The Peanuts is one of the most popular franchises of all time. This iconic cast of characters have been adapted into cartoons, movies, stage musicals, and video games. The likes of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Linus are instantly recognizable to millions of people, and it all started with just a newspaper comic strip and a single creator – Charles Schulz. The Peanuts comic strip ran from 1950 to 2000, existing as both a daily and Sunday comic strip. Schulz wrote, drew, and lettered all 17,897 comic strips by himself. He also applied the color, though not every Peanut comic has color.
Charlie Brown, the Peanuts’ protagonist, is a kid who always seems to be down on his luck. Something always seems to be bringing him low, whether it be getting pranked by Lucy with a football once again or grappling with the true meaning of Christmas. This has always made it easy to relate to him as a character, especially when someone is going through their own tough time in life. This relatability is what sets it apart from the likes of Far Side, which would aim for more surreal humor. Peanuts does this while depicting the innocent ups and downs of childhood. However, this relatability can sometimes allow the Peanuts to brings it readers down lower than they might have expected. It’s here where Peanuts can be its most potent and its saddest.
10
No One Would Miss Charlie Brown
Lucy is often the bane of Charlie Brown’s existence, especially when there is a football or cheap therapy involved. Lucy is often delivering harsh truths – or at least what she believes are hard truths – to everyone around her, especially Charlie himself. In this January 3, 1957 strip, Charlie states that he believes that, if he disappeared tomorrow, “nobody would miss” him.
Lucy seems to try and comfort Charlie Brown by telling him that it is not true. However, Lucy is rarely one for comforting, and she tells Charlie, “Even if you were to disappear today nobody would miss you!” Charlie looks flabbergasted, no doubt led into further sadness by Lucy’s bluntness. Whether or not it’s true, Charlie is being forced to reckon with the fact that no one in his life would care if he were gone.
9
Linus Thinks the World is Ending
Modern audiences may not be strangers to the thought that the world could end any day now, but this is not a new phenomenon. The Cold War had people all over the world in fear that the world could end in nuclear fire at any moment. As it turns out, Linus is one of these unfortunate souls in fear of the apocalypse.
This January 5, 1958 comic has Linus witnessing a snowfall and running to Charlie Brown to tell him that, “It’s happening just like they said it would!” Charlie Brown reassures him that it’s just snow, and Linus said that he “thought it was the fallout.” He thought the snow was nuclear ash raining down on them. It’s a funny mistake to be certain, but it does force the reader to think about the kind of stress the fear of nuclear annihilation could put on a kid who is aware of it. It’s hard not to suddenly feel pretty sad for Linus when one puts that into consideration.
8
Olaf Won the Ugly Dog Contest and Hasn’t Gotten Over It
Everyone’s heart bleeds for an animal in pain, and they bleed even more for an animal they know. Snoopy actually has a pretty big family with seven siblings, though only five of them have shown up in the comic. Olaf is one of those named siblings. He is a bit bigger than Snoopy and is often depicted as a little slow-witted. However, he has shown himself to have a sharper side, and he seems to have a great sadness in him.
In this January 26, 1989 comic, he reveals to have won an “Ugly Dog” contest, and it seems that he hasn’t gotten over it. He decides that he’ll hurt himself and leaps off Snoopy’s doghouse head-first. He is seemingly okay, and he reveals that this isn’t the first time he’s dove head-first off of something. It’s hard not to feel some anguish for poor Olaf, who does not seem to understand that he is pretty darn cute.
7
Peppermint Patty Has Confidence Issues
Peppermint Patty has often seemed like one of the most confident of the Peanuts bunch. She’s straightforward, calls Charlie Brown “Chuck,” and even has an assistant in Marcie. However, in this June 22, 1972 comic, we get to see a different side of Peppermint Patty.
The Little Red-Haired Girl is the closest thing to a romantic interest for Charlie Brown in the Peanuts comics. He is often admiring and pining after her. In this comic, Peppermint Patty is made to feel lesser because of how pretty the Little Red-Haired Girl. Peppermint Pattty starts listing off her own flaws, admits to crying over it, and says she may cry again. It truly is a sad scene for a character who usually seems so bold.
6
When Linus and Lucy Moved Away
There was an arc in the Peanuts comics where Linus and Lucy move away. This was built up to, particularly with Lucy asking Schroeder what he would do if she left. In this May 16, 1966 comic, the two of them have just left, and it’s sinking in for Schroeder.
The departure makes Schroeder feel bad for how he treated Lucy all these years, and he laments that he “never even said good-bye.” This does a lot to tug at the heartstrings, between the relatable sadness of a friend moving away and the things left unsaid. Charlie Brown isn’t handling it well either, holding on to Linus’ blanket and sucking on his thumb. It’s impossible to not feel something for these two.
5
Peppermint Patty Says Goodbye to Marcie
This is one of the last Peanuts comics from January 2, 2000. Charles Schulz would retire later this year and then pass away. That context already adds some sadness to this particular comic, but the contents also do plenty to pull at heartstrings.
This is the last comic to feature Peppermint Patty, and it shows she and Marcie after a rainy football game. Everyone else is going home, and Marcie tells Peppermint that she should go home too. Peppermint Patty says “We had fun, didn’t we, Marcie?” Peppermint’s loyal friend said that they did. Knowing that this is their last comic, there is something sad and poignant about the question. It drives home that this is the last we will see of them from a Peanuts comic.
4
Snoopy’s Doghouse Burned Down and a Van Gogh Was Lost
Snoopy’s red doghouse is recognizable as Snoopy himself, and he, for some reason, sleeps on top of it. It’s been implied before that it is far larger on the inside, as Snoopy has thrown a party with multiple human guests inside this doghouse. This TARDIS-like abode is truly something special, and Snoopy has lost it before.
On September 19, 1966, Snoopy’s house burned down. It provides further evidence that this doghouse is bigger on the inside, as it is revealed that Snoopy had records, a pool table, and a Vincent van Gogh painting inside this doghouse. This compounds the tragedy by meaning a priceless piece of art was forever lost to the world. The doghouse would later be replaced, but the world will never get back that Vincent van Gogh painting.
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3
Charlie Brown is Part of the Beat Generation
Adults are not seen and are very rarely heard in Peanuts comics. While their presence is felt, one never appears on panel, and we only get the children’s reactions to what is being said by adults rather than the dialogue itself. This is famously adapted into the cartoons with the “wah-wah-wah” trombone sound effect that is heard every time an adult is talking. This has never stopped the adults from being the topic of the comic though.
In this May 30, 1958 strip, Linus asks Charlie Brown if he has ever heard of the Beat Generation, which was a mid-20th Century literary movement. Charlie declares that he is a “charter member,” clearly misunderstanding what Linus is talking about. The conclusion we’re meant to draw, unfortunately, is that Charlie Brown is “beat,” as in hit – likely by his parents. This is especially likely given that he has spoken about being hit with an electric razor.
2
Charlie Brown May Have Been Hit by an Electric Razor
To continue the theme of child abuse, there is this March 13, 1958 comic where Linus and Charlie Brown are talking about something Linus’ grandfather said. Linus’ grandfather said that this generation needs “more of the ol’ razor strop!” For those who do not know, a “razor strop” is a piece of leather or similar material used to maintain a straight razor.
Saying the generation needs “more of the ol’ razor strop” implies that Linus’ grandfather believes that kids need to be hit more often by said razor strop. That is bad enough and sounds like a very unpleasant beating. However, Charlie Brown agrees and one-ups this by asking if Linus has ever been hit by an electric razor. This implies that Charlie Brown has experienced being hit with an electric razor, which also sounds quite painful.
1
Charles Schulz Signs Off From the Peanuts
Not much is sadder than a true ending, and this is as true for the Peanuts comic series as anything else. On February 13, 2000, the last Peanuts comic strip was published. This was a planned retirement, but Charles Schulz would pass away the day before the comic would be published.
Charles Schulz sends Peanuts off with a letter to the audience. In it, he talks about how he can no longer continue the series, that his family doesn’t want anyone else to take over Peanuts, and expresses his gratitude to the audience and his editors. The fact that this is the last Peanuts comic would be sad enough, but the knowledge that Charles Schulz passed just before its publishing pushes it into the top spot for most depressing Peanuts comic.
