humor, gentleness and truthfulness there that unique. Certainly, when I was older, I came to also love Watterson's and Larson's work. They have an edge that Shulz's work didn't. But his work had something theirs didn't.

I can understand how it could be hard for people who didn't grow up with Peanuts make their way into it. For people used to an edginess that Peanuts doesn't have, it looks merely cute. But it really isn't. There is a depth to the feelings Schulz portrayed.

Perhaps to really enjoy Peanuts, one had to have experienced the new strips coming out each day, which added a depth of knowledge about the relationships between the characters which was an essential background that is just not there when one sees a couple of strips now.

Watterson wrote:

> “The wonder of ‘Peanuts’ is that it worked on so many levels simultaneously.… Children could enjoy the silly drawings … while adults could see the bleak undercurrent of cruelty, loneliness and failure, or the perpetual theme of unrequited love, or the strip’s stark visual beauty.

(Regarding that last, Peanuts was displayed at the Louvre....)

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#73

Post by billfruit » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 2:16 PM UTC

kulahan wrote: post #48

Does anyone simply not get how this comic got so popular? I've never read a strip from this comic and once felt anything interesting. It's not a Calvin and Hobbes, it's not a Howard the Duck, it's just... I dunno, cute? I guess people like it because it's kinda cute? I know, I'm being something of a Bah Humbug, but I legitimately cannot see the draw of this comic. It reminds me of Family Circus - no story, just vague…

I have a completely opposite perspective to you on this. I find the peanuts very poignantly captures the frailities of the human condition in a humorous manner.

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#74

Post by JoeDaDude » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 2:27 PM UTC

kulahan wrote: post #48

Does anyone simply not get how this comic got so popular? I've never read a strip from this comic and once felt anything interesting. It's not a Calvin and Hobbes, it's not a Howard the Duck, it's just... I dunno, cute? I guess people like it because it's kinda cute? I know, I'm being something of a Bah Humbug, but I legitimately cannot see the draw of this comic. It reminds me of Family Circus - no story, just vague…

I remember my grandmother saying that Peanuts characters look like children but spoke like adults and that was what she liked. Apparently, kids saying "good grief" was unheard of back in that time, as were kids generally being disappointed and sad.

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#75

Post by JoeDaDude » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 2:33 PM UTC

andrewstuart wrote: post #3

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…

For the dedicated fan, the complete collection of Peanuts strips is available in several volumes.

https://www.fantagraphics.com/collections/the-complete-peanu...

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#76

Post by mwexler » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 2:45 PM UTC

kulahan wrote: post #48

Does anyone simply not get how this comic got so popular? I've never read a strip from this comic and once felt anything interesting. It's not a Calvin and Hobbes, it's not a Howard the Duck, it's just... I dunno, cute? I guess people like it because it's kinda cute? I know, I'm being something of a Bah Humbug, but I legitimately cannot see the draw of this comic. It reminds me of Family Circus - no story, just vague…

Early strips are very different. Dark, sarcastic, double meaning, lots of depth. They changed as Schulz got older and lighter, and that's what most folks know. But worth reading the earliest entries, and then see how those themes play out in the later strips.

Calvin and Hobbes tried to replicate that darkness but were more ham-handed. Still clever, but much less subtle.

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#77

Post by Angostura » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 3:10 PM UTC

nick_ wrote: post #65

kulahan wrote: post #48

Does anyone simply not get how this comic got so popular? I've never read a strip from this comic and once felt anything interesting. It's not a Calvin and Hobbes, it's not a Howard the Duck, it's just... I dunno, cute? I guess people like it because it's kinda cute? I know, I'm being something of a Bah Humbug, but I legitimately cannot see the draw of this comic. It reminds me of Family Circus - no story, just vague…

The only comic worse is Garfield. I have no idea how anyone enjoys either of them.

I see you've never met 'Andy Capp' popularly serialised in UK papers, together with Peanuts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Capp

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#78

Post by cmos » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 3:10 PM UTC

randycupertino wrote: post #26

FiddlerClamp wrote: post #16

Interestingly, Peanuts started with a focus on Shermy and Violet as the 'straight men' and young(er) Charlie Brown as the comic upstart. Snoopy shows up fairly soon, but he doesn't even seem to be CB's pet for the first while. It's fascinating to see Lucy, Linus, Schroeder and Sally grow from tots or babies to the developed characters we know today.

There was a long read article that came out a few years ago called "How Snoopy Killed Peanuts:" https://kotaku.com/how-snoopy-killed-peanuts-1724269473 about how Peanuts lost it's edge once the "cute" popular dog was introduced, whereas prior it used to be more subversive, philosophical/theoretical with darker material.

Same with "Odie" in Garfield.. kindof.

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#79

Post by Angostura » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 3:17 PM UTC

eru wrote: post #18

MPSimmons wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, even originally, Garfield strips had some substance, but Jim Davis really liked money, I think...

Garfield was conceived from the get go as a cash grab devoid of artistic merit. (And that's fine by me, nobody is forcing anyone to consume Garfield.)

Re: How Charles M Schulz created Charlie Brown and Snoopy (2024)

#80

Post by noefingway » Fri, Nov 28, 2025, 3:18 PM UTC

garyrob wrote: post #72

kulahan wrote: post #48

Does anyone simply not get how this comic got so popular? I've never read a strip from this comic and once felt anything interesting. It's not a Calvin and Hobbes, it's not a Howard the Duck, it's just... I dunno, cute? I guess people like it because it's kinda cute? I know, I'm being something of a Bah Humbug, but I legitimately cannot see the draw of this comic. It reminds me of Family Circus - no story, just vague…

As someone born in 1956, I and everyone I knew were great enjoyers of Peanuts, and I still appreciate those strips when I see them. There's a combination of solace in the face of cruelty, humor, gentleness and truthfulness there that unique. Certainly, when I was older, I came to also love Watterson's and Larson's work. They have an edge that Shulz's work didn't. But his work had something theirs didn't. I can unders…

Here, here! I was born in 1951 - read Peanuts everyday as a kid, still read Peanuts everyday as an adult. It has great humor and insight into relationships.