Random Surprising Facts About Peanuts And Its Creator Charles Schulz (20 items)

(#6) Schulz Despised The Title Of His Comic Strip

The original title of Schulz's comic was Li'l Folks, and it was a one-panel cartoon featuring large-headed versions of Charlie Brown and a few of his friends. Although the strip wasn't successful, Schulz managed to sell it as a series to United Features Syndicate. But because there was already another strip called Little Folks, the editors changed the name to Peanuts. Schulz never liked the new name, once stating, "I wanted a strip with dignity and significance. Peanuts made it sound too insignificant."
(#2) There Are No Adults In Peanuts For A Reason

"I usually say that the [adults] do not appear because the daily strip is only an inch and a half high, and they wouldn't have room to stand up," Schulz once joked. "Actually, they have been left out because they would intrude in a world where they could only be uncomfortable." But when Peanuts was animated, they needed a voice for the children's teacher. And it was the composer Vince Guaraldi who came up with the idea of using a trombone, and the "wah-wah" voice was born.
(#20) Schulz Was A WWII Veteran, And That Made Its Way Into The Comic

Charles Schulz served in the 20th Armored Infantry Division during World War II, which means he was part of the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. Shulz paid tribute to D-Day in Peanuts and was even part of planning the national D-Day memorial. He is quoted as once saying: “I think any sensible person with a grasp of history would have to admit that D-Day was the most important day of our century.”
(#18) The 'Original' Cast Of Peanuts Characters Didn't Include Lucy Or Linus

The first Peanuts strip, which ran in seven newspapers in 1950, didn't include what would become some of the most well-loved characters. In fact, that first Charlie Brown story only had three characters: Patty (a character distinct from Peppermint Patty), Shermy, and Charlie Brown. Quintessential Peanuts personalities like Linus and Lucy didn't enter the storyline for a few years.
(#12) The First Peanuts Animation Appeared In A Car Commercial

Years before audiences would get to see Charlie Brown and friends come to life through animation, the Peanuts gang appeared in a car commercial. The Ford Motor Company licensed the Peanuts characters to appear in color commercials and for the intro of their company-sponsored Tennessee Ernie Ford Show. Bill Meléndez was also hired to create a Peanuts animation to promote the Ford Falcon and was later chosen by Schulz to make the first of several of the 45 Peanuts prime-time animated specials.
(#11) Many Early Peanuts Comic Strips Are Really Bleak

"You can't create humor out of happiness," Schulz once said - and it shows in the Peanuts strips from the 1960s. The other characters don't like Charlie Brown; no character ever gets to be with the person they're crushing on; Charlie Brown never ends up kicking the football; and the trees continually eat his kites. It's theorized that the strip finally lost some of its darkness and became cutesy when Peanuts started producing more merchandise in the 1980s.