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

(#4) Charles Schulz Made The "Security Blanket" Popular

The term "security blanket," referring to a fuzzy object a child holds for comfort, was not coined by Schulz, but he is credited with bringing the term to popularity through the character of Linus. When the Oxford Dictionary was about to add "security blanket" as an entry, they wrote to Charles Schulz to ask if he was the first to use the term. Being a nice guy, Schulz declined any credit, responding, "I think that it was the readers who eventually coined the phrase."
(#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.
(#8) Charles Schulz Only Took One Real Vacation During His Career

The ultimate hard worker, Schulz's rigid work schedule always kept him three months ahead of publication, but it was also said that he never took a vacation. Only reluctantly would he take more than 10 days off in a row - Schulz didn't even take off work when he had heart surgery. The only time Peanuts strips were ever re-published is when United Features ordered Schulz off for five weeks around his 75 birthday.
(#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."
(#17) Schulz Was Inducted Into Two Ice Sport Halls Of Fame

Growing up in Minnesota, Schulz was no stranger to ice. In fact, he had such a love for hockey and ice skating that he formed the Redwood Empire Ice Arena when he moved to California. In the mid-1970s, he started a hockey tournament for older adults that grew to become the largest senior tournament in the world and gave Schulz a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He would also be given a spot in the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame after his death. This would also explain the presence of all those Zambonis in Peanuts.
(#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.