Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip has transcended its medium and spawned a global enterprise. At the height of its success it was featured in over 2,600 newspapers, remaining relevant to generations of fans through the timeless themes addressed by so many of its beloved characters. Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Pattie and Charlie Brown have risen above their immediate context of a strife-ridden, post- war America and offer timeless, thought provoking entertainment for millions of fans.
Starting life in the 1950s, Peanuts is a pioneering work of comic strip art. Previously the medium was defined by either slapstick comedy or puns. Schulz did away with these conventions, utilising minimalist art and the use of blank, empty spaces to create an eye-catching work, equally attractive in black and white, and later, bright and simple colours. Stylistically the strips are superb, with an astonishing range of emotions possible on the children’s seemingly simple faces. The grief endured by Charlie Brown after his team’s inevitable defeat, the quizzical appearance of Rerun and Lucy’s perpetual fury are artistically engaging, and this feature alone would distinguish the work.
However, it is the content that truly sets these strips apart. Within four panels Schulz can evoke strong feelings of pathos without undermining the strip’s humour. Perhaps understandably from a cartoonist who believed his relative unhappiness lent the strip its distinctive appeal, Peanuts features the subjects of depression, dislike, race relations, Vietnam and narcolepsy. Today such humour is commonplace whereas in the 1960s and ‘70s it was positively groundbreaking.
The combination of minimalist art and economical language is what makes this strip truly outstanding and worthy of comparison with other literary forms. While other comic strips like Garfield have achieved comparative success, they cannot escape Peanuts’ shadow or surpass their humour. Peanuts is unique. Featuring perhaps the widest range of characters of any cartoon, bar The Simpsons, which regularly references Schulz’s work, Peanuts is a testament to its originator’s creativeness and natural wit that over almost half a century the characters stayed funny and relevant.
