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Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts characters kept us company for 50 years – from 1950 to 2000 – entertaining us, moving us, making us laugh and giving us pause for thought. 17,897 comic strips – each meticulously written, drawn and coloured by the cartoonist Charles M. Schulz [read our article on him here] – were read by several profoundly different generations. And they are still as powerful today as they were when they were first made.
In 2025, an important anniversary is being celebrated all over the world: 75 years since the launch of Peanuts! In this article, we’ll take a look together at how Schulz’s astute cartoons won the affection of millions of people and cemented themselves in the public imagination, before investigating the events lined up for this special birthday.
Who are the Peanuts gang? Charles M. Schulz’s cartoon characters
One of the most notable features of the succinct Peanuts strips is the characters’ psychological traits. This was an innovative concept at the time; each member of the Peanuts gang has their own clearly defined personality. There is Linus with his existential questions (and essential blanket), and his sister, the overbearing Lucy. There is Charlie Brown, of course, the alter ego of his creator and the ultimate ‘loser’, and daydreamer Snoopy, the most famous character of all. Not to mention the attention-seeking Sally, the piano-playing Schroeder, Snoopy’s avian sidekick Woodstock and many other incredible characters.
Schulz said that each member of the gang represented a different side of his character and that every Peanuts strip revealed a little bit about himself. As his characters’ psychology and personality developed – Schulz once admitted – the humour and the stories started to write themselves.
Schulz’s sophisticated and psychological humour kept the whole world company for decades. [You’ll find an overview of the characters and some strips dedicated to them here].
The first Peanuts strip, 2 October 1950
Charles M. Schulz’s first Peanuts strip was published on 2 October 1950; it appeared simultaneously in seven American newspapers. The four-panel strip featured Charlie Brown, of course, although the drawing style and some features differed from Schulz’s later work. For example, Charlie Brown was not wearing his legendary zigzag jumper – a detail that Schulz first included in the 21 December 1950 strip. The other quintessential Peanuts character, Snoopy, made his first appearance two days after the launch, on 4 October.
But how did Peanuts get its name? Schulz originally chose a different name for his strip – Li’l Folks – but the production manager asked him to find an alternative, as Little Folks had been used before. Tired of waiting for another suggestion from Schulz, the manager opted for Peanuts: a word used in the USA to refer to children, although even in the 1950s it was a rather archaic term. Schulz always hated the title, as he once revealed in an interview!
…and the final Peanuts strip, 13 February 2000
Charles M. Schulz always stayed true to his decision to do the drawing, colouring and lettering for all of his strips, even when his health started to deteriorate. In the final years of his career, for example, an annoying tremor made creating the daily strip increasingly difficult.
He eventually developed other serious health problems, and reluctantly had to bring his phenomenally successful cartoon saga to an end. The final strip, containing a moving letter from the artist to the readers he had entertained over half a century of daily adventures, was published on 13 Feburary 2000.
Charles M. Schulz always worked a few weeks ahead of the publication date, and so coincidentally the final Peanuts strip was published just a few hours after its much-loved creator’s death.
At Schulz’s request, nobody was allowed to continue drawing the Peanuts strips in his place. However, many newspapers around the world continue to publish reprints, and Schulz gave his permission for related products to be created, leading to recent animated series like Snoopy in Space, Peanuts and Snoopy & Friends.
Peanuts in pop culture: from pyjamas to outer space
It only takes a quick look around you to see that the world of Peanuts has permeated pop culture over the last 75 years. Schulz’s characters are absolutely everywhere: in newspapers, on TV and streaming services, at the cinema, on stage, in art projects and amusement parks, and in books and digital products. And, of course, in thousands of consumer goods and pieces of merchandise.
There are Snoopy-shaped popcorn makers, pyjamas, t-shirts, caps and clothing of all kinds, mugs, calendars, pen holders, diaries, watches, flags, water bottles, dressing-up kits, Valentine’s Day cards… the list is endless.
And that’s not all: Snoopy – undoubtedly the most famous and best-loved of the Peanuts gang – has also been the unofficial mascot of NASA since 1968. During the Apollo 10 mission that orbited the moon, the modules used were renamed in honour of Peanuts: the terrestrial module was called Charlie Brown, and the lunar module was called Snoopy. And this connection between Peanuts and space still continues today: for example, a Snoopy soft toy was used to demonstrate weightlessness during NASA’s Artemis 1 mission in 2022.
Celebrating 75 years of Peanuts all over the world
People are not letting a big birthday like 75 pass under the radar – both small-scale and large-scale celebrations are being organised worldwide to pay tribute to Snoopy and co. For example, one of the largest amusement parks in California, Knott’s Berry Farm, which has a whole section of the park dedicated to Snoopy, spent a few days celebrating the milestone, inviting young guests to discover the Peanuts characters and the life of their creator. There was even an exclusive Snoopy rooftop concert!
Elsewhere, a travelling exhibition is investigating the connection between Peanuts and the world of fashion, which Schulz was passionate about. Snoopy in Style asked 75 famous fashion brands to dress the Peanuts gang, with surprising and guaranteed smile-inducing results! The exhibition launches in Paris.
The retail chain Trudy’s Hallmark has already started selling a new range of Peanuts merchandise, while the strip’s official website is selling a special hoodie to mark the occasion. Many businesses have decided to celebrate the anniversary with limited-edition objects, including a Timex watch, a clothing range from Japanese brand Uniqlo and a themed version of the board game Cluedo.
And then there are some truly bizarre celebrations! In North America, for instance, it is being marked through a uniquely American passion: corn mazes. 75 farms in the USA and Canada have been chosen to host special Peanuts-themed mazes in 2025!
However, there’s no need for the celebrations to be too outlandish. One thing Peanuts taught us was the importance of small gestures: a simple action is more than adequate to pay homage to the things that put a smile on our faces. Myriad small businesses – restaurants, pubs, libraries, bookshops, trade shows and comic shops – are doing just that and celebrating Peanuts’ birthday over the course of the year with a special evening, a themed menu or an intimate event.
How will you be celebrating Peanuts’ anniversary? Do you have a special graphic design or marketing campaign in mind for the occasion?