The Peanuts lived in a world where adults didn’t matter as much. The world was for kids only and anytime an adult came around and talked… all you heard was a wah, wah, wah wah… no words. All the kids owned their day to day activities. The Peanuts didn’t talk down to us…no they talked to us. They were also clever enough for adults to like.
Nobody ever wins every time in this life. Everyone loses sometimes…therefore everyone is Charlie Brown to an extent. Every person has failed at a big moments or at small moments. We felt for Charlie Brown because we felt for ourselves.
When my son was born…I thought oh great…Now I’m a grown up and I’m a wah, wah, wah, wah adult…My son will live his life and sometimes I will be just noise in the background.
Growing up, there was no other cartoon I looked forward to more than the Peanuts. Every holiday and any time one of the networks decided to show one… I was there. I would also read the occasional Sunday paper to see the Peanuts strip.
Everything from Linus telling us the true meaning of Christmas, Sally and Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin, Lucy pulling that football from Charlie Brown, Snoopy being cool and taking care of Woodstock, Lucy being a Psychiatrist and Charlie Brown getting that sad looking Christmas tree…we got to peek into that world and listen to the wisdom that was going on while propped up on that brick wall.
Charlie Brown, one day when you grow up… I hope you end up with the little red head girl that you like so much and win just for once…for all of us.
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When I read this, I’m hearing the piano music in my head. 🙂 The wah wah sound really hit home, too.
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It sure does make you think…arghhh I’m one of them.
Every year at this time they really come to my mind… I guess because of the specials.
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Yes, I’ve felt like I was saying something important, but being heard in the wah wah voice. 🙂 They did have the best holiday specials.
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Snoopy was cool and I always liked him.
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Peanuts was one of those cartoons and comic strips that appealed to adults every bit as much as it did to kids.
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Plus the jazz music with the cartoons just made it all that much better. I totally agree with you.
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I liked how Pig Pen went about his own business and didn’t give a shit that he stank! lol
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YES! He is my favorite one…I don’t stink lol but I am not exactly Mr. Neat…so I identify with Pigpen!
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I’m with you. As a kid, I loved the daily comic strip and had a couple of compilation comic books of them, and still think it was a very brilliant work . Smart enough for adults, fun enough for kids. The Christmas special is one of my favorite holiday specials (though I do think they ended up making a few too many TV ones by the end).
My normal everyday coffee mug is actually a peanuts one (I should take a pic), the gang together, with caption ‘Happy Together’… I like it because it’s big, and also I was given it!
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Yes both could like together. The Christmas speech by Linus still stays with me to this day. Their first two movies were really good. A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Come Home Snoopy are really good.
Yes in the 80s the tv shows were…this sounds stupid but too “cartoonish”…I guess I’m allowed to say that about a cartoon. They lost their edge so to speak and the animation was more rounded…
I love Peanut items…we have a garage full…I do mean that.
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What a lovely Charlie Brown essay, Max. I remember reading somewhere that Charles Schultz styled Charlie after himself. I’m sure he’d be smiling if he read your words today.
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Thanks Lisa
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You’re welcome.
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Lucy and the football. Man, I kept thinking Charlie would finally get his revenge on that brat, but he never does. I guess that’s kind of the spirit of Peanuts – life stinks sometimes. (At least we don’t literally stink like Pig-Pen.)
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Pig Pen is the man… You take him like he is. Yea we dont’ win a lot…but make it count when we do
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I always hope his parents made it through okay. That’s the house in the neighborhood you don’t go into…
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Yea it might be risky going in. I always identified with Pig Pen…no I don’t stink lol but I can be a messy person…I’m not a slob but you know where I’ve been…my wife says she follows the open drawers and cabinets…and there I am.
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Ha! I like that he kept to himself. That was me (too).
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I was 9 when they came out with “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and after half an hour of listening to Vince Guaraldi I was hooked on jazz.
I had a lot of the books when I was younger, both the trade paperbacks and the mass market paperbacks, which were just reprints of the trade paperbacks. One trade paper turned into two mass-market paperbacks. I discovered that when I bought one of the smaller books and found I already had all the cartoons in one of the bigger ones. I’d say “what a ripoff!” except it was printed right on the cover of the smaller books. Hell of a lesson when you’re 11.
Schulz didn’t like the name “Peanuts” for the strip, wanted to call it “Good Ol’ Charlie Brown.” Someone at the syndicate (United Features, I think) said that everyone called little kids “peanuts.” Schulz figured that they were paying him…
I always wanted to see Charlie Brown kick Lucy’s head off. Can you imagine the cartoon, Lucy’s head flying through the air yelling “AUGH!”?
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Yea lesson learned on your part…I know exactly what you are talking about.
I think I told you we have plastic tubs full of 60s and 70s Peanuts items. In the 90s we went crazy collecting vintage Peanut items.
I wanted Charlie to cream…her…I would call her a name but I will not. I’ve known some Lucy’s….YES I would love to see her head flying!
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I couldn’t stand Lucy. I always wanted to punch her in the face. The only time she was somewhat watchable was when she was fawning over Schroeder. Loved that music. I remember watching the kids dance on stage. That was great.
Linus was the spiritual leader of the group. When I was young and heard Schulz speak, I thought “that’s Linus!” I loved his voice.
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Yea Linus was great…my hero was Pigpen… f*ck the rest of you…I am what I am…plus I can be messy…not stink but messy lol.
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Pigpen was cool.
“F*** the rest of you…” reminds me of “Screw you guys. I’m going home.” 😆 Cartman!
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LOL… I haven’t thought of Cartman in a long time.
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😆
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I’m honoring your request…tomorrow a Replacements song.
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Cool.
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